American Version Of Hit 'Sherlock But Funny' Detective Series Is The Remake Nobody Asked For

Published Oct 14, 2026, 5:34 AM EDT

Craig began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016 and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. After previously writing for various outlets, Craig's focus turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally became useful. Craig has previously been published by sites such as Den of Geek.

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It's the phrase that strikes fear into the heart of British comedy. "American remake." US remakes of UK TV shows have failed an awful lot more than they've succeeded. In one column sit The IT Crowd, The Inbetweeners, Gavin & Stacey (retitled as Us & Them), Skins, Miranda (Call Me Kat in the US), Red Dwarf, Taskmaster, Fawlty Towers, and a few other forgotten and short-lived disasters. Propping up the idea that Britcoms can successfully navigate the Atlantic, you've got The Office, Ghosts, and, to a limited extent, Veep.

Still, the entire business is notoriously tricky, and in an industry polluted by sequels, revivals, remakes of old shows, and remakes of not-so-old shows, a US version of a series already filmed in the English language feels odd. And it feels even odder when the original UK version is still very much running, as is the case with Ludwig.

Debuting in 2024, Ludwig landed to positive reviews, strong viewership, awards recognition, and no small amount of love from fans. A second season arrived in 2026, alongside confirmation of a Christmas special in December and a third season thereafter.

Seeing a need for more Ludwig, ABC has ordered a pilot for a US remake, now under the title of Rabbit but following broadly the same premise. And not even John Ludwig himself can deduce exactly why.

So Much Of Ludwig's DNA Is Rooted In Britishisms

The phrase "quintessentially British" gets thrown around a lot, especially when US remakes is the topic at hand. Whatever that term may or may not entail, there's no denying that Ludwig leans heavily upon UK culture and comedy tropes.

Ludwig has, not entirely unfairly, been described as a mashup of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie, two of Britain's greatest fictional detectives. The locations play a major role in establishing that tone, with David Mitchell's character conducting investigations in grandiose cathedrals, stately manor houses, old-fashioned theaters, etc. Such settings speak to the Christie half of Ludwig's parentage, establishing that same brand of cozy, quaint, middle-England murder mystery.

Zooming out a little, Ludwig is entirely set upon the backdrop of Cambridge's distinct architecture and rich history. The harsh truth is that Ludwig would be a far inferior show even if it shifted a little south into London, let alone relocating to a different country altogether. The questionably-titled US remake will be set in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which isn't quite the same thing.

Then there's the title character himself. So much of John Ludwig's persona emanates from David Mitchell's own style of comedy glimpsed in panel shows, sketches, and past sitcoms, it's virtually impossible to imagine another actor, American or otherwise, stepping into the role.

Mitchell's comic trademarks hark back to great British comedies such as Fawlty Towers, I'm Alan Partridge, Blackadder, etc. It's that quiet anger at the world, the politely silent suffering, the British reserve. The running gag where Ludwig keeps forgetting to refer to his new boss as "Ma'am" is a perfect example of a joke that sums up the tone of the show, but chiefly works within a British context. Mitchell belongs to a long line of successful comedy actors who amplify and parody stereotypical British traits for laughs, and Ludwig is no exception.

Taking Ludwig beyond the UK demands a complete overhaul of both the main character and the show's visual language, at which point one has to question the point of a remake in the first place.

Past UK Remakes Paint A Bleak Picture For Ludwig

Ludwig isn't the first David Mitchell comedy to take a shot at an American remake, with the iconic Peep Show receiving several attempts over the years. Ultimately, and perhaps thankfully, Peep Show US has never fully come together, although efforts remain ongoing.

There is an unaired pilot out there, with The Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki taking Mitchell's place in the role of Mark Corrigan. It's not hard to see why a full series never emerged, and Mark's replacement is just one of many issues, as it rapidly becomes clear that such a character doesn't translate into an American sitcom.

As much as everyone loves Ludwig, even the detective's biggest fan would have to admit that Mitchell is basically playing Mark Corrigan with a tweed jacket and better facial hair. The social awkwardness, the propensity for panic, the secret yearning to be accepted... The bad news for Rabbit is clear: if the Peep Show US remake couldn't make Mark work, Ludwig is unlikely to pose any less of a challenge.

ABC will be looking toward The Office as the gold standard of UK-US comedy relations, but even that page of TV history comes with a warning. The Office endured a notoriously tricky debut season as it hewed too closely to the British original. Only after finding their own voice did Michael Scott and co. truly start winning over viewers.

But the key difference between Ludwig and The Office is that only the latter is built upon a truly universal premise. The concept of finding hilarity in the mundane world of office work could thrive in any Western country. Similarly, Ghosts, another celebrated transatlantic export, succeeds because its fantastical concept frees it from the confines of any specific country or culture.

The one part of Ludwig that does translate between borders is 'genius twin poses as his missing detective brother and starts solving crimes.' That idea is as good on US soil as it is in the UK. Crucially, however, that logline isn't the heart of Ludwig, which became very clear in season 2 when John stopped posing as his brother altogether. The real driving force behind Ludwig isn't the sibling deception, but the characters, the jokes, the settings, and all the other ingredients that aren't particularly amenable to a Stateside relocation.

The entire Ludwig/Rabbit situation can be neatly summarized by an icon of British sitcoms. In Only Fools and Horses, Trigger proudly boasts about using the same broom for 20 years, despite replacing both the handle and the brush. The scene is often cited by philosophy students asking at which point Trigger's broom ceases to be the same broom.

In that spirit, if Rabbit winds up reinventing Ludwig's main character, rewriting the humor, and removing the Cambridge setting, at which point does being a Ludwig remake become somewhat redundant?

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  David Mitchell

  John 'Ludwig' Taylor / James Taylor

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  Anna Maxwell Martin

  Lucy Betts-Taylor