This week we're going in-depth with a look at this week's highly anticipated cult television series, Spaced. If you like Brit comedies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, then you'll love the show that started it all for comic wonder boys Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright.

The director-actor team of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg broke through in 2004 with the horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead, a Certified Fresh parody of the zombie classics popularized by the films of George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead). That brand of referential comedy popped up again in their 2007 follow-up, Hot Fuzz, which spoofed the buddy cop genre with nods to the likes of Point Break, Lethal Weapon, and all things Michael Bay. The duo, along with regular co-star Nick Frost, plan on completing their "Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy" with a third film, The World's End, planned for 2010; both, however, have piled their plates high with other unrelated projects (Wright directing Ant Man and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Pegg nabbing the role of Scotty in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek).

In the meantime, North American fans finally get their chance to see Wright and Pegg's earlier collaboration: Spaced, the quirky British show that aired for two seasons in 1999 and 2001 in the U.K. and is available for the first time on DVD in North America this week!

Spaced follows the manic exploits of Tim (Pegg) and Daisy (co-creator Jessica Hynes, nee Stevenson), two dysfunctional singles posing as a couple to rent a flat for cheap in London. The twentysomething slacker pair (he's a graphic artist; she's a writer) are as directionless as they are obsessed with pop culture -- and entirely relatable to a generation of like-minded Star Wars babies. Think of it as Friends, only smart and British and directed with a flair for Return of the Jedi references and surrealist homage.

Speaking of homage, well, there's a lot of it here. Watch all 14 episodes in the series and catch references to not only George Lucas' space saga (including a storyline where Tim gets fired from a comic shop for his all-consuming hatred of The Phantom Menace) but also nods to cult films, video games, and comic books. As a treat for our readers, we've got a Rotten Tomatoes exclusive clip from "Chaos" (Season 1, Episode 5), in which Tim, Daisy, the military-obsessed friend Mike (Nick Frost), socially awkward housemate Brian, and superficial fashionista Twist prepare to break-into an animal testing lab under the cover of night using Star Wars codenames and the Imperial March.

Spaced: The Complete Series will be released Tuesday in a three-disc collection that includes all 14 episodes, a feature-length documentary, commentaries from the original UK release, deleted scenes, outtakes and more. Which graphic artist is Tim Bisley named for? Find out by turning on the optional Homage-O-Meter to keep track of the fast and furious references in both seasons. Which episode of The X-Files inspired a storyline involving Daisy's missing dog? Find out in the all-new commentary track featuring Wright, Pegg, Hynes, and a revolving cast of their best celebrity friends and fans (Kevin Smith, Diablo Cody, Patton Oswalt, Matt Stone, Quentin Tarantino, and Bill Hader).

"Watching Spaced is kinda like watching a Kevin Smith film if Kevin Smith had any real talent."- Kevin Smith

"I laughed hard and I hate comedy."- Judd Apatow

"The wonderfully funny, outrageous and unique British television comedy series that manages to be both insane and sweet at the same time! A very influential show from the guys who gave us Shaun of the Dead."- John Landis

"The one, the only...Spaced. Accept no substitute" - Quentin Tarantino

Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Jessica Hynes are taking Spaced on the road for screenings in select cities. Click for Wright's MySpace blog and head over to the official Spaced Invasion website for event info.

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(1-15 of 15 posts) | Reply

hevlarxis writes: on Jul 21 2008 07:01 PM Skip to the end! (Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes: on Jul 21 2008 08:17 PM Ill be getting Spaced, and next week drum roll......DARK CITY:Director's Cut! and possibly Shine a Light. (Reply to this)

savethemooses writes: on Jul 21 2008 08:47 PM I LOVED SPACED MORE THAN I LOVE GOD. (Reply to this)

Dinobot77 writes: on Jul 21 2008 10:00 PM First time I have seen this and the clip freaking hilarious!!!!!!!! I know what my new obsession will be now. :P (Reply to this)

t-joint writes: on Jul 21 2008 11:35 PM Hysterical and brilliant, this is a MUST SEE show for anyone who liked Shaun or Fuzz. And ESPECIALLY anyone who hated Phantom Menace! (Reply to this)

BlastastiC writes: on Jul 22 2008 11:02 AM "Last Night was an A1, tip-top, clubbing, jam fair. It was a sandwich of fun, on ecstacy bread, wrapped up in a big bag like disco fudge. It doesn't get much better than that. I just wish that I could control these ****ING MOOD SWINGS!" (Reply to this)

Jen Yamato writes: on Jul 22 2008 11:56 AM Tyres! So good. One of the best characters on the show! Oh, who am I kidding, they're all fantastic. I love Spaced. (Reply to this)

tomwaitsjr writes: on Jul 22 2008 01:31 PM I love sulphuric acid enemas. Eventually, it makes me much more skinny; Therefore, it makes me much more healthy. Would you like to partake of the smell of my huge twin cheeks? Only a little hair, in there. Sweating too much. Reminds me of Yentl. For, what I just said unto you, is the undiscovered alternative ending of Yentl, as spoke by Barbra Streisand. REJOICE! (Reply to this)

Jen Yamato writes: on Jul 22 2008 05:12 PM I think the Space Chimps have gotten to tomwaitsjr. (Reply to this)

Delta-Cain writes: on Jul 22 2008 06:59 PM I forgot it was being released today. I'll have to pick it up tomorrow! (Reply to this)

Bigbrother writes: on Jul 22 2008 09:28 PM They what!?! What do you mean the just blew it up!?! What the hells an Aluminum Falcon?!?! (Reply to this)

Mr Manhattan writes: on Jul 22 2008 09:42 PM I have this DVD from when i lived in the UK and i cried when they stopped at the second series. I wrote to wright and pegg admonishing them for their inconsiderate behavior, I was just about to cross the stalker line when i saw something shiny and forgot all about it. This is a GREAT show. I highly recommend it. (Reply to this)

reapermad writes: on Jul 23 2008 11:25 AM Everyon'es talking about Spaced, but another film that came out on dvd this week, which blows all other movies out of the water that are on dvd right now, is called "Shotgun Stories." Go freakin rent it for Chrissakes. (Reply to this)

gambit37 writes: on Jul 23 2008 11:57 AM Sweet, I've been meaning to find a way to watch the show after hearing the guys mentioning it on the Shaun of the Dead commentary. (Reply to this)

Delta-Cain writes: on Jul 27 2008 06:47 PM Bilbo Bagshot: What about the Ewoks? They were rubbish! You don't complain about them! Tim: Yeah, but Jar Jar Binks makes the Ewoks looking like... ****ing Shaft! (Reply to this)