No-Heroes-Email-Invite
The Hollywood Reporter reports that ABC has ordered a pilot based on NO HEROICS, the British sitcom about a bunch of third-rate, misfit superheroes with horrible love lives, and the supers-only bar they hang out at. The show will be written by Yank Jeff Greenstein and the original show creator, Drew Pearce, who apparently reads this blog every now and then.

The UK version is out on DVD for all you all-region peeps, and thanks to Mr. Pearce, we got to sample the show*, which, like many Britcoms, puts its hapless cast into worse and worse social situations where not all their powers can save them. The UK show was quite funny, and featured a zillion in-jokes for anyone who actually reads comics, as well as a dark view of the social pecking order among the long underwear set. Hopefully a Stateside version can retain both elements.

(* This show was reviewed from an advance DVD sent by the production company that arrived while we were out of town, so we had, like three notices stuck to the door, and since it was an international package, it had to come via FedEx. Because it was the final attempt, we had to go all the way to the FedEx depot up on Madison to pick it up in person which was a little bit of a hassle, but the nice man from the production office emailed to make sure we got it.)

1 COMMENT

  1. I’m not sure it’s a great show, but it certainly does have its moments – or at least the British version does. Still, I can’t see an American version having Timebomb (a gay, drug addled bastard known for his skills as a torturer; the guy in the middle of the picture) intact, or the extended bit where the female heroes meet with some of their fans.

    And by “extended bit” I mean 10 minutes solid of masturbation jokes.

  4. Last time I looked all 6 episodes were on YouTube. The funniest episode was the one where Timebomb (who can see 60 seconds into the future) is hired to be a bodyguard for a teenage Indian prince who is scandalized when he learns that Timebomb is Gay and their working relationship gets worse and worse. When Timebomb reveals an assassination is about to happen but won’t say how, the prince starts begging him to tell and says, “What do you want?” And Timebomb replies, “A dead prince!” but he does save the boy at the last moment. But after he’s fired he stops helping them, and. . .

  5. I was just wondering the other day if the Brit version was going to get a second series. I found the first series to be hitting the same beats over and over, but was very funny by the end. The show has a lot of potential.

    I’m not sure if it will work on network TV, here in the states. It seems like it should be on a cable channel where it can reach it’s nitch-market… like Sci-Fi, Spike, or Comedy Central.

  6. It was funny, but I’m not sure it could carry on for a whole season. And without the swearing and graphic sex jokes to make it unique, why bother?

    Anyway, after the insultingly bad hack job on Life on Mars (not to mention Stephen’s King’s butchering of The Kingdom), network-television-commissioned remakes automatically make me expect the worst.

  7. While No Heroics has a more obvious harsher edge, Fox’s live action (short lived) Tick series hit upon some of the embarrassing moments that costumed figures would encounter in the real world.

    I can see a network version coming across as a combination of The Tick and Mystery Men. Which may not be a bad thing, but if they wish to stick as close to the original British as they could perhaps a run on HBO (like Extras did) would be the way to go.

  8. I’ve never seen the original version of Life on Mars – but I like what I see is being done out here with it in the States.

    It’s sure easier to swallow than Lost.

    ~

    Coat