"Off Centre" (the title refers to the location of the roommates's NYC loft - off Centre Street) is one of those Warner Bros. Television shows that Channel 4 has to get in order to get their mitts on "ER," "Sex and the City" etc, but aren't willing to put on at a time when people are actually awake. In this case, I can see why.
The comedy is co-created by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz of "American Pie" fame, and you can probably tell from the setup and most of the jokes - British guy who's a hit with the ladies and blander American guy who's stuck in a relationship live together with hilarious consequences. Well, not that hilarious. In fact, groan-out-loud consequences is closer to the truth, with enough gags about sex and body parts to last a lifetime ("She was scratching her crotch like a lottery ticket"). This, plus the stream of good-looking ladies throughout, pitches this show firmly at the post-pub "Maxim"/"loaded"/"Front"-reading audience.
That said, Status Quo - the black gangsta rapper who lives in their building and who's only putting on a front - is sincerely funny (with an added joke for British audiences in his name; the real-life rock group of the same name never conquered America), Ben Vaughn's music is welcome, and it's good-natured enough to stop it from being at the level of "Bottom." Plus the Weitz, Weitz and Zuker logo representing them as lawyers ("We'll fight for you!") is a nice joke itself. Even so, "Off Centre" lives up enough to its name to not be a must, but I'd be lying if I sid I hated it.
But if Shannon Elizabeth turned up (we should be so lucky), you'd think it was "American Pie: The Series."
The comedy is co-created by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz of "American Pie" fame, and you can probably tell from the setup and most of the jokes - British guy who's a hit with the ladies and blander American guy who's stuck in a relationship live together with hilarious consequences. Well, not that hilarious. In fact, groan-out-loud consequences is closer to the truth, with enough gags about sex and body parts to last a lifetime ("She was scratching her crotch like a lottery ticket"). This, plus the stream of good-looking ladies throughout, pitches this show firmly at the post-pub "Maxim"/"loaded"/"Front"-reading audience.
That said, Status Quo - the black gangsta rapper who lives in their building and who's only putting on a front - is sincerely funny (with an added joke for British audiences in his name; the real-life rock group of the same name never conquered America), Ben Vaughn's music is welcome, and it's good-natured enough to stop it from being at the level of "Bottom." Plus the Weitz, Weitz and Zuker logo representing them as lawyers ("We'll fight for you!") is a nice joke itself. Even so, "Off Centre" lives up enough to its name to not be a must, but I'd be lying if I sid I hated it.
But if Shannon Elizabeth turned up (we should be so lucky), you'd think it was "American Pie: The Series."