To begin with, I'm a major fan of Little Britain. I consider these guys to be geniuses, on par with Monty Python when it comes to English humor. I own all of their works on DVD and have seen the sketches numerous times. So what happened in the transition from the UK to the USA? We happened to them. For as many great comedies HBO has produced -- The Larry Sanders Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mr. Show, et al. -- somebody at the pay channel really fumbled in bringing this classic British duo to Yankee turf. Here's what happened: they added the clumsiest, most fake-sounding laugh track in the history of television to the soundtrack. WHO thought it was necessary to do this? It sounds like rubbish! I'm talking great hysterical frenzies of laughter, even at the most subtle of jokes (which I know is rare in Little Britain territory). It was so painful to watch the first episode, I abandoned it a quarter of the way through. I really hope they will tone it down in future -- I have been looking forward to Little Britain USA for such a long time, it is terribly dispiriting to see what HBO has done with this grotesque soundtrack.
Review of Little Britain USA
