September 17, 2008 12:00am
THE US version of Kath and Kim will have more emotion and less sarcasm than the smash-hit Australian original, with the creators of the new adaptation radically altering the format of the mother-daughter comedy for American audiences.
Hollywood producer Michelle Nader, who created the US series, said it would be a toned-down version of the show made by Australian comedians Gina Riley and Jane Turner - and will be more grounded in emotion.
"It's cuckoo, crazy funny, but it's not like the Australian version," she told The Los Angeles Times.
"They (Riley and Turner) didn't go for anything emotional."
The new US series had decided to deepen the relationship drama between the mother-daughter pair and drop the lower-class accents to steer clear of snobbery.
"I don't like that stance that 'we're smarter than them'," Nader said.
"The comedy I like most has pathos."
Other major elements of the Australian series have also been changed, with one of the show's most beloved characters portly, pimply Sharon Karen Strzelecki, played by Magda Szubanski dropped from the US version.
Saturday Night Live alumni Molly Shannon is playing suburban single mother Kath as the owner of a hair salon, while Cruel Intentions actress Selma Blair as Kim reportedly used popstar Britney Spears for inspiration for her character.
Nader said the new version would feature more glitzy, exaggerated scenes than the original - including a hip-hop dance sequence that Kath and her boyfriend perform in a gay club and a big hair show for Kath to showcase her skills.
Nader, who revealed she was concerned that the sketch comedy approach of the Aussie version might wear thin over the course of the 22-episode US season, said she had watched all four seasons of the Logie-winning original.
"I really, really studied it - I feel like it's in my cellular memory," she said.
"(But) I'm not doing that show."
The major changes in the plot and tone have not stopped US television giant NBC, which is airing the series in North America, from trying to attract local viewers by citing the success of the Australian series.
The network has been heavily promoting the show in a television, print, online and billboard campaign, likening the adaptation to its other import success The Office.
"Four years ago, NBC turned British hit The Office into an American classic," one television advertisement said.
"And October 9, we're doing it again.
"Australia's No. 1 show comes to NBC."
Bringing Kath and Kim to America has not been simple.
Producers have spent two years trying to develop the project with the original writing team fired, the setting changed from Arizona to Florida and casting of the four main roles taking an epic eight months.
The show will be aired in a prime slot as part of NBC's strong Thursday night comedy line-up between smash-hits My Name Is Earl and The Office.
Regardless of whether the show is a ratings success in the US, one thing is certain - Riley and Turner are set to make a lucrative sum from selling their premise in the American market.
The comedy duo, who are credited as executive producers on the US version, visited the set during production in California.
