Sundance smacks the grown-ups

TCA -- A Sundance Channel representative notes that NBC has remade "Kath & Kim," HBO is remaking "Shameless" and MTV is developing a version of "Ladette to Lady" -- all shows that air on Sundance in their original versions. She throws down this line from the ballroom podium:

"Sundance will continue bringing you the shows that some networks in this country try and remake ..."

Snap!

Of course, it would be a better line if Sundance was actually creatively responsible for any of these shows rather than simply airing their overseas versions. I can air the original “Kath & Kim,” too -- by getting the disc from Netflix and pressing Play on my DVD player. For better or worse, NBC, HBO and MTV still have to engage in the tricky business of revamping the shows and making them work for a large U.S. audience.

Also: PBS. It’s been six months since the last TCA when everybody was talking about whether Ian McKellen would be nude on PBS and, here we are, in January, and it’s still the story. PBS should have simply said yea/nay on this last July because surely they must wish their TCA headlines would be from topics other than the exposure of McKellen’s junk.