Jerk

I love this show! Only found out season 2 is now available to stream. As someone who dated a person with cerebral palsey, I can say that people see the condition, not the person. Tim isn't nice because he has a disability, he's also not nasty because of it, he's a normal average, everyday person who, just happens to be a jerk. It's making fun of people's perception of disabilities, not the person with the disability. The first part with the toilet is the funniest thing I've seen. Watch it before making any judgments.

Tim Renkow's caustic sitcom about a much more abusive version of Tim Renkow playing the fool and getting into all sorts of bother with his acerbic and indifferent care worker Ruth and the cringingly gawky Idris is a fun enough watch and has a fair amount of rollicking shock to it, but lacks depth and often clunkily trips into some fairly obvious joke traps. Develops a bit of a plot and some stabs at heart as the series go on but still feels a bit too shallow despite a strong cast.

Don't you dare watch any episode of Jerk until you understand Tim Renkow. Tim Renkow is a comedian, writer and previous Olympic Decathlon athlete representing good 'ol GB. Tim has written all the episodes of Jerk, he's responsible for most of the camera operation and even paid the entire crew with funds from his fortune. You must watch BBC Comedy Feeds-A Brief History of Tim before watching Jerk. You must watch Bobby & Harriet Get Married before watching Jerk. The type of comedy Tim Renkow represents places himself at the center of the punchline not just for laughs but to also make a tragic point. If what type of comedy Tim is trying to convey is unsettling to you, then Mr. Renkow has completed his mission. There is a reason why experienced accomplished folk such as Stu Richards and Lorraine Bracco are onboard with Tim for a reason - and it works. I'm just looking forward to the episodes with Idris Elba, in which he and Tim do some DJ work for some of the local pubs.

Representation is good, having a character with a disability not being angelic is great, but having the lead be insufferable misses the mark. Breaking boundaries by having jokes about disability and making a certain audience uncomfortable is progression from everything being too filtered, and a great foundation for the series. However, none of the three main characters are likeable, and the surrounding support are all caricatures without actually being funny. There are a few moments throughout where you might let out a amused/bemused exhale, but by and large there aren't really any laughs. Acting is fine, script all fine and actually comes across as natural, but never compelling, memorable, or particularly enjoyable.

As a disabled person I found the show utterly disgusting, portraying the life of a disabled person in a truly pathetic light, using his disability to get away with all sorts of things. If I behaved like that I would be arrested. It portrays disabled people as devious, backsliding and in every way possible as trouble makers. This program does nothing to show the able bodied just how hard it it to exist, it was produced simply for cheap laughs, and not many of those either.

Having lived 70 years as disabled person life can have its funny moments but this rubbish is in no way representative of the live we have to live.

A waste of BBC money, or rather, my money.