The Reluctant Landlord - Series 1

Romesh Ranganathan's new sitcom. Watched the first episode, very underwhelmed, the whole premise just feels weak, with the wife character coming across as particularly unlikable.

One of my top three unfunny comedians along with Nish Kumar and Joel Dormett. I am sure they are all nice people and someone must find them funny, but I'm not one of them.

I do find Romesh's stand up funny, and the stuff with his Mum, but this just felt very forced, which surprised me considering the calibre of writer they have in Will Smith from The Thick of It.

A second series has been commissioned, which seems to be jumping the gun a bit...

Quote: beaky @ 30th October 2018, 9:38 PM

A second series has been commissioned, which seems to be jumping the gun a bit...

There is no gun to be jumped. Make no mistake: if the BBC's obsession with diversity quota continues unabated, this sitcom will run longer than "Friends". :D

Really? This got a second series? I can only speak for myself but I won't be watching any further episodes.

Quote: beaky @ 30th October 2018, 9:38 PM

A second series has been commissioned, which seems to be jumping the gun a bit...

Well of course it has. It's an Asian comedian.

Quote: Rood Eye @ 30th October 2018, 9:59 PM

There is no gun to be jumped. Make no mistake: if the BBC's obsession with diversity quota continues unabated, this sitcom will run longer than "Friends". :D

It's a Sky One sitcom.

I've seen a couple of episodes of the show already, and enjoyed them thoroughly. I thought it very funny. But I did watch them out of order, so perhaps got a different viewpoint than others.

Quote: Aaron @ 31st October 2018, 12:46 AM

It's a Sky One sitcom.

I've seen a couple of episodes of the show already, and enjoyed them thoroughly. I thought it very funny. But I did watch them out of order, so perhaps got a different viewpoint than others.

I doubt rood eye's even seen it yet

Quote: jsg @ 31st October 2018, 8:52 AM

I doubt rood eye's even seen it yet

That's a very unusual first-ever post on BCG but nevertheless, your doubts are well-founded. At the time of your post, I hadn't seen it.

However, I have now seen episode one and I can say without hesitation that it's dreadful.

The cast is just about as good as anybody would ever need to make a great sitcom.

The production values are just about as good as anybody would ever need to make a great sitcom.

What's not good about it is the dialogue: in all honesty, I think it's the least-natural dialogue I have ever heard in my life - with the possible exception of the little plays performed by the kids from that school that they always trot out on the Great Big Quiz of the Year. In fact, having given it a little more thought, I think it's actually worse than the dialogue given to those kids.

Romesh is a talented comedian and appears to be a likeable bloke to boot but "The Reluctant Landlord" should be shown to every would-be sitcom writer in the world as an absolutely perfect example of how NOT to do it.

Quote: Rood Eye @ 31st October 2018, 9:33 AM

"The Reluctant Landlord" should be shown to every would-be sitcom writer in the world as an absolutely perfect example of how NOT to do it.

Hyperbole, much?

Quote: Aaron @ 31st October 2018, 11:05 AM

Hyperbole, much?

Okay, let me rephrase that.

"The Reluctant Landlord" should be shown to would-be sitcom writers as an example of how NOT to write dialogue.

A poor first episode, will try the second, a little flat,but we'll see.

As a first-time sitcom writer whose second series wasn't commissioned until the audience figures of the first were pored over and analysed, I find it almost insulting that Romesh's second series was commissioned before the first was even broadcast, presumably because of his fame.

This was eclectic and funny, I liked it