Showtime to remake Shameless

US cable network Showtime is to launch a pilot for an American version of British comedy series Shameless.

This comes a few months after the series had been in development at rival pay network HBO.

Showtime has greenlit the pilot after striking a deal with John Wells Productions, the company behind The West Wing and ER, which acquired the rights to the series from All3Media-owned Company Pictures.

The British series was originally created by Paul Abbot and aired on Channel 4 as well as BBC America and the Sundance Channel in the US.

The adaptation was written by Wells and Abbot and is being produced in association with Warner Bros Television.

In January, HBO boss Mike Lombardo told TBIvision that it was developing a remake of the series, which follows the drama of a working class family. “We are developing a US version of Shameless with John Wells. [The question is ] how do you move that show to America and not lose its essence?”