After MTV's not-so-successful attempt to adapt the popular UK series "Skins" for American TV, audiences on both sides of the pond are worried about the network's remake of The Inbetweeners."
The BAFTA-winning British sitcom, which aired for three seasons from 2008 to 2010, followed four male high school friends and the US remake will do the same. The names of characters (Will MacKenzie, Simon Cooper, Jay Cartwright and Neil Sutherland) are identical in the MTV version, and some smaller details are similar as well: Will carries a briefcase to school, Will's mother is a MILF, Simon is in love with Carly and Neil is the idiot of the group.
But "The Inbetweeners," which premieres on Monday, August 20 at 10:30 p.m. ET on MTV, will differ from the original in some ways. British football will be replaced with American football and Jay will be plumped up to be the heaviest of the four main characters, all of which is evident in the trailer below.
So what else can American audiences expect to be similar?
"We ran out [of UK storylines]. The first season, out of 12 episodes, six borrow skewed versions of the [UK] plot, but we had to tweak it to fit an American sensibility," executive producer Brad Copeland said at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour on Friday. "They only did 18 episodes so there's not that much to borrow. It definitely gave us a launchpad to transition into our own stories. We're really looking forward to it."
"The Inbetweeners" executive producer Aaron Kaplan told reporters at the TCAs that the MTV remake attempted to be as outrageous as the original. "America likes to be offended as well. It's a challenge -- that's one of the things that Brad and I and MTV loved about the original as well. We made up a lot of original words that we can get past standards. When you take these four boys and put them in dating situations, you'll find they can be just as offensive as any kid across the world."
David Janollari, head of programming at MTV, also addressed the network's previous issues with UK remakes. "The only similarities between this and 'Skins' was that they come from the UK ... This show is filled with much more universal relatability and heart."
But UK fans in particular are not happy about the remake. When the trailer for MTV's "The Inbetweeners" was released in mid-July, fans sounded off angrily online.
One of the original co-creators of "The Inbetweeners," Iain Morris, defended the show on Twitter shortly thereafter.
Do you think MTV's remake of "The Inbetweeners" will be just as good as the original? Sound off in the comments!
"The Inbetweeners" premieres on Monday, August 20 at 10:30 ET on MTV.