MI5 – Do we really need an American version?


Spoiler Alert: For those of you that find yourself shying away from really fast rides at carnivals and fairs these days because of a weak stomach, please be advised you shouldn’t read any further.

On the heels of the news of an upcoming Top Gear USA and possible American versions of both Doctor Who and Torchwood comes this news from the ABC Television Network. I have now come to the realization that there are no new ideas out there in the world of broadcast television in America. Even the casual reader to this blog will know how I feel about the brilliant MI5 (Spooks in the UK). And, probably, you really know how I feel about attempts by American television producers to re-make British television series. Insert Life On Mars, Red Dwarf, Spaced, Coupling and Fawlty Towers here.

Simply put, for my money, there is not a better drama series on the air from sign-on to sign-off than MI5. Others in the neighborhood such as The Shield, are generally on cable television networks. Broadcast networks do good comedy. I’m open for anyone to convince me otherwise, but they just don’t get it right when it comes to drama.

For now, I will rest with the knowledge that season 9 of MI5 is currently in production and set for a late Fall premiere on the BBC with a mid-2011 broadcast on many public television stations nationwide.



In: Action/Drama