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Will NBC's Kath and Kim win over the sceptics?

The US version of the classic Australian sitcom could turn out to be a slow-burner, but Selma Blair doing an Ugly Betty is just wrong

NBC's Kath and Kim
A far cry from their Aussie counterparts ... Molly Shannon and Selma Blair (NBC)

The news that NBC have commissioned an "Americanised" version of Kath and Kim for this autumn was met with trepidation in some circles.

NBC have played up their success in translating The Office into a US hit, and they're so confident in the show that they've bypassed the pilot and gone straight to commissioning a 13-part series. But don't worry what they think: take a look at the trailers and make your own mind up.

Hmm. Obviously, it's hard to do full episodes justice with a teaser trailer, but on that evidence, all I can say is: wrong, wrong, wrong. Selma Blair doing an Ugly Betty? "O-V-U-R, over"? Molly Shannon's haircut? They may well have felt that the intricacies, humour and accents of Melbourne suburbia in the Australian original wouldn't translate to a mainstream US audience. But it's a shame they didn't follow HBO's lead with Flight of the Conchords and show some faith in antipodean talent.

I could be wrong. It might turn out to be a slow-burner. But I don't really see Selma Blair doing a Steve Carell and winning over sceptical fans of the original. Let's hope they never get their hands anywhere near a Summer Heights High script.

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