Us & Them is an American television series based on the British series Gavin & Stacey created by James Corden and Ruth Jones and adapted to an American audience by David J. Rosen, which follows a couple who decide to meet after a six-month online romance, only to find that their crazy families become more of a challenge than living in different states.
When two people finally come together, they never come together alone. Us & Them is an outrageous but authentic ensemble single-camera comedy about a pair of young lovers, whose path to happily-ever-after is complicated by the screwed-up circus of people closest to them.
New York pharmaceutical copywriter Gavin (Emmy Award nominee Jason Ritter, Parenthood, The Event) is a neurotic Woody Allen-ish personality with indie-rock looks, who has never been in love.
On the other hand, pretty Pennsylvania-based printing press employee Stacey (Alexis Bledel, Mad Men, Gilmore Girls) has a subtle wit and has been engaged before. For the past six months, they have been flirting online and finally agree to meet... with their best friends in tow for double-date safety.
Gavin and Stacey's wingmen are, respectively, Chris "Archie" Archuletta (Dustin Ybarra, We Bought a Zoo) and Nessa (Ashlie Atkinson, Inside Man, Rescue Me). Archie is often wrong but never in doubt and the loudest, most outrageous character in any room. Nessa is brutally blunt - actually, just brutal, in general - with a rock-a-billy look, complete with messy tattoos (many of which she doesn't remember getting).
Gavin lives in an apartment below his parents, Pam (Emmy Award nominee Jane Kaczmarek, Whitney, Raising the Bar, Malcolm in the Middle) and Michael (Kurt Fuller, Psych, Midnight in Paris).
With zero filter and little volume control, Pam is fearful she is aging and that the good times may be behind her. Michael thinks of himself as the family's voice of reason. He is wrong.
Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, is a tiny dot of grit in the green countryside. Stacey lives there with her widowed mom, Gwen (Kerri Kenney, Reno 911!). Brian (guest star Michael Ian Black, Ed), Stacey's uncle, and her late father's brother, has taken on the role of family protector. He is a simple man who is amazed by the little things in life...like white Toblerones.
Stacey's long-distance romance unnerves both Gwen and Brian, who fear she might fall in love and move away to the big city.
When all of these characters collide to create a salty but sweet romantic comedy, we wonder not if the two leads will get together, but how they ever will stay together. After all, it's complicated enough trying to make a relationship work. But the biggest complications of all are the friends and family who are part of the package deal.
Us & Them is produced by Sony Pictures Television and BBC Worldwide Productions. It is based on the multiple-award-winning BBC series Gavin and Stacey, which was created and written by James Corden and Ruth Jones.
Us & Them is adapted and written by David J. Rosen (I Just Want My Pants Back), and executive-produced by Rosen, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, Corden and Jones. Steve Coogan and Henry Normal serve as executive producers for Baby Cow Productions.
Michael Patrick Jann (Drop Dead Gorgeous) directed the pilot.
Broadcast Notes
On 8 May, 2013, Fox placed a 13-episode order for the single-camera comedy. On 11 October, 2013, it was revealed that Fox had cut back the episode order to seven episodes. In summer 2014, Fox revealed that they would not air the show, meaning it never aired in the USA.