User reviews

I discovered this after enjoying Inside No 9. (Not a fan of The League.) Psychoville has twisted and memorable characters. The plot is gripping and successfully combines horror with humour. Also, Reece and Steve constantly homage their favourite films. One episode is set entirely in one location, reminding me of how No 9 works. Their commentaries on the DVDs are entertaining and informative. It is a shame Series 3 didn't go ahead, but there aren't any loose ends. I especially loved Reece's characters which include a bitter clown and an obsessive librarian. Dawn French is fabulous. Steve's best character is the man-child, David. There are no weak performances. The music adds to the atmosphere perfectly. Nothing is predictable. The Halloween Special is certainly the best I've seen. For the whole, Psychoville is a delicious treat at any time of the year!

I had better start this review by saying I was/am a fan of the league of gentleman. However I wouldn't describe myself as a huge fan boy and not a lover of all of their work. I found the film to be a disappointment. The point Im trying to make is this review is fair and not just from a fan who will love anything........Plus i happen to think this is better than their previous work! We get to meet a vast amount of characters over two series and a Halloween episode, some that stand out for me are David, Mr Jelly and of course the silent singer. However I think all the charachetrs warrant a place in this excellent series.

What sets this apart from the league of gentlemen is the depth of both the story and the character arks. The tone remains the same but the whole journey just seems meatier and more fulfilling.

i wont go into how the story twists and turns through a serious of dark plots and I shall keep this short - ITS A MUST WATCH

Psychoville is the TV series actor/writers Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton devised between The League of Gentlemen and Inside No. 9. Like those others it also has that very specific mixture of black comedy and horror that these guys are so at home with. For my money though, Psychoville is probably the lesser of the three series, although it is still very good. Despite what its title initially suggests, and unlike 'League', its characters are located in various places around England and the action is not confined to a single location. The title seems to refer more to a state of mind than anything geographic. Anyway, the cast of disparate characters are slowly drawn together by an ominous secret from their past which is initially communicated to them via mysterious sinister letters.

First off, this is another bit of work that once again showcases Shearmsith and Pemberton's considerable abilities as character actors as well as writers. They both play a selection of very different people who populate this dark story. They are even joined by former 'League' colleague Mark Gatiss in what to me was the best episode of all, 'David and Maureen', which pays very direct homage to Alfred Hitchcock's experimental thriller Rope (1948), in that it shares the conceit of having its whole story told in one single unbroken take. The series also references other films too, such as another Hitchcock classic Strangers on a Train (1951), in less obvious ways.

Of the three series Shearsmith and Pemberton have done, this is the most story-based. It has a mystery underpinning it and the characters do have story arcs that progress in a more traditional manner. The first season probably did this best, in that we knew less of what was going on, so the element of surprise worked more strongly in the series favour. As it progressed I felt it sometimes gave the impression of running out of strong ideas though. The characters are a strong point as you would expect, however, with, amongst others, a misanthropic clown, a psychologically damaged midwife and a sinister manifestation of the mind known as the Silent Singer. The ending to season two quite clearly looks to have been devised with the hope of winning a third season, as it is not really a proper ending at all, with certain plot threads left in the air and the finale really no more than a cliff-hanger of sorts. Evidently the BBC thought otherwise and that was it as far as Psychoville went.

Psychoville is the brainchild of two League of Gentlemen members, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. If you like this sort of thing...comedy that plays off the grotesque and horrific...don't bother reading any reviews, just get your hands on this series and watch!

Season One has many memorable moments, but perhaps none more than the episode that pays homage to Hitchcock's movie Rope, being filmed in one long, continuous take without edits. It's brilliant stagecraft, and includes a guest appearance by fellow Leaguer Mark Gatiss.

The Halloween Special follows, a one-off that can be watched independently, but also links the two full seasons. It's an homage to those cheesy horror anthology movies of the 1970s, with horrific vignettes featuring the Psychoville characters. Brilliantly done.

And Season Two is even better, with a corker of a plot that steadily builds to a stunning climax. Imelda Staunton joins the cast and creates an indelible impression as the high-tech villain. She's got to be one of the greatest actresses in the English-speaking world.

Alas, the latest word has it that there will be no Season Three, and Psychoville has come to an end. But what a wild ride it was!

Maybe it's not as funny as The League, but it's brilliant! If you really are a fan of dark comedy, then nothing can please you more than Psychoville. It's the darkest and weirdest comedy I have ever seen! It never gets boring, since it's full of surprises. You never know what is going to happen next. So, apart from being funny, it's suspenseful as well. Amazing how many ideas two comedians can have. Rece's and Steve's abilities to play different characters are astonishing. I bet most actors can't change that much.

Production values are very high, it's movie quality. Pity it lasted only two seasons.

Brings me back to the days of Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected. No other shows have that effect, that underlying menace, the unknowing, the uncertainty of where you're being dragged. Love it. Same with Inside No 9.

I know that is a harsh title for my comment, but I felt hugely let down by The League of Gentlemen. After a hilarious, and frankly genius first series, the show went quickly downhill with a messy second series that was neither comedy nor horror, and a third that relied on a format change as a rescue attempt. As for the movie - don't get me started.

If you felt like me, then even the title of 'Psychoville' may have conjured up the idea of a desperate attempt to be funny and scary at the same time.

Thankfully, 'Psychoville' IS funny. The weirdness is there, and it still makes you feel uncomfortable, but it is always played for laughs, and after 30 minutes you feel like you actually watched a comedy show. Yes I DO understand the concept of black comedy - but the balance has to be right, and so far (2 episodes in) this show is getting it right. Where 'League' struggled to decide what kind of show it was going to be, it's successor looks set to be the kind of show the writers always wanted.

