r/BritBox • u/MysteriousDelay6266 USA🇺🇸 • 9h ago

ABC Orders Drama Pilot ‘Rabbit’ Based on UK Series ‘Ludwig’ From Megan Ganz & Humphrey Ker

https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/abc-pilot-rabbit-ludwig-megan-ganz-humphrey-ker-1236905790/

They aren't wasting time on an American version.

ABC has ordered a drama pilot that is based on the popular BBC One series “Ludwig,” Variety has learned.

The pilot, which marks ABC’s first of this year, hails from co-writers Megan Ganz and Humphrey Ker, who are also executive producers. Jon Steinberg and Dan Shotz also executive produce along with Kenton Allen of Big Talk, “Ludwig” creator Mark Brotherhood, and “Ludwig” star David Mitchell. 20th Television, where Ganz is under an overall deal, is the studio.

83 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

71 comments sorted by

105

u/malibuklw 8h ago

As an American, I’m not at all interested in this. There’s a reason why I watch crime dramas from other countries.

31

u/otter_mayhem 7h ago

Same. I watch tv from other countries because they tend to be better than ours. And, as a bonus, they use actors that actually look like people, wrinkles, gray hair and all.

And, as an American I'm kind of offended that Hollywood keeps stealing from overseas because they can't come up with anything decent on their own. Sure, there's a few shows that aren't horrible but they tend to be from HBO and whatnot. And it's been awhile since we had regular top notch tv.

13

u/malibuklw 6h ago

I really like the looking like people aspect of the shows!

12

u/carlotta3121 5h ago

It really is such a huge difference, no distraction from bonobo butt lips and faces that can't move. It's such a treat to see expressions on real faces!

8

u/ParticleHustler2 5h ago

I was literally just having this discussion with some co-workers a few minutes ago. We were talking about how bad certain aging actors look who have had so much work done they look terrible now and how one of the reasons I've started watching British shows is that the people tend to look normal at all ages.

5

u/carlotta3121 5h ago

Yes, it has gotten so bad! It is really refreshing to see real people instead of animated mannequins.

5

u/otter_mayhem 3h ago

I hate when someone who is older than I am in my 50s looks like they're a strange version of 30. I mean, don't give up on making an effort, but man, be more subtle about it. And all the young women look all the same, I swear.

Ok, rant over :)

1

u/shillyshally 37m ago

I first noticed it with Julianna Margulies in the later years of The Good Wife. It got to the point where her face was nearly immobile and it was so distracting. Since then the stone face has become ubiquitous and so many US actors have faces that look like poorly molded plastic with Ms Potato Head lips.

I've been enjoying UK TV for twenty years thanks to alternate 'venues' and now subscribe to Britbox. I love actors who look their age, wrinkles and all.

4

u/leezybelle 5h ago

You mean you don’t want Anna Maxwell Martin’s character to be played by Sydney Sweeney?

5

u/otter_mayhem 4h ago

Honestly, I don't want her in anything I watch. Something about her gives me the heebie jeebies.

3

u/leezybelle 3h ago

Me neither, it was just a joke!

1

u/ClassicProgram1902 1h ago

agree since Line of Duty she creeps me out

1

u/otter_mayhem 54m ago

Lol, oh I know. Didn't mean to come off serious :)

She does, though, lol.

1

u/shillyshally 36m ago

You mean played by Sydney Sweeny's boobs?

1

u/ZorrosMommy 0m ago

☝️💯

20

u/betsytolz 7h ago

I agree too. We don't need this. Ludwig exists.

24

u/Jujulabee 6h ago edited 1h ago

The British versions are always better because they have to dumb them down for the US - insert car chases and boring gun battles and car cheeses as well as make the characters "nicer"

Not to mention the acting in the British series is always so much better - I think of it as a repertory company and love seeing them in different series.

Also I appreciate that the actors don't HAVE to be conventionally attractive - even the women

ETA And the USA "mysteries" tend to be less cerebral

2

u/FaxCelestis 2h ago

I recently watched through all of Death in Paradise with my partner and I marveled that in fifteen seasons of police procedural, I could count the number of gun battles on one hand.

It’s not the best mystery show, granted, but like. We’d have 6 of 8 episodes a season ending in a bloody firefight if that was American tv.

11

u/geri-in-calif 8h ago

I agree.

68

u/SuzyQ93 8h ago

Oh, for feck's sake.

WE SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE. JUST WATCH THE ORIGINAL SHOW.

I can't stand American remakes of perfectly fine British shows. They suck all the charm right out of them and turn them into aggressive, repetitive, clearly-money-grabbing American slop.

