Semi-Detached Page 3

It's interesting, I don't think you'd get storylines as hectic as this normally, and definitely not in the first series of something.

I love listening to a podcast called The Comedy Slab, so I watched the pilot last week. It was a bit too frantic for me and I'm quite squeamish about digits being cut off. Ep1 of the main series was a laugh-free experience for me and Mr Nun unfortunately. It's on series stack so I shall give it another go as it seems a shame that the great cast weren't allowed to fulfil their promise.

Giving it another go - mainly so I can see Moss's mum.

Moss's mum? Not being weird just cannot remember who you mean.
A minor thing, but why so many previews and recaps? I feel like I saw some bits ten times.
Generally good. Never quite surpassed the first episode.
Geoff McGivern is the best thing in it.

Odd to see Frances Barber playing Samantha Spiro's mum.

Quote: Chris Hallam @ 18th August 2020, 7:54 PM

Moss's mum? Not being weird just cannot remember who you mean.

Odd to see Frances Barber playing Samantha Spiro's mum.

You've answered it yourself. In The IT Crowd she played a therapist who reminded Moss of his mum.

Ah!

Well I've given it three episodes and have removed the series link. The fast pace can't cover up the lack of jokes, and every single character bar Stuart is an awful person, especially the brother. Patrick Baladi's character's attempts at 'youth speak' are painful, quite why Stuart doesn't tell the lot of them to f**k off I really don't know.

I've caught the odd episode here and there when channel surfing. I liked the idea of a real time comedy and it's clever on a technical level but as Sitcomfan64 says just about every character is dreadful and after a while any sympathy I had for the main character disappear with my frustration with him. This is sort of acknowledged in a conversation with his daughter in the hospital but for me it didn't make it any more watchable.

Maybe if it was a bit less farce like the generally quite depressing tone might have been interesting - middle aged man trapped in his suburban nightmare.

And as someone else said Geoffrey McGivern is always watchable but its not enough.

Just wondering. Is it essential for a show to have any likeable characters do we think? I suspect it is. I actually didn't find Stuart very likeable either.
A reasonable attempt anyway.

Quote: Chris Hallam @ 12th September 2020, 9:12 AM

Just wondering. Is it essential for a show to have any likeable characters do we think? I suspect it is. I actually didn't find Stuart very likeable either.
A reasonable attempt anyway.

There are exceptions, Nighty Night and Always Sunny spring to mind, but broadly speaking I would say yes. Watching horrible people be horrible to each other every week is not fun. Take Martin Clunes in Warren. That character was so completely and unrelentingly nasty, I had no desire to spend time in his company.

With Semi-Detached, Stuart could be likeable but he is so subservient to those around him it's difficult to garner any sympathy. It was forgivable in the pilot but given that every week is his family and friends using and abusing him, that isn't fun to watch either.

I think you are right.
I think the fact that Stuart turned out to be such a weak character was a major failing here.
Not British or a comedy but does Reservoir Dogs get round the likeability rule? Likeable even though they're all basically gits. Even the cop?

Quote: Chris Hallam @ 13th September 2020, 11:50 AM

I think you are right.
I think the fact that Stuart turned out to be such a weak character was a major failing here.
Not British or a comedy but does Reservoir Dogs get round the likeability rule? Likeable even though they're all basically gits. Even the cop?

I suppose the real issue is making characters interesting. Not necesarilly likeable but complex and nuanced enough that you want to see their story play out. The characters in Semi Detached fail on both counts.

Not surprised to see this one has been cancelled. Awful characters headed up by a protagonist who is so weak, he doesn't drive the plot so much as let it drive him, which wouldn't matter if he was in any way interesting or the script made us care about his plight, but it didn't.

Yes - a bit pointless when Lee is so well known for the much more successful Not Going Out.

I thought it was okay to be honest, but unsurprised it hasn't been recommissioned. While it's an acheivement they thought of all sorts of stuff to throw at him at fast pace, ultimately the characters - bar maybe the neighbour played by the ever funny Geoff McGivern - weren't hugely interesting. They just kinda argued a lot, bouncing from one development to another.

While Not Going Out has had some duff episodes, it still very much works and has some corkers of an episode still.