Most folks probably know comedian Patton Oswalt as Spence on the recently-departed King of Queens, but us comedy fans have known him for even longer as a very funny man who stands up and does comedy. He was the mastermind behind the Comedians of Comedy tour, and he's done voice work for a few Adult Swim series, including Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Also, he plays the lead role in the upcoming Pixar flick, Ratatouille.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that The Thick of It, a new pilot from Arrested Development creator Mitchell Hurwitz that was rejected by ABC, may still have a fighting chance.

The Thick of It is based on a British series about folks working for a low-level congressman. The series boasts some amazing comedic talent, including John Michael Higgins, Oliver Platt, Alex Borstein, and Michael McKean. The pilot was also directed by Christopher Guest.

Arrested Development creator Mitchell Hurtwitz is returning to television. Settle down, settle down! He's not coming back with new installments of AD, so you can continue your extended period of mourning. No, this time around Hurtwitz is going across the pond to adapt a well-received British comedy for American audiences.

Along with Arrested writer Richard Day, Hurtwitz is beginning work on a U.S. version of The Thick of It. The original version of the show, which won the British Comedy Award for best comedy, was about a harried minister of Parliament who had to deal with inept bureaucrats under the thumb of a number of politicians and civil servants, including the prime minister. My knowledge of British comedy is slight, but the premise sounds a lot like an updated version of Yes, Minister (or Yes, Prime Minister).

Hurtwitz and Day are working with Sony to shop the program to the networks. Day is writing the pilot script and both he and Hurtwitz will server as executive producers. Now the only question is will Ron Howard narrate the show?