TVSquad

Remember that American version of Absolutely Fabulous that Fox was so high on? Well, they are high no more. Fox has passed on AbFab after viewing the pilot. Now while I am not the kind of person to be happy about someone else's failure, this is an instance in which I'm thrilled that this show is going nowhere.

After seeing how some UK shows have been mangled in the American adaptation -- Life on Mars (although it had its fans), Worst Week, Coupling, Eleventh Hour -- I am glad that the only Ab/Fab I will ever have to savor will be the original.

As Brad reported earlier this week, Fox is greenlighting new pilots left and right, but it looks like they weren't done yet. We already knew that a remake of the Brit cult classic Absolutely Fabulous was in the works, but very little beyond that had been revealed. Now it looks like not only are Patsy and Edina boozing their way to Los Angeles in the Fox remake of AbFab, but original UK series creator (and star) Jennifer Saunders is on board this adaptation. That means we've a better chance of seeing an American The Office than Coupling.

She's executive producing with an American writer, Christine Zander, who's written and produced for Samantha Who?, Less Than Perfect, SNL and 3rd Rock from the Sun among others. The good news is that the core of the show is remaining intact. It follows the social exploits of fashion publicist Edina and editor Patsy, along with their constant bickering with the only sane member of the "family," Edina's daughter Saffron. As long as the girls are getting their drink on and acting ... well "fabulous," I don't see what can go wrong.

The brain behind Arrested Development is now developing an Absolutely Fabulous remake for Fox. For those unaware, the British series is about an immature, hippie-era mother, her best friend and her intelligent daughter (played respectively by creator Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha).

In the height of her popularity, Roseanne tried to remake the show and involved the creators and co-stars. Sadly, that didn't come to pass. Whatever you think of Roseanne, at least she was smart enough to involve the original creators, unlike McG. With the big push for Brit remakes thanks to the success of The Office, another attempted remake of this show is not that big a stretch.

While I very much enjoyed the original series, I do think the 2001 and 2003 continued episodes were a bit unnecessary. You know things have gone too far when Whoopi Goldberg guest-stars.

Given the talent behind it, this version could see the light of day. I just hope they actually involve the original creators.

It looks like The Sundance Channel is turning to BBC America to anchor its Sunday night comedy block. The show is The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle and stars Jennifer Saunders of Absolutely Fabulous fame.

The show revolves around a fictional TV personality named Vivienne Vyle (who hosts a Jerry Springer-like program) and her on-screen and off-screen life. The series is a black comedy (much like AbFab) and a study in pop psychology. It was co-created by Saunders with psychologist Tanya Byron.

BBC America has teamed up with Ab Fab creator Jennifer Saunders to produce two new series for the network - one of which reunites Saunders with Ab Fab's Joanna Lumley and longtime partner Dawn French. And, get this, both series are being produced by Jon Plowman, who oversaw the UK's Office and Extras. Does comedy news get much better than this?

The first show - Clatterford - is being compared to the Golden Girls with Lumley and Saunders playing women's club members in a small English town. Lumley is an eccentric stirring up trouble, and Saunders is the town busybody. Dawn French and Sue Johnston are also on board.