[Firewire]

EXCLUSIVE: Freeform has given a pilot order to Misfits, a supernatural drama inspired by the British series of the same name. It comes from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s Fake Empire and Diane Ruggiero-Wright (iZombie, Veronica Mars), who wrote the adaptation and serves as showrunner. Cast as four of the five leads in the pilot are Ashleigh Lathrop (Sirens), Tre Hall (Rebel), Allie MacDonald (Orphan Black) and Jake Cannavale (Nurse Jackie), son of actor Bobby Cannavale. Victoria “Vic” Mahoney (Grey’s Anatomy) is directing in her pilot directing debit.

Misfits centers on a group of young offenders in a community service program who develop supernatural powers after being hit by a mysterious electrical storm.

Lathrop will play Alicia, a spoiled, vapid, middle-class party girl who seems to have three main goals in life: have fun, look hot and get guys. Hall plays Curtis, a talented and cocky football player with a promising career ahead of him who is used to everything going his way. Cannavale plays Nathan, a con artist and a thief with a heavily inflated sense of his own attractiveness, intelligence and potential. MacDonald plays the tough and trashy Kelly who is street smart with a hair-trigger temper and a penchant for beating the crap out of people.

Schwartz, Savage and Ruggiero executive produce alongside Howard Overman, creator of the UK series, and Murray Ferguson of Clerkenwell Films who produced the original version. Fake Empire executive Lis Rowinski will serve as co-executive producer. ABC Signature is the studio. The project was originally set up at Freeform for development a year ago via the deal Fake Empire had at ABC Studios.

The original series debuted on E4 in 2009 and ran for five seasons.

Schwartz, Savage and Fake Empire also have new series Dynasty on the CW and Marvel’s Runaways on Hulu. They are repped by WME and attorney Joel McKuin. Ruggiero, who most recently served as an executive producer on the CW drama iZombie, is with WME and Principato-Young. Former actress Mahoney started directing episodic television last year and already has helmed 8 episodes of such shows as Grey’s Anatomy, Power, American Crime, Survivor’s Remorse and Claws. She is repped by Verve.

Good team behind it but I don't think it'll do well

http://deadline.com/2017/06/misfits-...le-1202108006/

[Denver]

it will probably flop like 90% of their British remakes

[Jason.]

No thanks

They butchered the Inbetweeners.

[Lee.]

They'll never recreate a character like Rob Sheehan's Nathan! In my opinion one of the best characters ever.

[Denver]

Originally Posted by Jason.

No thanks

They butchered the Inbetweeners.

And Skins

the only one they did justice was Shameless

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Jason.

No thanks

They butchered the Inbetweeners.

The humour and characters did not translate at all to the US... really abysmal... I feel like Misfits would be exactly the same ** IF ** they try to go for a "direct remake" but could be a great show if they just take the general concept of some not-traditionally-heroic-type petty criminals getting super powers but form an entirely new story around that. Not trying to copy the UK version's characters or storylines.

I'd say the US Office is an example of that working, and not working. I know it's a "love it or hate it" sort of show (I personally love it) but for the first season / season and a half they were trying to directly copy the UK version, sometimes almost scene for scene, and it just didn't work at all. A lot of people probably gave up on S1, I'd imagine. After that it went off on a completely different tangent of its own, allowed itself to be a bit more optimistic, a bit friendlier, "a bit more American" and if you take it as completely its own show it is a very high quality comedy.

So yeah... basically I'm up for it, but it'll bomb badly if they try to just have "US versions of the original characters". I hope that's not the route it's going for.

[Tom4784]

It would never work especially on US network TV (Freeform is basically a family channel too). It's meant to be vulgar and unapologetic but it's going to end up being tame and defanged.

[UserSince2005]

plus, is it going to be rednecks instead of chavs? because that wouldnt work.

[armand.kay]

i feel like if they want to do this its best to just take the concept and get some gin writers go go crazy with it. This is better than trying to recreate characters and storylines.

[Slevin]

Originally Posted by Jason.

No thanks

They butchered the Inbetweeners.

ikr. that MTV version over here was a big POS. im just glad im not one of those people that thinks a sequel/reboot/adaptation ruins the ones before it like some Star Wars fans when the prequels came out & think their childhood was raped & decided they needed to pick a side on those trilogies. i can still enjoy it if i liked the one(s) before it or vice versa.

Originally Posted by Lee.

They'll never recreate a character like Rob Sheehan's Nathan! In my opinion one of the best characters ever.

i agree. i loved the first 2 series. series 3 was alright & 4/5 were meh.

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

The humour and characters did not translate at all to the US... really abysmal... I feel like Misfits would be exactly the same ** IF ** they try to go for a "direct remake" but could be a great show if they just take the general concept of some not-traditionally-heroic-type petty criminals getting super powers but form an entirely new story around that. Not trying to copy the UK version's characters or storylines.

I'd say the US Office is an example of that working, and not working. I know it's a "love it or hate it" sort of show (I personally love it) but for the first season / season and a half they were trying to directly copy the UK version, sometimes almost scene for scene, and it just didn't work at all. A lot of people probably gave up on S1, I'd imagine. After that it went off on a completely different tangent of its own, allowed itself to be a bit more optimistic, a bit friendlier, "a bit more American" and if you take it as completely its own show it is a very high quality comedy.

So yeah... basically I'm up for it, but it'll bomb badly if they try to just have "US versions of the original characters". I hope that's not the route it's going for.

i love both Office versions tbh. i even liked the early part of US.

it will bomb badly if it doesnt find an audience more than trying to make copies of the original characters imo. most that are going to give it a shot likely wont even know about the original version.

[Tom4784]

I can see them going a bit serious with it tbh. It'll be either 'dark and gritty' or they'll turn it into a sitcom styled show. The original show would not translate well to an american audience.