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The first episode of, um, Episodes was broadcast on Monday night at 10pm on BBC2, and it is the latest in an increasingly long line of alternative BBC2 10pm sitcoms, which have included the deliciously dark Psychoville and the quietly humorous delights of Rev and Grandma’s House. However, the unfunny Roger and Val Have Just Got In and The Trip are also part of the group. So where did Episodes fit in?
The show’s premise is one that is so good that you wonder why it has never been done before. It stars Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig as Sean and Beverly Lincoln, the writers of a smash hit, award winning British sitcom, who find themselves being poached by a leading American TV executive to write an American remake of the show. In Monday’s opening episode, they were displeased about the lack of the control they were given over the show, especially when their choice for the leading role (Richard Griffiths) was dismissed. Their dismay was increased further when the network revealed that they were trying to entice Matt LeBlanc to play the role.
The setup is perfect, and the exposure of the brutal American television system was painfully believable and it made for compulsive viewing. There were also some particularly good scenes that poked fun at LA culture, including a very entertaining scene where Sean and Beverly were arguing with a security guard in order to gain access to their own home.
Despite this, Episodes did suffer from the same virus that blights most new sitcoms’ first episodes, in that as much time was spent on the setup as the jokes. There is no denying that Episodes is funny; not continually laugh-out loud funny, but consistently amusing in the way that Rev and Grandma’s House perfected last year. It is also worth noting that both of these series, particularly Grandma’s House, showed significant improvement as the episodes progressed, and if the encouraging ‘next time’ trailer is anything to go by, then Episodes will do the same.
The most successful part of the show, by a considerable margin, is, somewhat ironically, the casting. Stephen Mangan and especially the ever-wonderful Tamsin Greig both excel in their roles, and the way that their British sense of humour is emphasised when surrounded by Americans was joyful. Also, the contrast between their behaviour in the opening scene, set seven weeks after all of the other events in the episode, provided a fruitful source of humour (particularly the change in Greig’s attitude to the front door). The rest of the cast were also excellent, with Daisy Haggard (who you may recognise from Psychoville) standing out as the snarly, frowning Myra, and John Pankow and Kathleen Rose Perkins clearly enjoyed their roles as Merc and Carol.
A puzzling thing about the opening episode was that Matt LeBlanc appeared in just one scene, despite the majority of the show’s publicity being focused on him. Not being a fan of his, I didn’t think that the episode suffered because of his absence, but his more central appearance next week certainly seems to improve the laugh-count of the episode.
Therefore, Episodes got off to a very pleasing start, and while it hasn’t quite reached the heights that it clearly has the potential to do, it is definitely on the right track.
See the second outing of Episodes next Monday at 10pm on BBC2.
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