I’ve recently been watching various series; me and my parents have gotten into a bit of a routine of watching a comedy series with our dinner in the evenings, and it’s seen me watching quite a few different series.
Friday Night Dinner
I’ve watched this before, but we recently re-watched the entire series, and I’d forgotten quite how much I like it! There are some absolutely cracking episodes (The Fox is a particular favourite of mine!), the whole dynamic just works very nicely, and I don’t think the character of Martin Goodman and some of his antics will ever not be hilarious to me! I think Jim is a great character as well!
Blackadder (Series 2-4)
I’ve got to say, this was quite funny, although possibly showing its age a tad when watched in 2022. I’d say my favourite series was Blackadder Goes Forth, although all 3 certainly had their funny moments. I’ve got to say that I thought Baldrick as a character was consistently very funny, and I thought that the whole dynamic between him and Blackadder was written very well!
Fawlty Towers
Of the two older BBC sitcoms, I’d probably say I preferred this to Blackadder, although as with Blackadder, some episodes and elements of it are definitely showing their age when watched in 2022. Being completely honest, I’m unsure whether some episodes and elements of it are exactly politically correct by modern standards (for instance, the way the characters often treat Manuel and the entire episode of The Germans are things that I’m not sure would fly in the present day). In spite of that, however, I think there are still many very funny bits; the whole show has that slapstick/gentle comedy vibe I enjoy, and some scenes such as where Basil gives the car “a damn good thrashing” are still absolutely hilarious!
Derry Girls
Before watching, I was unsure whether I’d necessarily like this, but my dad thought I’d like it, describing it as being “funny family dynamics” in a similar vein to Friday Night Dinner. And I must say, he was right, because this show was definitely a pleasant surprise! I very much liked the whole dynamic of it, and there were many really funny moments; a particular favourite episode of mine was the one where the family goes to a wedding and the group dabbles with drug-laden scones (I don’t know the actual episode name…). I also thought it was very clever in how it managed to be surprisingly poignant at times as well as funny; not too many shows are able to do that. I certainly look forward to watching the rest of Series 3 as it airs on Channel 4!
The Inbetweeners
I didn’t watch this one with my parents, instead watching it alone. And I only watched a few episodes of it (I think I watched the first 3 or 4 episodes of Season 1?). I decided to give The Inbetweeners a try on the basis that it’s often compared to Friday Night Dinner, and a lot of people seem to really like it, so I was kind of expecting something akin to FND, but based around sixth form students instead of a Jewish family. However, I’m sorry to say that this one wasn’t for me at all. As someone who doesn’t care for sexual/vulgar humour, I found it rather uncomfortable viewing on the whole, as it seems like everything the group does relates to sex/getting with girls in some way and builds upon that as its main punchline, and a lot of the humour is quite vulgar. I think I laughed once across the 4 episodes I watched, and that was when the door flew off of Simon’s car as the gang pulled into Thorpe Park, which is definitely more on the slapstick side. If you like that kind of thing, I understand why it might appeal to you, but perhaps controversially, that sort of thing isn’t really my bag. Also, I’m not sure whether this is the late teens “woke warrior” in me talking, but I feel like elements of it haven’t aged especially well for a show that’s not overly old. Does it make me overly sensitive if I say that bits of Inbetweeners could possibly be construed as offensive in this day and age?
I notice that I’m referring to things “showing their age” a fair amount. For clarity, that’s an observation rather than a criticism; I get that these shows were made in a different time.
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