The Brit Comedy Invasion Of HBO continues

21 August 2012 | 8:24 pm | Staff Writer

UK comedians Stephen Merchant and Jo Brand are amongst the latest wave of Brit-com heading to US TV.

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Potty-mouth female comic actor Jo Brand's award-winning Brit-com Getting On is the latest UK show to be ear-marked for US TV makeover.
According to The British Comedy Guide, the rights to Getting On, co-penned by Brand, have been picked up by HBO. A pilot has been ordered to test whether the show's deadpan, naturalistic humour will wash with American audiences.


Big Love creators Mark Olsen and Will Scheffer have been brought in to produce the darkly comic show about nurses working in an aged care ward of a public hospital.
HBO has scored a big success (and Emmy award nominations) with their show Veep, which transported British political satirist Armando Ianucci's work into an American setting. The cable network has since been looking for further UK crossovers.
HBO already produces the animated series The Ricky Gervais Show (of course, starring UK comic Ricky Gervais) and is now prepping a series for Gervais sidekick Stephen Merchant based on his stand-up show Hello Ladies.
[UPDATE] According to Chortle, US network is set to remake three more Brit-coms: Robert Lindsay's Spy, Will Mellor's White Man Van and the classic Only Fools And Horses.