DirecTV Picks Up ‘Downton Abbey’ Parody Series ‘The Britishes’ From Electus Digital
Electus Digital’s video content studio Big Breakfast, the production team of CollegeHumor Originals, has teamed with DirecTV for original comedy The Britishesstarring Peter Serafinowicz and Will Sasso. A collection of eight sketches, The Britishes parodies the world depicted on hit British costume drama Downton Abbey in a style inspired by the absurdist sensibility of another staple of British television, comedy classic Monty Python’s Flying Circus. The series, written by Big Breakfast’s in-house creative team, will become the digital company’s first project to get a TV play when it premieres on DirecTV’s Audience Network on October 28. Here is one of the sketches, “The Charming Mr. Hitler“
The Britishes revolves around the absurd, class-obsessed, extremely British residents of an Edwardian-era English estate off the fictional “coast of Knob.” With roots so deep in aristocracy that their surname is actually “British,” the family has fought through the decades—against progress, against technology and, essentially, against all common sense—in an effort to preserve a regal way of life. The Britishes are a dying breed, hysterically desperate to uphold tradition as the world around them becomes more modern. British comedy veteran Serafinowicz and Sasso, channeling Lord Grantham and Mr. Carson, respectively, lead the cast, which also features CollegeHumor regulars Elaine Carroll and Josh Ruben.
“The Britishes is more than a Downton Abbey parody, it’s a love ballad to British comedy, which—thanks to my British mother—is the comedy I grew up watching,” says Sam Reich, President of Big Breakfast and a writer and director on the project. “Peter Serafinowicz and Will Sasso go together like Marmite and butter. It’s a British thing.”
Electus’ Ben Silverman and Drew Buckley, Big Breakfast’s Sam Reich and Spencer Griffin and DirecTV’s Chris Long and Bart Peters are executive producing. Big Breakfast’s Jon Cohen co-executive produces.
