Unbelievable!!

I agree. As much as I love the characters of this show, the most intriguing aspect of it for me is how the French judicial system dictates and necessitates a relationship between its different factions. Nothing in the U.S.A parallels that situation. The thought of translating Engrenages to an American setting made me think of Southland, a show that featured different persons in law enforcement. I remember finding it interesting how the cops would be the first responders to a scene, and if the incident precipitated a detective, one would come and the cops would pass on the case and go back to patrolling. That was often the only time when you would see the detectives and cop characters interact on the show. They primarily coexisted in parallel worlds without much interaction. I often wondered why there wasn't a lot of overlap in their worlds but when I considered their long work hours, their personal lives, and the nature of their jobs, a lot of interaction wouldn't be realistic unless they happened to be friends outside of the job.

Showtime or any network in America could do a show which followed the lives cops, detectives, lawyers and judges, and it could be great. Others have mentioned the Wire as a reason for the futility of an American version of Engrenages, so in a similar grain I say, such a show could exist but it wouldn't and couldn't be Engrenages -- so why bother.

Also, one of the running jokes about Laure's beloved crew is their ability to mess up their cases. An important component that would need to have a stronger presence in the American show is the media, and with that entity I couldn't see a similar crew to Laure's lasting a long time under constant media scrutiny. Maybe Showtime wants to create a show that explores the facets of a city's judicial system without being accused of copying the Wire and Engrenage offers the perfect excuse, but in all honesty it will not be able to save its remake from accusations that it is a copy of that show or the myriad of other American cop shows. There really isn't any new grounds to chart in that arena.