Mitchell and Webb’s ‘Back’ sitcom is getting a US remake
David Mitchell and Robert Webb’s sitcom Back is set to receive an American remake at the hands of HBO.
The show premiered on Channel 4 in 2017, and was followed by a second season in 2021, following lengthy delays from Webb’s heart surgery and then COVID-19.
Mitchell played Stephen Nichols in the show, a 42-year-old who is set to take over the family pub in Stroud, Gloucestershire after the death of his father. However, his plans are interrupted when Webb’s Andrew Donnelly, Stephen’s estranged foster brother, returns and causes family tension.
Back was created by Simon Blackwell, who has also worked on Peep Show, The Thick Of It, Veep and Breeders, and now it has been confirmed that Blackwell is working on the HBO remake of the show.
In an interview with Deadline, Kenton Allen, the CEO of Big Talk Studios, which oversaw the Channel 4 version, confirmed the news that the US version is in the works.
Meanwhile, last year, NME caught up with Mitchell and Webb about the 20th anniversary of their previous Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show. “It seems to have very quietly become an institution,” said Webb. “At the time, every recommission seemed like a miracle. The viewing figures were OK and the reviews were good, but we always felt like Channel 4 was going to cancel it at any second.” He adds: “So I’m delighted that we’re still talking about it now!”
“It’s nice that people still give a shit,” added Mitchell. On the possibility of a return for the show, he said: “I don’t want to tack anything onto the end of it. It would have to be a totally separate thing. I wouldn’t want it to drag the original thing down.”
Peep Show co-writer Sam Bain also revealed to NME at the time that they had received offers to turn the show into a play, but had to reject the proposal because they couldn’t figure out how to make it work on stage.
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Max Pilley
NME
