British sitcom Hapless finds a home in the US

Peacock platform snaps up the cringe comedy

American streamer Peacock has snapped up the rights to air British sitcom Hapless in the US.

The platform, part of the NBC Universal giant, will host all 14 episodes of the show – a cringe comedy about a reporter on a London-based Jewish newspaper – from April 10.

Writer and director Gary Sinyor made the show independently, and released the first six-part series on Amazon Prime in 2020 under the title The Jewish Enquirer.

The following year Channel 5 bought the show for its on-demand platform My5, and it was subsequently available on Netflix in the UK and Ireland. A second series followed last year.

Tim Downie stars as the hapless protagonist Paul Green, while stand-up Josh Howie as his friend Simon. The show also features Lucy Montgomery, Jeany Spark, Michael Fenton Stevens, Sally Phillips and Nick Blood.

In December, British Airways apologised after it was revealed it had pulled the sitcom – which has been likened to Curb Your Enthusiasm – from its in-flight entertainment because of the war in Gaza ‘because it wanted to remain neutral’.

After the decision was made public, BA said: ‘We understand that the decision to review the content has caused upset and hurt to the Jewish community, and we’re sorry – that was never our intention.

‘We’re proud to offer a wide range of entertainment options for our customers to enjoy and constantly review these, taking into consideration current events. The series will appear on our aircraft early next year.’

In a statement to Deadline, Sinor said: ‘The goal of Hapless has always been to unite viewers through laugh-out-loud comedy.

‘Peacock has been a great partner by bringing my off-beat British/Jewish humour combo to the States which is the ultimate home of long-running classic sitcoms. I hope my particular brand of storytelling will appeal to our American cousins on the left, right and centre. Frankly, you could do with a laugh.’