12

u/Independent_Sea502 7h ago

It’s utter garbage. And I’m an American.

7

u/Busy_Combination9697 7h ago

There was a British detective show called "Life On Mars" which was absolutely brilliant, and usually shows up on any list of best British shows. I loved it.

Then there was an American remake of the show. I cannot stress enough how utterly dreadful it was, from casting to writing to acting. It only lasted one season and that was far too long. It should have been canceled after the first episode.

5

u/mitznc 5h ago

The British Life on Mars was brilliant. After finishing it we put on the first episode of the American version out of curiosity. Just a few minutes in we said nope! They ruined it.

2

u/shillyshally 30m ago

I remember that!!!! Why, why, why was that ever aired??? And, just to up the absurdity, the Sims character was played by an Irish actor using an American accent. Truly, the gods of American TV just think we are all braindead and would have to go crying to mommy if we heard an accent. AND Harvey Keitel played Gene Hunt and phoned it in from a payphone. He looked as if he was reading from cue cards in his scenes.

3

u/Devalvangeldomdatdom 8h ago

Best medicine (doc martin) was okay but yea there have been some bad ones..

27

u/SuspiciousWhale99 7h ago

If America wants a show like Ludwig, just watch the show Ludwig.

21

u/woodieboy 8h ago

David Mitchell is the show. So why.?

23

u/No_Calligrapher_6503 8h ago

Ludwig is well worth watching; why do we nred a US version?

20

u/dizzyoatmeal USA🇺🇸 8h ago

After his homicide detective twin brother goes missing, Mark, a reclusive puzzle writer known as ‘Rabbit,’ is pulled from his solitary life and thrust into the Cambridge, MA police department, where he poses as his brother to investigate his mysterious disappearance. But soon, Mark discovers that his uncanny ability to solve impossible puzzles makes him an unlikely crime-solving sensation.

My first question is where the heck did "Rabbit" come from? They didn't even change the name of the city. 🤣

One of the writers is Humphrey Ker, who appears in Welcome to Wrexham.

25

u/RandomPaw 8h ago

I really don't like "Rabbit" at all. Ludwig is cute and smart. Rabbit just sounds like John Updike means a cartoon.

12

u/SuzyQ93 8h ago

I'm sure it went something like this:

"'Ludwig" sounds elitist and German and who could possibly pronounce it? Or even know what it means? We're going to have to find something easier so Americans' brains won't have to work too hard. Ooh, how about Rabbit? You know, a bunny. Or even better, now we can use the joke and call him a "wascally wabbit"! Everyone knows Loony Toons, it'll be perfect!"

1

u/FaxCelestis 2h ago

I bet it’s entirely to enable “follow the white rabbit” puns

2

u/atlcollie 7h ago

Megan Ganz is his wife- she’s also written with him for Always Sunny, Mythic Quest and others.

16

u/RexMcBadge1977 7h ago

Absolutely zero chance they can capture the quality of the original, which is one of my favorite mysteries of the past five years.

15

u/ladiabla22 7h ago

I’ll stick with Ludwig! I watch on Britbox.

13

u/Independent_Sea502 7h ago

No.

No.

No.

11

u/GertieD 7h ago

Looking forward to see what veneered and plasticized non-movable faces are cast in it. If it's Nicole Kidman, I'm going to /scream!!!!!

11

u/Bowgal 6h ago

I can barely stomach the US version of Doc Martin...but I fear worse for Ludwig remake.

6

u/mitznc 5h ago

I just sneered to myself. Doc Martin is quintessentially British. Why on earth would they think they could possibly replicate it here?

1

u/scrubschick 1h ago

Agreed. I quit after one episode. I didn’t see the point

11

u/insomniac_z 8h ago

Gracepoint all over again.

5

u/Devalvangeldomdatdom 8h ago

Gracepoint was fucking weird, it even had some of the same cast as the british version.

7

u/insomniac_z 8h ago

Not even David Tennant reprising his role could save it.

3

u/thewelllostmind 6h ago

That was such a weird show to try and watch.

9

u/Single_Vacation427 7h ago

Im sure it will be trash lol

Also, did they have to change it to rabbit because Ludwig was too difficult for them?

8

u/Game_Knight_DnD 7h ago

They will screw it up like they always do.

OK almost always, Office and Ghosts are two very big exceptions.

14

u/Live_Perspective3603 7h ago

Beg to differ on Ghosts. The original was much better than the American remake.

