It's been pretty common the past years for popular shows in the UK and other big markets to get an American version (for instance Ugly Betty, The Office) but I think this is the first time an Icelandic TV-show is being adapted for the US TV market (excluding LazyTown of course, which is still made in Iceland).

According to recent news reports, Reveille (they are behind the shows Ugly Betty and The Office) and Sony Pictures are in the works of making a pilot of the sitcom The Nightshift for FOX and the script for the pilot has already been written. The TV show The Nightshift was shown on Icelandic TV in 2007 and has had two follow-up series (The Dayshift in 2008 and The Jail Shift in 2009) and a feature length movie (Mr. Bjarnfredarson). The original Icelandic series will be shown on TV in Finland (and possibly other countries) in the near future.

All the series and the movie evolve around three main characters: Georg Bjarnfredarson, a left-leaning almost dictator-like manager of a 24/7 gas station, Olafur Ragnar, a hopeless type who falls for simple things, and Daniel, a quiet type who wants to escape the career path his parents have forced him to follow.

I personally love all the series and the movie is one of the best Icelandic movies ever made and one of my favorite movies of last year.
I'm just afraid the magic will be lost in translation or should I say lost in the Americanization of the series.

I managed to find two clips of the first series (Nightshift) and a trailer for the movie, all with English subtitles. I would love to get some comments from y'all as I'm curious if this type of humor has some appeal beyond Iceland.

From the Nightshift:




Trailer for Mr. Bjarnfredarson:

[Edited 1/14/10 11:18am]