The Outlaws

A novel comedy from Stephen Merchant in which a group of seven very different strangers complete community service together in Bristol.

It's not a pure comedy, it's a mix of comedy and drama. However, it has a good plot with some excellent characters. Christopher Walken is brilliant, Stephen Merchant is very funny, and the rest of the cast do a good job.

I just watched Season 2.

The story continues where it left off but this is not as good as Season 1. It lacks the novelty of the first season.

I was bored in parts although it gets better as it goes. Episodes can trundle along with rare moments of excitement. It's not really a comedy, it's a drama with some funny (rarely laugh out loud) moments.

A mixed cast, varying in quality but Merchant and Walken still stand out. Across both Seasons I'd give it a 7* but I wouldn't want to watch it again. It's not that great.

People have said this show is not very good but perhaps they are looking at it the wrong way.

It's a bit of a throwback of a show to simpler times but that doesn't mean it's any less engaging. It's easy to watch, you don't have to know a lot, the writing great with some excellent and funny banter between cast members and the cast is excellent.

The best thing is that in just a few short episodes, you get involved in the character's lives, even if they are relatively superficial glimpses of people with complex issues. They are minor criminals but in this show, they still warm your heart to some degree. It just works.

Christopher Walken adds a really great dimension to the whole thing. Excellent casting and it was great they were able to get him on board.

I wondered when he was going to start dancing. He was originally a dancer so his movies and parts always includes one or more scenes where that happens. I was not disappointed.

There has to be second series. If there isn't, I'd be surprised.

If Walken doesn't turn up again, be interesting to see David Soul back on the small screen doing a turn.

I just finished watching the end of season 2 last night and I can only hope they continue with this show.

The entire cast is brilliant and has wonderful chemistry.

I enjoy the combination of drama and comedy. The stories are interesting and I did feel like I was on the edge of my seat with several scenes, but the comic relief was unexpected and worked perfectly. They also managed (in only six episodes per season at that) to flesh out the characters and their relationships with one another.

Christopher Walken was wonderful here. I enjoyed Stephen Merchant's character as well and was surprised to find out that he actually created the show.

Wrapping this up, I enjoyed The Outlaws immensely. Witty, entertaining and just fun to watch. I hope they'll be more seasons to come.

Having read some other reviews complaining they didn't get as many laughs as they were expecting, I'd like to clarify; The Outlaws is not a sitcom. It is a dramedy or comedy-drama. I think people have seen Merchant's name, thought of The Office and Extras and thus misunderstood the idea behind this series.

Some of the humour is around social disparity, inequality and issues of race and class. That these topics are both explored in the dramatic theme and at times joked about does not make the show "woke" or "PC" as some reviews are suggesting....that's just some people's reaction to anything mentioning these issues in any context and one of the characters is based on the white, middle-class, rage-baited tabloid reader stereotype (though goes on to become more multi-faceted and sympathetic as the story and characters develop), so that's where those reviews are coming from.

The Outlaws delivers a masterful blend of tension, action, emotion and Merchant's signature style of comedy, which tends to be a mix of self-deprecation, irony and social observation. Each of the characters has something to like, something to sympathise, something to dislike and something to laugh about.

As with any series, I'd say always give it at least two episodes before you make your mind up - the pilot is always going to be the weakest link because it has to set everything up which follows.

This one is well worth the patience to pursue.

Why is this so underrated? It has great humor, drama, acting and storyline. Unique. Love it. I was expecting a typical British comedy, but got so much more.