Freddie Thornhill (Sir Ian McKellen) and Stuart Bixby (Sir Derek Jacobi) are an old gay couple who have been together for nearly fifty years. Their lives now revolve around entertaining thei... Read allFreddie Thornhill (Sir Ian McKellen) and Stuart Bixby (Sir Derek Jacobi) are an old gay couple who have been together for nearly fifty years. Their lives now revolve around entertaining their frequent guests and hurling insults at each other at every opportunity.Freddie Thornhill (Sir Ian McKellen) and Stuart Bixby (Sir Derek Jacobi) are an old gay couple who have been together for nearly fifty years. Their lives now revolve around entertaining their frequent guests and hurling insults at each other at every opportunity.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 4 nominations total
Featured reviews
Sharp, very sharp, screenplay and the biting, scathing retorts to these who longtime partners is at once horrifying yet all this ends up in an "ab fab" understatement: they really are more than partners; they are friends. Kudos to them for chancing such roles and kudos to the writers for being so "spot on." (And what's NOT to like about Ash!)
Here's to a continuation of this series.
The show takes stereotypical things and people and plays them very well, turning them into characters that I'd love to see come back for another season. It is original in that its main characters are almost all 70+, and that the main two are gay men, but they're all played as people who happen to be those things, not totally defined by them.
If you don't have the necessary sense of humor, you will be confused and/or offended by the show. But if you understand it, it's incredibly funny, relevant, and you'll see that the people are all very loving with each other (in a crazy way).
It doesn't have a massively dynamic, ever-changing cast of characters with deep plots - it's about two people living their very ordinary lives together. They do it so well that it makes it extraordinary for me.
So, I recommend this and I hope you give it a chance or three.
I get why people are having a hard time with this show. From the moment the first episode started, I wasn't entirely sure what I was watching. It isn't what one would expect to see on television these days. It's definitely hammy and over the top but I think that's what I liked about it most. It's ridiculous and I think the ridiculousness is what makes it so brilliant. All that out of the way, this is not a show everyone is going to love. If you want a well acted, thoughtful sitcom that pokes fun at life but still takes itself seriously in the end, you should skip Vicious. If you're looking for a bit of silly fun, definitely check it out.
McKellen and Jacobi play, for want of a better term, two old queens, and de la Tour plays their upstairs neighbor Violet. McKellen's character, Freddie, was an actor with so-so success who talks about his fan mail ("You only had one fan," Stuart (Jacobi) reminds him. "Yes, but he wrote a lot of letters," Freddie says.) In the episode I saw, the two were mourning, if that's the right word, the death of an old friend who apparently had been the lover of Freddie at one time, though he also managed to have two wives and six children. "Wasn't there a wife?" Penelope (Marcia Warren) asks. "Oh, yes," Stuart says, "but that was only for 19 years." Basically, it's the two guys throwing insults at one another and having a bad reaction when someone opens the curtains and lets in the light. The one-liners for the most part are very funny, delivered by two great actors who are obviously enjoying themselves camping it up.
I have to say I found it quite enjoyable, funny, and on a higher level than some of the comedies on TV today.
Stereotypical characters in a brand new light. Excellent casting, perfectly matched the roles and the actors. The witty and snappy comments compliment the new character types not too often seen on TV. Original script with lines you can use in an everyday life. I must admit - I stole some and already used a few.
Without a doubt, one of the best progressive comedies as of late.
A must see! However, a warning: if you are accustomed to the typical, safe boilerplate comedies, this will probably not be for you. If you lack the necessary humor it could be viewed as extremely offensive on several levels - not intended as such. If you watch comedies for sex, turn on the porn channel, because this replaced most of the sex with wit and humor.
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to Sir Ian McKellen (Freddie Thornhill), he and Sir Derek Jacobi (Stuart Bixby) went to drama school together, and both had crushes on each other, but never admitted it at the time, and so never entered into a relationship.
- Quotes
Freddie Thornhill: So, who were you squawking on the phone to just now?
Stuart Bixby: My mother, if you must know. She was very distraught.
Freddie Thornhill: Why, did you finally tell her about us?
Stuart Bixby: I'm waiting for the right time.
Freddie Thornhill: It's been forty-eight years!
Stuart Bixby: And there has not been a right time!
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojoUK: Top 10 Surprising Roles by Game of Thrones Actors (2017)
- SoundtracksNever Can Say Goodbye
Written by Clifton Davis (uncredited)
Performed by The Communards
Series theme song played over the opening credits
- How many seasons does Vicious have?Powered by Alexa
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- Vicious Old Queens
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro