As UK 'Spy' comes to an end, the future of a U.S. 'Spy' is looking up with the addition of Rob Corddry
There are things in this world that defy logic. In the case of the British comedy, Spy, we have two opportunities to defy logic on both sides of the pond. East of the Atlantic in the UK, the Darren Boyd version of Spy was great telly. For two seasons, Boyd brilliantly played Tim, a single father trying to win back the respect and affections of his horribly precocious nine year old son, Marcus. In the hope of proving that he is not a complete loser, Tim quits his dead-end job but his life changes forever when he is accidentally recruited as a trainee spy for MI5. Enter…The Examiner. The Examiner teaches the recruits his own unorthodox approach to the espionage game. If that wasn’t enough, the chaos of Tim’s life are his acidic ex-wife, Judith, her enthusiastic new boyfriend Philip and his anti-social friend Chris.
Sadly, that has all come to an end with the announcement by Sky1 that, inexplicably, there will not be a third season of Spy. Oddly, the announcement comes on the heels of Boyd winning Best TV Comedy Actor at the 2011 British Comedy Awards and in 2012, the series was awarded a BAFTA for Best TV Comedy Series.
Sad face aside, it’s time to defy logic west of the Atlantic and admit that, for the first time, I’m really holding high hopes for an American remake of a British comedy with the U.S. pilot version of Spy from ABC. UK series creator, Simeon Goulden, is currently working on translating the comedy for American audiences. It was recently announced that Rob Corddry, perhaps best known as a correspondent for The Daily Show, will be taking on the role of Tim for the US pilot. Mason Cook will play Marcus and Ken Jeong, a star of Community and The Hangover, will take on Lindsay’s role as The Examiner.
While the UK version of Spy has had very limited exposure in the U.S through Hulu, look for the full two series of 17 episodes to broadcast on a public television station near you in 2014. And, hopefully, the ABC pilot version will be picked up and you can do your own side by side comparisons.
