There are definitely laughs going on here but I can't help thinking most of them are in-house with Messrs G and M sharing them behind the scenes at the viewers' expense.
If the deliberate intention was to present this series as a skewed rehash / reworking of situations, lines and characters from what's gone before it (The Office and Extras) then I think it succeeded on that particular level.
With this and a second series in the pipeline some might say that perhaps it's a clever way to wrap up a trilogy?
Perhaps.
Overall though a disappointment for me.
The series lacked that writing masterclass spark that I have come to expect from two of Britain's greatest ever comic writers.
All is not lost: I didn't like the first series of Extras too much but now consider it a classic.
Here's hoping the second series of "Life's Too Short" moves up a gear and that I'm not left with the feeling that Messrs G & M wrote this in a hurry because they had other things to do with their valuable time.
If the deliberate intention was to present this series as a skewed rehash / reworking of situations, lines and characters from what's gone before it (The Office and Extras) then I think it succeeded on that particular level.
With this and a second series in the pipeline some might say that perhaps it's a clever way to wrap up a trilogy?
Perhaps.
Overall though a disappointment for me.
The series lacked that writing masterclass spark that I have come to expect from two of Britain's greatest ever comic writers.
All is not lost: I didn't like the first series of Extras too much but now consider it a classic.
Here's hoping the second series of "Life's Too Short" moves up a gear and that I'm not left with the feeling that Messrs G & M wrote this in a hurry because they had other things to do with their valuable time.