drown your sorrows in card-in-ay

Like so many millions, I love the Australian show Kath & Kim. And like millions, I've been continually annoyed that the DVDs aren't available for order or purchase in the US (or even in Region 1 format). Why? Because NBC bought the rights to make a an American version. With the exception of The Office, American attempts to repackage British humor always fail miserably (see Ab Fab, Coupling), and no one loses more than the quality-starved television-viewing public.

The new Kath & Kim stars Molly Shannon and Selma Blair. But by reviews, it seems that this too will suck.

I needs me some wine time.

From the SF Gate and Tim Goodman:

Oh, great, now we have to apologize to Australia.

With American television buying so many premade "formats" - a.k.a. importing shows from other countries and ruining them - the need for saying sorry has increased a hundredfold in just a few years. For every miraculous victory - say, "The Office" or, to a lesser extent, "Ugly Betty" - there are hordes of failures.

This time, it's NBC's Americanized version of "Kath & Kim," a fantastically funny Australian comedy that goes into the record books on these shores as a contender for worst remake ever.