Flamboyant barrister Cleaver Greene, played by Richard Roxburgh, has cut a rough swath through clients, girlfriends and court cases for the past four years on Australian television.

The producers of the US remake of Rake are hoping his US counterpart, Keegan Joye - played by Greg Kinnear - can do the same.

Law and disorder: Greg Kinnear in the US version of the show (left), and Richard Roxburgh in Rake.

But US culture loves its heroes, and one of the biggest challenges, says Peter Duncan, who produced the Australian series and is working on the US remake, is keeping the main character's personality flaws intact.

That is no small task in the US TV scene, which looks to find Superman in every mild-mannered man.