Fantastically original and absolutely hilarious. Really enjoyed both series. Great cast and well written storyline. Watched this after seeing Inside #9, which was generally very good.

Where the Psychos are the fledging anti-heroes in a show. They each mysteriously receive a letter saying " I KNOW WHAT YOU DID." Frightened for what's to come, they each act accordingly to their own taste. But first you find out what their daily rituals of being creepers. AND I do mean creepers.

The concept is unique and fun, because they do not limit themselves in the horror of it all. This is a great watch for Halloween or anything for that matter. I was not empathic towards any of the main characters (except for the clown at one point)…

Overall, this is not your typical Dexter… these people are mentally deranged with a multitude of problems, and there is no justification for what they do, other than being victims of their own past or mind. I say this is a great watch!

Conceptually brilliant, I see HBO or Showtime doing their own version of it to the step of HBO's Carnivale.

OK. So it's not the League, but it maintains all the best bits and continues to disgust and mesmerise as if it is being beamed into your skull from a malign planet of terror.

The first episode opens with some of the most delightful characters; a hook-handed clown who arrives at the kids bash in a hearse, the midwife who delights in the pain of childbirth and many more sikos. Where does the humour come from? I'm sure it comes from being unbalanced by a knowledge that I've met these people in rural England.

The performances are strong and suited, the script and comedy timing is near perfect, mostly because it all been lifted from other successful hits like Murder Most Horrid, League of Genltemen and the premise of I Know What You Did Last Summer. This is why I recommend you get a return ticket to PSYCHOVILLE!!!!! Mooohahahahahaha.

From the opening credits I was hooked. The story-line is perfectly written,the actors are second to none.

The characters are funny, weird and clever and you find yourself feeling In twined with all these strange people who have great depth. For me there is exactly the right portion of comedy and horror combined. I laughed and cried a bit, then laughed again throughout.

I have already recommended this repeatedly to all my friends and family, it's definitely a must see and will put you in a very strange yet satisfying place while watching it! A genius bit of TV!

S1 - 8/10 S2 - 4/10

Series one & the Halloween special are both very entertaining rides, with a host of the boys typically odd & often funny loonies.

However series two is all over the place, with dead end characters a plenty & early dead ends for previous characters, as I'm guessing the actors weren't expecting there to be any more. If you're prepared to totally suspend any disbelief you have & forgive the boys for agreeing to do a second series, there is fun to be had, but it all feels very forced with a desperation to get everything to tie up & make sense. I can only imagine the fun they had coming up with the most outrageous, silly story ever, knowing that this was end of the show.

What is the point of this? Who is it for? Should a comedy make you laugh? How about smile? By episode 4 I realised I was watching nothing more than a few mates dressed up in silly outfits, acting like morons. There's more drama, laughs and compelling stories in an episode of The Bill on YouTube than in four shows of this dispiriting waste of time.

I fell in love with Shearsmith, Gatiss & Pemberton with the deliciously twisted "League of Gentlemen" earlier. This wonderfully black series does NOT disappoint with such stalwart guests as Dawn French, Daniel Kaluuya & the incomparable Eileen Atkins!!!! Eeeeeeeexcellent!

From two of The League Of Gentlemen comes this blacker than black comedy much in the same vein as the latter.There are scenes in this series that genuinely had me laughing out loud.I can't watch or listen to Tina Turner after this without having a little giggle.Just watch it.

Psychoville is a genuinely interesting little black comedy. It is a take-off on horror movies, but one that manages to create some genuine intrigue (as opposed to the Scary Movie series, which was funny but whose story was disposable). The characters are a varied and fairly imaginative array of grotesques.

But it is also inconsistent. Sometimes it's very funny, other times just uncomfortable. The worst episode of season 1 was easily #4, which broke the formula of inter-cutting the stories of multiple characters and just had a straight half-hour sketch based on the mother-son serial killers, who I never even found that interesting in small doses.

I should note that I'm not a big fan of horror movies, and at times the horror elements creeped me out a bit. I would expect horror movie fans to enjoy this series more than I did.

While the end of season one paved the way for season 2, I decided to skip it. I don't regret watching season 1, but for me, that was enough.

Okay calm down, other Reece and Steve fanatics.

I love league, but Psychoville hasn't got the studio audience which is something I'm not a fan of on any programme.

Like League this is incredibly funny has an a amazing story throughout, But what this has over league is it's genuinely scary in parts.

The Halloween special Jelly story freaks me out every time I watch and the Silent singer bits are so weird and unusual it always gets me on edge.

I love league, Psychoville and Inside No 9, so everyone should watch all 3 in my opinion. Plus there's an episode of No 9 that you'll only fully get if you've seen Psychoville.

Very little actual humor. Writers must have been drunk making each other laugh about poop jokes and a mother pre chewing food for her adult son. Gross out stupid show.

Psychoville is a multi-layered gem that boldly dives into uncomfortable topics most prefer to avoid. With a darkly comic twist, the show masterfully balances humor and horror, making viewers laugh while confronting harsh realities. The show's brilliance lies in its daring storytelling and unique blend of genres, creating a series that resonates deeply. Kudos to the writers and actors for their fearless creativity and impeccable performances. Crafting a show that's both thought-provoking and darkly entertaining, they've achieved an impressive feat in today's TV landscape.

Please make more of these. I can't wait.

Just to give you a note that in series 2 episode two, I saw the Schrodinger's cat parallel. I wonder how many other people saw that?