Seeking to combine all of the elements of successful British TV imports, Fox has found a program that has all the cruelty of The Office, the eerieness of Black Mirror, and the insanity of the late, lamented Sex Box. Deadline reports that the network is planning to produce an eight-episode American adaptation of the ITV hypnotism reality-series You’re Back in the Room, which has a professional hypnotist do his work on a group of contestants before they’re asked to complete the simplest of tasks — cake frosting, pizza-making, all the Great British Bake Off standards, apparently — for cash prizes. Here’s a look at the original version, which has a level of absurdity about equal with your standard Monty Python bit. Only time will tell whether You’re Back in the Room’s layered and complex themes will be a hit in America.
