A Very British TV Export

“Spaced,” one of the great television shows of the last decade, is finally coming out on DVD in America. This beloved British sitcom ran for just two seasons, from 1999 to 2001, and was the first project by the crew that made “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz”: director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Jessica (Stevenson) Hynes. It is as sharp and character-driven as “Friends” was in its heyday, but “Spaced” revels in drug use and pop-culture references. Though it has a legion of rabid fans, “Spaced” failed to make it to America due to lack of interest and legal issues.When word broke last year that Fox and Warner Bros. were developing a “Spaced” TV remake produced by McG (director of the “Charlie’s Angels” movies), Mr. Pegg and Mr. Wright hit the Internet in a fury. Mr. Wright blasted Fox for not contacting him or asking for his input, while Mr. Pegg sent out a release taking the company to task for “selling out and appropriating our ideas without even letting us know,” before going on to criticize the companies involved for eliminating all mention of co-creator Jessica Stevenson. Ms. Stevenson, who co-wrote and co-starred in “Spaced” with Mr. Pegg, added her two cents: “Don’t watch it, don’t think about it — buy our DVD coming out in America in the summer and SAVE YOUR SOUL!!!!!”Those who are interested in the fate of their immortal souls can pick up “Spaced” on DVD this week, complete with all the extra material created for the British special editions. Also included are new commentaries from fans of the series such as Quentin Tarantino; Matt Stone of “South Park”; Diablo Cody, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of “Juno,” and director Kevin Smith. It’s a dizzying display of talent lined up to worship at the altar of a half-hour sitcom about two loser roommates who pretend to be married in order to land an apartment.But that’s a bit like describing “The Dark Knight” as a movie about a guy who’s sad his parents died. Mr. Pegg plays the wannabe comic book artist Tim, and Ms. Stevenson plays the world’s laziest magazine writer, Daisy. Both are repellent, immature, selfish, and real.Tim is a man-brat who refuses to grow up and is completely oblivious to the fact that Daisy is in love with him. Daisy, on the other hand, talks rubbish, dresses badly, and is self-pitying when she’s not blowing her deadlines for pieces about skin care for summer. Surrounded by a rogue’s gallery of misfits, such as Tim’s gun-loving best friend, a neurotic conceptual artist in the basement, and an alcoholic landlady, their sad lives are given grandeur by their consumption of drugs and pop culture.As director, Mr. Wright shot each episode as if it were a movie, stealing shots, music, and montages from horror films, sci-fi flicks, and action movies, a habit that has created numerous legal nightmares that had to be navigated before its American release. In the first episode, things kick off with a reference to “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” then go into a “The King and I” homage before stealing dialogue from “Return of the Jedi,” giving screen time to the artwork of two comic book artists famous for their cartooning in the long-running Brit sci-fi comic, “2000 AD.” Then there’s a pause for an appreciation of “The X-Files” and a mad dash for the finish line with a montage swiped from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” a “Green Card” in-joke, and an appearance by the dead twin girls from “The Shining.”But rather than coming across as a one-trick pony, the show elevates homage to art, making the case that its characters have grown up in a world made of pop culture. They’ve internalized it, so Obi-Wan Kenobi’s sacrifice in “Star Wars” is their template for all acts of selflessness.It’s also the only TV program that speaks to the fact that twenty-somethings living on their own are far more likely to smoke a joint than have sex on a Friday night.But “Spaced” is more than “Friends” with drugs and pop-culture references spooned on top. One of the best episodes, “Epiphanies,” comes at the end of Season One and, besides featuring an ace remix of the “A-Team” theme song (which went on to become something of a club hit), it also shows why its success can’t be duplicated in America. Tim and Daisy aren’t getting along, their unspoken romantic frisson turning mostly into friction, while Brian is being pursued sexually by Marcia. Their frustrations come to a sitcom-worthy boil of misunderstandings, miscommunications, and hurt feelings, but are solved when they go out clubbing and take massive doses of Ecstasy. That may sound glib and facile, but for urban, childless adults between 20 and 30 years old, it’s practically gritty realism. “Spaced” is funny and clever, and a welcome reminder that sometimes hanging out with your friends requires something a little stronger than coffee.

A Very British TV Export

A Very British TV Export

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