10 Classic British TV Shows That Failed As American Remakes

8. Spaced (1999-2001) / Spaced (2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDsdBB1LUto&feature=player_embedded Cult TV shows are certainly the most difficult to adapt. For one thing, many did not have a big following or a lot of acclaim. Second, they are often too specific to a unique time or place, and trying to duplicate that often leads to failure. Created by current geek gods actor Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright (and Jessica Stevenson), Spaced followed a pair of roommates and their interactions with neighbors and friends and was filled with countless pop culture reference, fast-paced editing, surrealism, and non-sequitur humor. The show ran for two series on Channel4 and launched the careers of Pegg, Wright, and fellow co-star Nick Frost. In 2007, Fox announced plans to remake the show (with director McG attached as producer) after the international success of Pegg/Frost/Wright€™s Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Wright and Pegg had initially rejected offers for an American remake during the show€™s original run and therefore, were not even consulted this time around. Despite this, and thanks to their newfound fame, their names (minus the less famous co-creator Stevenson) were still publicly attached to the project, which only angered the duo more as they criticized the bastardized project in the press. Soon their protests, combined with fanboy outrage, forced Fox to abandon the project after producing only a pilot episode.