Spaced ’s cast, with Frost (in beret), Hynes (bottom left), and Pegg
In my 20s, I didn’t know any of the fucking good-looking, wacky people living in wine bars that all these other sitcoms were about,” says Simon Pegg. “That definitely wasn’t me.” To remedy this gross oversight, Pegg, along with his friends Jessica Hynes and director Edgar Wright, created the series Spaced for the BBC in 1999. Finally available on DVD in the U.S. this month from BBC Video, the cult favorite boasted characters far less predictable than, say, Ross and Rachel—among them, Tim (Pegg), a frustrated comic book artist, and Daisy (Hynes), the unemployed writer he pretends to be dating in order to rent a London flat, as well as Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) as Tim’s husky, war-obsessed buddy Mike Watt (!). But their hijinks, which often involved pitch-
perfect send-ups of films like Pulp Fiction and The Matrix, lasted only 14 episodes; the show went on permanent hiatus in 2001 when Pegg and Wright began writing the zomcom hit Shaun of the Dead. “Spaced is the great unfinished work of my life, and I’m sad that we didn’t get to see it through to the end,” says the 38-year-old actor, who’s currently wrapping his turn as Scotty in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot.
Still, Pegg would rather release a final season as a graphic novel (his idea) than endure the American remake that was to be helmed by Charlie’s Angels director and The OC producer McG (Fox’s idea, though it didn’t make the network’s fall lineup). “I wrote Spaced coming off of a really serious relationship, and I sublimated a lot of my anguish into it,” he says, “so to have some guy from Will & Grace [Adam Barr] rewrite it doesn’t sit well with me.”
Pegg concedes that his attitude might have been different if “the Freaks and Geeks people” were involved—a perfect match, considering how Judd Apatow’s short-lived but beloved show was also a breeding ground for a now-ubiquitous comic repertory of pasty, pop-referencing everydudes with unlikely box-office clout.
On the plus side, the whole Fox fiasco did inspire a possible future plotline for Tim and Daisy. “They have a party and it’s captured on home video,” explains Pegg. “Suddenly there’s a crash, everything goes dark and they run outside, and the Statue of Liberty’s head is in the front garden.” PHOEBE REILLY
PHISHERS TARGET ITUNES USERS They steal your 1 credit card information and fill your hard drive with 18-minute jams
2 JILL SCOT T UNVEILS PLUS-SIZE BRA LINE It’s a project that’s been close to her heart
3 SOAPBOX DERBIES No joke; they’re awesome
TOM WAI TS TO PLAY SATAN IN TERRY GILLIAM MOVIE
4 Turns out, hell is Bob’s Frolic Room on Hollywood and Vine
5 SUMMER FRIDAYS Not just for summer anymore. Or Fridays.
T.A. T.U. RETURN—ON THE BIG SCREEN!
6 Because we’re so tired of watching teenage lesbians in private, for free
7 WILL SMITH IS HANCOCK We didn’t even know he could play jazz piano
FUNK Y BUNCH REUNITE SANS MARKY MARK
8 The Pips, the Range, and Double Trouble are interested. Very interested.
9 SPIDER NAMED AFTER NEIL YOUNG Buffalo Springfield not impressed
10 SUB POP TURNS 20 One more year and they can finally ditch that fake ID
11 CHEAP MEXICAN FIREWORKS What better way to show America you love her?
JIMMY FALLON NAMED NEW LATE NIGHT HOST
12 And with Horatio Sanz as his sidekick, the laughter won’t stop...onscreen
GENE SIMMONS RUNS PROSTITUTION ESSAY
13 CONTEST Winner gets prizes from Gene; losers just wrote some new Kiss songs
EVERCLEAR PERFORM FOR TROOPS AT
14 GUANTANAMO BAY Hearing Art Alexakis moan about his dad = a fate worse than waterboarding
15 LOU PEARLMAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON Recruiting hot new male talent just. Got. Interesting.
16 ENGOBI CAFFEINATED CORN PUFFS Acute heart arrhythmia never tasted like this!
17 CONGRATULATIONS, PETE ’N’ ASHLEE! May you be fruitful, painfully self-aware, and multiply
18 SHARK WEEK! That time of the year when we remember that sharks are assholes
19 THE HULK TRIES AGAIN AT THE BOX OFFICE In case you didn’t like him when he was Ang Lee’s
20 LED ZEPPELIN TO PLAY THREE NIGHTS IN TALLAHASSEE What’s one more rumor?
FROM LEFT: JILLIAN EDELSTEIN/CAMERA PRESS/RETNA; COURTESYPBHBOCTVOICDREEODIT
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