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‘Peep Show’: U.S. Adaptation Of Cult UK Comedy Series In Works At Starz

Starz has put in development Peep Show, a half-hour series based on the award-winning British comedy, which ended its 12-year run on Channel 4 last year. Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong will be consulting producers on the U.S. adaptation, which will be written by Son of Zorn co-creator Eli Jorne, who will serve as executive producer/showrunner.

Jimmy Fox (The Arrangement) and Layla Smith (Witless) of All3Media’s Objective Media Group, the company behind the original series, will also serve as executive producers alongside Greg Lipstone, CEO of All3Media America.

This marks the latest attempt to mount an American version of the acclaimed UK comedy — the longest running comedy in Channel 4’s history — following pilots at Fox in 2005, which starred Big Bang Theory‘s Johnny Galecki, and at Spike in 2008.

Peep Show gives a unique spin to relationship comedy – it’s a great opportunity for Starz to innovate in the half-hour space,” said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director of Starz.

Shot entirely through a highly inventive first-person point of view from its two main characters, Peep Show has received two BAFTA Awards, two British Comedy Awards and two Royal Television Awards. The series centers around two dysfunctional friends who share their lives while trying to adjust to the professional world.

“We are hugely relieved to hand over the responsibility of coming up with the dark and twisted thoughts of two terrible men to the extremely funny, dark and twisted Eli Jorne,” Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong said jointly.

Jorne, who recently served as co-showrunner on the new Fox comedy series Son of Zorn, which he departed in April, also worked as co-showrunner on FX’s Wilfred and as co-executive producer on Starz’s comedy series Blunt Talk.

“I feel lucky to be working with Starz again,” he said. “And I’m, of course, grateful to Sam and Jesse for entrusting me with nine seasons’ worth of insightful, darkly hilarious material that I can hopefully pass off to American audiences as my own.”

After taking a break from comedy following several short-lived series, most notably cult fave Party Down, Starz has returned to the arena over the last two years with Survivor’s Remorse, Blunt Talk and Ash vs Evil Dead.

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