I Hate You

So for some reason they decided to start the series with the "edgiest" storyline, where the 20-something flatmates sort-of date a couple of pensioners. It's a ridiculous premise with very few laughs and to be honest I was going to not bother watching any more...

...but I've had a quiet afternoon so I came back to it and watched the rest of the series.

Any you know what - it's not that bad. The two lead actresses pull off the slightly awkward friendship between Charlie and Becca really well, a handful of the jokes are chuckle-worthy, and some of the supporting characters are very good (in particular Becca's boss and her stepbrother).

But there's plenty that doesn't work. Lots of the pre-launch focus was on the creator, Robert Popper, who's been involved in loads of British comedy shows over the years. He's an old man writing a show about two young women. And although some of the script doesn't ring true, the worst characters are the men. Charlie's boss is an unrealistic idiot, a man that has a crush on her is, well, an unrealistic idiot, and Becca's co-worker is, errr, an unrealistic idiot.

Highlights? Spilled coffee, an awkward Chess accident and a curious greeting.

Second series? Needs stronger jokes and better supporting characters to be worth it.

Writer Robert Popper has worked on some real comedy gold like the Inbetweeners and Peep Show but this wasn't one to add to that portfolio. Despite a good cast and production values the premise and script fell short. It had some amusing moments and good one-liners here and there but the storyline was quite improbable and overall it didn't come off.

Would like to think it will get better over time but can't see a second series for this one as I'm not sure who the audience will be. Not traditionally structured and written sharply enough for older viewers and not 'hip' enough to attract a younger audience.

Bottom line neeeded to be a lot funnier. A middling sitcom that will soon be forgotten.

Feels like a lot of the bad sentiment about this show comes from a place of misogyny; god forbid young women make complicated decisions and have a libido. Would thoroughly recommend to anyone that enjoyed the same silly humour on Friday Night Dinner.

The lead actors perform the sharp, humorous writing well, and a convincing yet bizarre world is established around them. Again, anyone fans of one the previous lead's past experience (Sex Education), or of the creator's past project, Friday Night Dinner, should thoroughly enjoy the show.

The show covers a range of different concerns facing those in their mid-20s, especially those living around London and big cities, with a light, funny but, when needed, heartfelt touch.

To be honest I read a few reviews and thought about skipping it but I like her from sex education and thought I'd give it a go. It was like a lot of British comedies, a bit all over the place, new age humour isn't particularly funny, trying to tie in the contradiction that Is the social media hypocrites, it's impossible to please everyone.

There were bits that were natural, I thought parts were very funny, but sometimes they tried to force a joke, that was poor. But overall it was a decent comedy, passed the time on a sick day and I'd watch a series two, I thought there's potential, problem we have these days is people rate 1 or 10/10 so stuff gets loved or binned off. I'd give this one more go, women don't have an easy route in comedy.

The one thing I thought was funny was the intro, it felt like someone watched peacemaker and tried to clone it and it was a fail, it immediately made the characters tougher to like and route for so that was a mistake.

I posted this review against the final episode of the season a few years ago when it felt like the series might return, I'm pretty sure that's not the case now, so I thought I'd add the review here too.

I really liked Robert Popper's "Friday Night Dinner" and seeing that he had a new sitcom on Channel Four I made sure to catch it. I can see why it's divisive, particularly with anyone who just knows Popper from "FND" but I really liked it, and watched all six episodes in one sitting.

Best friends Charlie (Tanya Reynolds) and Becca (Melissa Saint) live together in a London flat enjoying the sort of messy, antagonistic friendship that only true best friends would tolerate. Becca is a curtain saleswoman, for the abrasive Mrs. Plant (Chetna Pandya) and Charlie is the PA for professional autograph dealer and sometime narcolept Bob Oxygen (Jonny Sweet).

Where I can see it losing the "Friday Night Dinner" crowd is that it's a touch more surreal than that sitcom ever was. It was a farce, and characters were extreme, but it was always set in the real world. That's not necessarily the case here, particularly with a character like Bob Oxygen, or his Wife Miriam. I really like the two leads, I've not seen much of Melissa Saint before, but Tanya Reynolds I know from "Sex Education" and though the character is different she's just as good here. The various supporting characters are also great with a shout out for Jonny Sweet making Bob Oxygen have the best delivery of any character not played by Matt Berry.

Admittedly, it front loads the series a bit. With the first couple of episodes being the best, though the fall off isn't that pronounced and it does really pick up again at the end. There are some storylines that run through the series, as well as running jokes that come back and pay off later in the run.

It really won't be to everyone's taste, I can see that, but it was to mine, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Hopefully it won't be too niche for Popper to be allowed to make more.