You, Me and the Apocalypse

Firstly, I don't really know what others have been saying about the accents. They are all pretty solid - the character who they have been complaining about is an intentionally offensive redneck stereotype. Someone else here has complained of the show's low budget. What do you expect? It's a small relatively unknown program in its first series. That being said, initially lower- budget props and sets are replaced in later episodes with filming locations of increased diversity and much higher quality set-pieces. Noticeable or bad CGI is minimal, if there at all.

Anyway... an overview...

Throughout the show, several characters around the ending world have their stories intertwined in what, to be honest, seemed like a boring cliché to me. Then I watched it. I was really, really, really wrong. I mean, I guess the show's subtle humour wouldn't appeal to everyone (the delivery reminds me of Parks and Rec without any fourth wall- breaking), but it's dispersed very naturally in each episode, along with many striking scenes that can be both tantalizing and ridiculous. It is a genuinely new take on the apocalypse genre: something fresh, innovative, and really just great fun to watch.

The main area in which the show shines is in character writing and development. Well, that, and the spiraling web of interconnected story lines that to follow is engaging, moving, and still quite believable. Increasing with each episode is the depth and realism of every character's motivations: their personality; their morality and their sanity. 'You, Me and the Apocalypse' undoubtedly has some of the most diverse and brilliant casting in recent comedy dramas (in terms of fame, race, age and gender).

There's not really much else I can think of that doesn't delve into spoiler territory. SO WATCH IT.

From the first episode, I was hooked. As some people may think, there are plot points that could seem implausible but given time are not. The casting is brilliant, Jenna Fischer is a revelation, Matthew Baynton is fantastic, Joel Fry is hilarious, though I've never thought much of Pauline Quirk, she is great, Patterson Joseph and Kyle Soller are a fabulous team, Gaia Scodellaro and Rob Lowe make a strange yet funny couple and lastly Megan Mullaly is still fabulous as a white supremacist. I also appreciate how well the stories begin to intertwine after the first episode. The scripts are well written and sometimes filled with surprises. All in all, I really love this quirky show!

It's too good to stop and whoever wrote it is definitely smart enough to keep it going. Not many dramas can include so many genres done so well, make them interlink so well plus make each show an improvement on the preceding one. There's political, romantic, dramatic, humour, science fiction, religious, scenic, scientific, glamour, sociological and psychological and all done brilliantly. You just don't know what's coming next. Plus it's a tough call to pick who's the standout actor, most of the leads are equally brilliant. Just an excellent production. One last thing, as well as sophisticated and imaginative it's earthy, plus even incorrect, the racist, the soldier and the clergy are painted with sympathy. It's great.

Brilliant opening episode, to what promises to be, a brilliant series of television. This has been advertised heavily on UK TV in recent weeks, and after watching the opening episode, it seems the hype is well deserved. Sure, we've all seen the scenario before, asteroid heading to Earth to kill every last one of us, but never set in Slough England before!!. The cast is very strong, some big names mixed with some lesser know names, and i can honestly say, everyone in the opener nailed it. If the show continues as it started, You, Me and the apocalypse looks set to be a very good addition to the end of the world genre !!.

8/10 (So Far !!)

Sausage1

I really loved this series overall. The acting is excellent, the plot is winding and clever, and much of it is quite funny. I was consistently drawn in, entertained, and curious what would happen next.

The ride does, however, become a bit bumpy towards the end. The problems are mainly related in some way to religion, both in an utterly nonsensical conspiracy and in some overt supernatural elements that are hinted at throughout the series but are ramped up far too much in the latter part.

Then there's the end, which is both predictable and unsatisfying. Even though this was a miniseries, it's clear that the intention was to have a second season, so they left a mystery unanswered one or two threads loose. This would have been unsatisfying even if a second season were coming, but it's not, which makes it *super* annoying. (Hopefully at some point the developers will give an interview and fill in the blanks.)

If not for the ending, I would have given this a 9 rating instead of an 8. But I've seen far more frustrating finales, so I didn't feel the ending entirely ruined the series; it just made it weaker than it should have been.