Never Better

I am enjoying it. Love the characters & have laughed out loud several times.
 

Quote: Charley @ January 16, 2008, 4:19 PM

I am enjoying it. Love the characters & have laughed out loud several times.

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Yeh, but you're slightly odd, aren't you?

Fankoo!!!!!

I wouldnt say "Odd".
Deranged, mad, freaky, filthy, may be better words.

 

I'm new here (hello all ) - just saw this on the homepage and thought i'd join in!

I quite enjoyed last week's show, and reading the paper they have said good stuff about tonight...so maybe it is a grower - i think i'll stick with it (especially as i love stephen mangan!)

Just finished watching the second episode. I thought that this episode was a bit better than the first, containing darker humour. Perhaps the third one will finally swing it for me.
 

I still haven't watched the first episode. (If I tape something I never ever get around to watching it. I don't know why I bother.)
But this episode was great!
Pretty funny. And Mangan's such a wonderful actor, he's kind of unmissable in anything.
 

Quote: zooo @ January 17, 2008, 10:45 PM

I still haven't watched the first episode.

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Ditto.

Quote: zooo @ January 17, 2008, 10:45 PM

(If I tape something I never ever get around to watching it. I don't know why I bother.)

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Ditto quite often!

Quote: zooo @ January 17, 2008, 10:45 PM

Mangan's such a wonderful actor, he's kind of unmissable in anything.

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He did one of those quick-fire mini questionnaire interview things in London Lite (?) last week. One particular Q&A springs to mind:

North or south London?
North. South London's like the ugly sister, just to balance it out.


Well I'm sure I paraphrase, but you get the jist.
 

I enjoyed this episode more, a much better ending than the disappointing first. I like the fact that when he finally does the right thing it turns out to be the worst.
 

There is a review of "Never Better" in the Daily Telegraph today, which is mostly negative.
 

Last week I said that this might be a grower. I fear I was terribly optimistic.

This week, when Keith's friend said, "You're were more fun when you were drinking" he spoke for the audience.

It's terrible to wish alcohol on an alcoholic (not that Mangan's character seems to be interesting enough to have had a drink problem), but the only thing that might salvage this series is if Keith falls off the wagon for the remaining episodes.

 

I thought it was slightly better this week but still pretty average. There were more funny bits. I think it's something I could watch but I've no desire to record it or ever watch it again.

The problem for me, is that it's much too serious. I'm all for comedies tackling serious issues and adding reality to the situation. The problem with 'Never Better' is that the characterisation is so effing appalling that there is literally no reason to care whether Keith is a prick or a nice guy, whether he's embarrassed or hard done to, nothing. Why should anyone care about him?

Mine name is Rick and I'm an alcoholic. Do you care? No. Because you know nothing about me. Also, whoever decided that having a sitcom character who's only character aspect is that he ISN'T interesting wants shooting.

Managed to sit through the first 15 minutes of the second episode and thought it was dire again. The characterization is terrible as has always been mentioned and there aren't enough laughs by a long, long way.

Also a lot of the ideas are very unimaginative. The self-help group thing is pinched straight from Saxondale and the mobile phone joke has been done plenty of times before (eg. the C4 pilot last year).

Quote: Nick @ January 18, 2008, 11:29 AM

Managed to sit through the first 15 minutes of the second episode and thought it was dire again. The characterization is terrible as has always been mentioned and there aren't enough laughs by a long, long way.

Also a lot of the ideas are very unimaginative. The self-help group thing is pinched straight from Saxondale and the mobile phone joke has been done plenty of times before (eg. the C4 pilot last year).

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Which pilot are you refering to? I'm guessing Free Agents, the one Mangan was in.
 

If this is comedy, then all hope is gone.

Quote: Ian Wolf @ January 18, 2008, 11:39 AM

Which pilot are you refering to? I'm guessing Free Agents, the one Mangan was in.

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No, the one with Roy Kinnear's son in it.