EXCLUSIVE: Ludwig has taken its first steps to a potential U.S. remake after the David Mitchell cozy crime series became the BBC‘s biggest comedy launch since 2018.
Deadline hears that Big Talk Studios is entertaining interest from writers about adapting Ludwig for an American audience high on similar shows, including Only Murders in the Building. The series has been presented to the market and early talks are taking place with potential showrunners.
Ludwig was watched by 9.5M people on the BBC and the British broadcaster has moved quickly to renew the comedy crime drama for a second season. BritBox has also closed a deal to stream the first two seasons in the U.S. and Canada from early next year.
Created by Mark Brotherhood, the series stars Peep Show’s Mitchell as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, a reclusive puzzle-setter who becomes an unlikely detective when his twin brother goes missing. Anna Maxwell Martin (Line of Duty) co-stars as Ludwig’s sister-in-law.
Ludwig was designed for Mitchell by Brotherhood after the actor said he was interested in playing a detective while working with Big Talk on Back, the Channel 4 series from Veep writer Simon Blackwell. Mitchell’s That Mitchell & Webb Company co-produces Ludwig.
Robert Schildhouse, president of BritBox North America and general manager of BritBox International, told Deadline that the series was a “natural fit” for the streaming service. In a sign of its confidence in Ludwig, BritBox has taken the unusual decision to commit to co-financing a second season before the comedy has even premiered on its platform.
Schildhouse described Ludwig as a British version of Monk, the hit USA Network comedy-drama starring Tony Shalhoub, and argued that Mitchell is “primed to have a U.S. moment.” He continued: “It was just a very obvious opportunity for us to blend genres a bit … We really do believe that this is the sort of show that can help break through and introduce new audiences to the best of British television.”
In an interview with Deadline last month, Big Talk Studios CEO Kenton Allen said Ludwig was designed to slot into the “soft crime” space, arguing that audiences have become “oversaturated” by morbid true crime. “We’re not that focused on the victim, the method of murder, the relatives impacted by the death. We’re more focused on who might have done it and how they might have done it, rather than the grisly impact of the murder,” he said.
Ludwig executive producers are Allen, Brotherhood, Mitchell, Kathryn O’Connor, and Chris Sussman. The series was commissioned by Jon Petrie, BBC director of comedy, and Tanya Qureshi. It is produced in association with ITV Studios, which handles international distribution.
