American networks like to re-present foreign shows, especially British ones. Amazon is the latest to try, and it has ordered a remake of the beloved British comedy Friday Night Dinner for streaming service Freevee.
according to Limit (Opens in a new tab), Friefe commissioned a remake of the order of 10 direct-to-series episodes. The new show will be renamed Dinner With Parents, with the Late Show with David Letterman veteran John Peckerman taking over the writing duties.
The original Friday Night Dinner features the Goodmans, a North London Jewish family, and all the weird things they get during their family dinner every Friday night. It aired on Channel 4 between 2011 and 2020, with six seasons and 37 episodes; Too much for a British TV series.
The show starred Tamsin Gregg as mother Jackie, Paul Ritter as her estranged husband Martin, along with Simon Beard and Tom Rosenthal as her mischievous (and adult) sons Adam and Johnny. Mark Hebb also plays their neighbor Jim, one of the strangest characters in British television, who has an obsession with joining the family for dinner.
Ironically, this is the fourth time an American network has attempted to remake Friday Night Dinner. The first came in 2011, as The Office recruited Greg Daniels (West Wing) and Tony Shalhoub (The Monk) to star in the NBC remake. But this version failed to pass the beta stage.
CBS tried to make the show twice. First time in 2014, then again in 2016 with the new title “Sunday Night Dinner”. Neither version made it into the series, and now Freevee is taking a turn.
Of course, it is difficult to remake foreign performances. On each show like The Office or House of Cards, you end up with dozens of shows like The Inbetweeners and Red Dwarf USA. We just hope the team behind Dinner With The Parents has what it takes to make the show a success. Or, at least, not terrible. Do Americans even have a “crunchy crumble” for dessert?
There’s no news on the casting, or when the dinner with the parents will arrive, but it’s not the only show coming to Amazon’s free streaming services. New version of Inside No. 9, based on the British black comedy series, will also be coming to Freevee alongside American Rust – A revival of the canceled Showtime series.
In the meantime, there is still plenty of streaming content for you to enjoy. Be sure to check out our picks of 7 new shows and movies to watch this weekend, and the best shows on Amazon Prime Video.
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