...this time about colleagues, not flatmates

The Americans are having a fifth bash at remaking Peep Show.

Atlanta writer Stefani Robinson has written a pilot episode which will air on the FX channel as a prelude to a possible series.

But there is a key difference – rather than having two dysfunctional flatmates, the show is reimagined as a tech workplace comedy.

The broadcaster says the new version ‘takes inspiration from the original UK series and its unique narrative format. It follows the relationship between a long-suffering assistant and her boss, an emotionally unstable tech entrepreneur.’

Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, who created the Channel 4 original, will be among the executive producers. 

It is FX’s second attempt to reboot the series, with with Portlandia  writer Karey Dornetto creating a script for two female leads in 2019

American broadcasters have been trying to make their own versions of Peep Show since 2005 when Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki starred in a pilot for Fox  that wasn’t picked up

Spike TV developed another in 2008, set to be written by Armstrong and Bain, but neither that nor a 2016 version for Starz  came to fruition.

Writer Robinson, who will also be an executive producer, has also been joint showrunner on What We Do In The Shadows

The other execs on the new Peep Show are Atlanta producer Dianne McGunigle and Brtis Hannah Mackay and Ben Farrell of Objective Fiction, which produced the original series.

Running from 2003 to 2015, Peep Show was Channel 4's longest-running comedy.

Last year, stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb said they may consider returning to their characters Mark and Jez when they are in their 60s.

Here's the 2005 US pilot: 

And one fan has unearthed some of the footage shot for the 2008 project, which can be viewed here – and he explains how he pieced together the material here.

Published: 14 Dec 2022