Amazon has ordered a new version of the British sitcom Friday Night Dinner for its newly rebranded Freevee service.
Formerly known as IMDb TV (which itself was renamed IMDb Freedive in 2019), Freevee is Amazon's free, ad-supported video channel available to Amazon account holders in the US and UK via the website or the Prime Video app.
Amazon began ordering shows for the service in the spring, including a revival of American Rust, which Paramount previously canceled, and a remake of Inside No. 9, the lawless comedy written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton.
Now he's added another beloved British comedy to his list, with confirmed plans to remake Friday Night Dinner.
Created by Robert Popper, Friday Night Dinner starred Tamsin Greig, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird, Tom Rosenthal, and Mark Heap. In each episode, brothers Johnny and Adam Goodman return with their parents, Jackie and Martin, for the traditional Jewish Shabbat meal on Friday night, a meal always fraught with pitfalls.
Between the regular riots that Johnny and Adam try to play endless pranks on each other, Martin becomes obsessed with random DIY chores and frequent unscheduled visits from his eccentric neighbor Jim and Jackie's neurotic best friend Valerie.
The show ran for six seasons and 37 episodes in total on Channel 4. Ritter tragically passed away in 2021. Six weeks later, a special 90-minute documentary episode aired to celebrate the show's anniversary, dedicated to Ritter's memory.
According to Deadline (opens in a new tab), the Amazon remake will be called Dinner with the Parents and was written by Jon Beckerman, a veteran writer for the Late Show with David Letterman team.
It received a direct order and will run for 10 episodes. No casting details yet.
Believe it or not, this is the fourth attempt at a remake of the series, but the first to go into production. I hope this is the fourth lucky chance.
A fourth try?
The first attempt at a remake came in 2011, shortly after the show first aired in the UK, when Greg Daniels, who had just remade The Office, signed on to remake the show.
Despite recruiting The West Wing's Alison Janney and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Tony Shalhoub for key roles, NBC did not pick up the pilot. CBS attempted to remake the series twice, once in 2014 and then again in 2016. Michael Weithorn, who had created The King Of Queens and is a leading force on The Goldbergs, was involved in 2016, but was unsuccessful. series.
Amazon bypassed the pilot stage and began production.
What else is on the Amazon Freevee slate?
Along with American Rust, Inside No. 9, and Dinner with the Parents, as we now have to call it, is coming a second season of Bosch: Legacy, which was actually renewed before it premiered, along with unscripted America's Test Kitchen specials. : The next generation and Play-Doh Squished.
Pop duo Tegan and Sara's memoir of High School is being adapted for a new series from Happiest Season creator Clea Duvall and Sprung, a new comedy from Raising Hope writer Greg Garcia that reunites him with the stars of this show. Martha Plimpton and Garret Dillahunt. .
There's a lot to look forward to as Amazon ramps up production on Freevee, which, until now, has largely been home to long-running dramas and comedies.
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