CHUCK'S Josh Schwartz to remake U.K. Hulu hit MISFITS

Chuck co-creator Josh Schwartz is developing a new sci-fi series. Vulture reports that the writer-producer of shows like Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie is set to make an American version of the British sci-fi drama (and Hulu hit) Misfits. A deal for rights to the show has been acquired by Fake Empire, his Warner Bros. TV-based production. The show is said to be a mix of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Heroes.

The story "revolves around a group of working-class teens who find themselves endowed with superpowers following an electrical storm." Howard Overman, who wrote the U.K. version has teamed with Schwartz and is set to write a U.S. translation. No network is attached yet, but that is likely to change because of the everyone involved and the buzz around the project.

Hulu began streaming the U.K. version of Misfits last summer, and it has been a huge hit. The episodes regularly ranked among the site's most-streamed series whenever new episodes dropped. Variety estimates that the episodes have had more than 9 million views to date. The show also had a successful run on Britain's E4 network. It's most recent season averaged over one million viewers per episode, doubling ratings from 2009's season one. Last season it even won a BAFTA award for best drama series, beating out the usual domination by BBC. What makes the show a hit for critics and fans is the use of realism in depicting teen behavior, with the same level of language and nudity that Skins featured in the U.K. 

Schwartz and Overman are writing the new Misfits on spec, and plan to serve as exec producers. This means that a pilot should be ready to shop to networks late this year or early in 2012. This has been a common path for TV shows as of late. In the case of Misfits, potential buyers can see episodes of the U.K. original. 

I have never seen the show on Hulu, but have heard good things. This sounds like a show I would enjoy tuning into on a weekly basis. Not every show can be like The Office and have hit runs though in both the U.S. and the U.K. What are your thoughts?