I am impressed with this innovative show: a sitcom like no other. There are no setup/punchlines, no improbable, grandiose plotpoints and no laugh tracks. The humor emerges from the truth that the scriptwriters and actors bring to it. Basically, it's a slice-of-life drama not far from Anton Chekhov or William Inge, and plenty of moments in the dialogue are positively Pinter-esque. The actors are just daring you to see the humanity behind these "salt-of-the-earth" characters. They used to call SEINFELD a "comedy about nothing", where "nothing happens"... This show says "hold my beer".
I am discovering this show on Dailymotion some 8 years after the show ended in the UK. Not too many Americans are likely to "get" this show, because it is culturally grounded in working-class life of Lancashire, highly specific; and sometimes the actors' regional accents are difficult to make out for a Yank like me. I suspect even some English people will miss a line or two uttered in the show.
But I am so impressed with what the actors are doing here: It would've been so easy for them to push this show into farce, or to give it a meanspirited edge... yet they never do: With discipline they find the truth of each moment, and it's fascinating to watch.
I am discovering this show on Dailymotion some 8 years after the show ended in the UK. Not too many Americans are likely to "get" this show, because it is culturally grounded in working-class life of Lancashire, highly specific; and sometimes the actors' regional accents are difficult to make out for a Yank like me. I suspect even some English people will miss a line or two uttered in the show.
But I am so impressed with what the actors are doing here: It would've been so easy for them to push this show into farce, or to give it a meanspirited edge... yet they never do: With discipline they find the truth of each moment, and it's fascinating to watch.