It won't be the first time another country has remade Everybody Loves Raymond, but the latest attempt to take on Philip Rosenthal's CBS comedy may be the most buzzed about since the Russian remake gained attention stateside thanks to Exporting Raymond. The documentary chronicled the Russian attempt to adapt the comedy. British comedian and actor Lee Mack is tackling the U.K. adaptation of the series, which is in the works for BBC One.
Titled The Smiths, the pilot is being penned by Lee Mack, who will star in the project, alongside Catherine Tate, who's currently among the stars of The Office. With the NBC series set to wrap up next week, that leaves Tate available or work elsewhere, and that may be across the pond, should things work out for the Raymond remake. Deadline says BBC One has commissioned a pilot for the project, which will be shot later this month.
While the title has changed, the premise sounds similar enough, centering on a successful sportswriter who lives near his overbearing parents and older brother. Except, instead of Long Island, the setting for the comedy will be Cheshire. Mack will fill the shoes of Ray Romano in the starring role, and Tate will play Mack's wife, who was portrayed by Patricia Heaton in the original series.
So much about the original Raymond relied on the humor and chemistry of the series' stars, including Romano, Heaton, Doris Roberts, Brad Garrett and Peter Boyle, so it's difficult to imagine any remake manage to perfectly capture the spirit of the comedy. But there's potential for another great show in The Smiths, and one Americans might enjoy if and when it makes its way stateside, assuming it goes to series. We'll have to wait and see.
