Te odio

I found this show funny and genuinely heartfelt at times, with two funny leads, Sure, it was a little cringe from time to time, such as the incesty plot points, but so was Friday Night Dinner, and most leading comedy shows at the worst of times. It was easy to get into and watch, and I was sad when I reached the end of series 1. I liked that the in-jokes between the friends were explained naturally to the audience, as if you were meeting very close friends for the first time in real life. Got some real laughs out of me. Definitely needs more time to find its footing, but I can see a lot of potential in it.

When going into this show, I already knew that it had an uphill battle due to its association to other very well-known comedies and the fact that the two main characters are women. A lot of the reviews I have seen for the show are extremely misogynistic and uncharitable. Many of the common critiques can also be thrown at the Inbetweeners or Friday Night dinner. Protagonists with questionable decision making? Fine when it's a man, but apparently completely irredeemable if it's a woman. I think some of these reviewers are having trouble realising that the characters are fictional people, and their actions have no real bearing on the world.

So what would I say to someone looking to watch this show? Go into it with an open mind, there is some genuine fun to be found in this series, and try not to take everything so seriously!

So much comedy is simply not really funny and raises the odd titter. I personally have no idea why "Friends" was so massive for that very reason.

Once you take the time to get into this it has some truly laugh out loud moments.

The concept of having two very strong central characters, surrounded by a selection of very funny and quirky almost cameo performances, works incredibly well and is extremely well cast.

It's no "Friday Night Dinner" but that really is an impossible act to follow, on of the funniest shows I have ever watched and will live on in our minds for many, many years.

I would like to see more new comedy like this, not playing safe and breaking a few boundaries.

Poor imitation of Friday Night Dinner.

Basically the same premise. Follows two people that constantly prank each other. However, instead of being siblings, they are flat mates.

This time the show is a little wackier and doesn't have the heart of FND. Acting is good, but not the same calibre.

Definitely not the worst show in the world; you might get a few giggles out of the first two episodes. After that it gets pretty repetitive.

The best thing honestly is the opening titles.

Doubt it will get a second season, so will look forward to what the creator does next. Hopefully something different.

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.

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.