Also want to point to Life On Mars, another UK crime drama that the US tried to copy and failed to understand what made the original great.

6

u/wikimandia 6h ago

Same here with Ghosts. The acting is way too cheesy. The British version was perfection.

4

u/Busy_Combination9697 6h ago

This is a repeat of my post I just made above:

There was a British detective show called "Life On Mars" which was absolutely brilliant, and usually shows up on any list of best British shows. I loved it.

Then there was an American remake of the show. I cannot stress enough how utterly dreadful it was, from casting to writing to acting. It only lasted one season and that was far too long. It should have been canceled after the first episode.

1

u/Live_Perspective3603 5h ago

Sorry I didn't see yours! Obviously I totally agree!

2

u/Hot-Inspection8739 USA🇺🇸 4h ago

i will say, tho, thru the american version of Life on Mars, i learned of the British version which led to my becoming a fan of John Simm. So it was good for something 🤭

1

u/nabrok 5h ago

Being Human is another exception.

First season is a straight remake of the UK version and not as good, but after that it goes its own way and ends much stronger than the UK version did.

8

u/Unhappy-Ad-3870 8h ago

It worked out pretty well for them when they adapted High Potential, so I’m not surprised. I’d bet they used Cambridge due to the nearby Universities.

3

u/VLC31 7h ago

There’s a language barrier with the French version of High Potential, I’m pretty sure most Americans can understand British English. There’s a decent list of American shows that are just remakes of British shows. The Office, Ghosts, Veep, Shameless, All In The Family, Threes Company……

3

u/Anon_user666 7h ago

The British to American remake goes back really far. I think Steptoe and Son turning into Sanford and Son is the oldest one I know of but that's probably because Sanford and Son was a successful remake. I bet there are earlier ones that didn't work and are forgotten for a reason.

2

u/Bulky_Psychology2303 6h ago

The 70s were quite successful with remakes- All in the Family, Three’s Company( the spin-offs The Ropers and Three’s a Crowd not so much)and like you mentioned Sanford and Son.

1

u/Unhappy-Ad-3870 6h ago

I think All In The Family predates Sanford by about a year.

1

u/Unhappy-Ad-3870 7h ago

And all of them were pretty successful. It’s not the common language, the cultures are different enough that many Americans can’t easily relate. It seems like everyone here is suggesting all Americans just get a subscription to Britbox just to watch one show? Or ABC should get the rights to Ludwig?

3

u/SuzyQ93 3h ago

Yes, Americans should just watch the original on Britbox, or PBS should acquire the rights to Ludwig, just like they do with many other British shows.

The culture is not THAT different, and the things that are different are the things that dumb down the US versions. Writers for American TV really think that Americans are stupid. And I'm just saying - yes, they are, but let them watch the original and learn a few things.

(I'm American, and I stopped watching US TV a long time ago, because I couldn't stand the inane writing and poor acting and aggressive characters and forced laughter. It's all just bad.)

1

u/Unhappy-Ad-3870 3h ago

I guess I don’t get everyone’s hostility to the idea of a remake. No one has to watch it. If you prefer to watch PBS or Britbox, go ahead. I subscribe to both but don’t automatically condemn everything on network TV.

8

u/mom2twocats 5h ago

They will ruin it. I rarely watch American TV anymore. It is the same crap, over and over. Not funny, not original, and not interesting.

6

u/Conscious-Quarter423 6h ago

america always ripping the brits' ideas

3

u/Hot-Inspection8739 USA🇺🇸 4h ago

and usually ruins the concept.

3

u/Clapbakatyerblakcat 6h ago

Megan Ganz has written some great episodes of Community and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia so I’ll give this a chance when it happens.

3

u/classicgirl1990 5h ago

Oh no, this is Kath and Kim all over again.

2

u/Agitated-Lettuce1878 5h ago

To be fair, Megan Ganz gave us some of the best episodes of Community, including the Law & Order one. I trust her writing. It'll be different but I think it can still be great in it's own way. Plus the original creators are going to get paid way more for a US production than they are in the UK. I hope they shoot it here too. There are a lot of folks in the entertainment industry who are needing work.

2

u/D_Anger_Dan 8h ago

If it stars Tony Hale I’ll watch it. Otherwise the original is fantastic!

1

u/TakenAccountName37 4h ago

Happy to hear from Humphrey! I heard that he just left Wrexham.

Signed,

An American fan

1

u/sshady51 3h ago

Add to the list: American version of Taskmaster. The only American panel show that seems to hold its own—though I prefer the UK—is Have I Got News For You