Manchild

Manchild is the story of four friends. They know each other from childhood and always shared their experiences. Now they are all rich and at 50 they want to act like teenagers again, buying nice cars and dating young women. Sometimes they can be very silly or do wrong things, but in the end their friendship is always the most important thing. This series has only 14 episodes so far (7 in the first season and seven in the second) and I think it's just perfect. Manchild is never boring and sometimes it makes you think. Someone said that Manchild's target are men over 40, but I think that everyone can enjoy it. I'm a young woman and I totally love it! All the 4 actors are very skilled and I love seeing Anthony Head in a role so different from Rupert Giles. I really hope that the second season will come out on DVD very soon!

I'm only 24, so why do I relate to this series about aging British guys? I suppose men never change, regardless of age; we're always out for sex. Since that's what this show is all about, Manchild has been billed as "Sex in the City for men." But, unlike its US counterpart, Manchild is frequently willing to poke fun at its oversexed leads as they indulge in their quest to nab younger women. They're lame... lovable, too, but lame.

Great performances all around, which helps to make the characters sympathetic despite their flaws. I've liked Havers ("Chariots of Fire" and the wonderful "Sleepers") for a long time, and it's nice to see Anthony Head in a series that doesn't stink (*ahem*). The big surprises, though, were two guys I'd never heard of; Ray Burdis is extremely cuddly and funny as a worn-out husband, and Don Warrington gives a totally insane performance as everyone's arty, rich, totally crazy buddy.

Like most British shows, Manchild comes and goes quickly; it's only seven half hour episodes. Maybe that's all you need to tell this kind of story. American shows, by contrast, just repeat themselves endlessly...so there may as well only be seven episodes!

Think HBO's Sex in the City transposed to England and the four females transformed into four men facing age 50. As with the HBO show, virtually all they think or talk about is sex. some of this is very amusing. some not at all.

A focus on characters well out of the advertising industry's favored demographic is refreshing in and of itself. The acting is very good. The show will live or die on the basis of writing. These characters and their libidinous fixations could become tedious before long.

For fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, be warned, the character Anthony Head plays says and does some very, very un-Gileslike things.

I tried to watch all of the episodes of this show last year when they aired it on bbc prime, and thought that it was truly delicious! Why delicious? Because us guys, we are what we are, be it at 14, 24 or 54. It was a great insight to what will happen to us, and how our friendships and relationships and how we might develop in the next 30 years.

Havers and Head were always supreme, and I could start to understand Haver's characters obsession with trying to get along with the youth even though I am only 25.

For those who like to watch real stories, much like a nick hornby novel, with warmth and humor, this is a must.

Well done show from the UK! It draws some comparisons to HBO's "Sex In The City", but it goes deeper than that. The men show their hopes, fears, and quirks more than most other male characters I have seen on TV. They aren't goofs, they aren't losers. They are middle-aged men who have figured some of life out, but like most people, still are finding out there are a lot of things to learn about life. Their takes on women are funny as well as insightful. One of the best episodes had the guys partying with a confirmed playboy all night. They begin the night impressed with the guy's lifestyle, but as the evening goes on, they like less and less of what they see in him--and themselves. When a tragedy ends the fun, they all learn sobering lessons. More shows like this should be produced for TV.