Herc. Let it lie or move your discussion to the correct thread.

I think Lee is going for the world record for gags in a 30 minute sitcom. It's not meant to be real life. It's all cliched but written well.

😛

Not the greatest show by far but in these days of mighty slim comedy pickins'...It'll do

Quote: tenbeersbold @ 4th July 2023, 12:39 PM

Not the greatest show by far but in these days of mighty slim comedy pickins'.....it'll do

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As with most comedy series I seem to be late to party, having missed NGO when it was first shown

Watched it for 1st time a few years ago and it was refreshing to find a sitcom that was IMHO not just funny but consistently funny.

I have started to watch from the beginning again and my initial thoughts were confirmed, it is very funny. Series 1 was a bit meh, but by the time season 3 came along it hit top gear.

I think it did tail off a bit after Tim left, but still plenty of very funny episodes.

The first couple of series when the kids came along there was a real dip in quality, but since the kids were pretty much put in the background, it has certainly picked up again.

Meanwhile over at 2 doors down; it was funny for a couple of seasons but it has become very samey and formulatic, Cathy was becoming a complete charicature

Haven't shown my head round here for a while so should probably drop my two penneth. While the first episode of the series was watchable enough, and I guessed the twist at the end beforehand, it did seem to show the signs of a show towards the end of its life and struggling, although still remained amusing. Last week's, in contrast, was exceptional I thought, and potentially the best since the time jump six (SIX?!) years ago now. Tonight's was a little weaker, and although it was another episode invoking the trope of Lee and Lucy telling lies and having to run rings to cover up for themselves - which has gotten old now and pretty much defined the last two series - they at least brought Molly into it to liven it up, and was alright. (What I got out of it most, however, was how strikingly similar Selina Griffiths is to her mother, Annette Crosbie, particularly in her voice, facial expressions and mannerisms. I don't think I'll be able to see her in the role the same going back through her earlier episodes).

Am watching linearly so don't have any opinion on the forthcoming episodes (other than, from the synopses, they sound good), but after a disappointing and sagging last couple of series, NGO does appear to be on the rebound again, though is far from able to recapture the magic it once had and is showing signs of tiring. It would be a shame if it was to disappear, however, as it's one of BBC1's last recognisable comedy brands, but if both them and ITV are having to change their approach to comedy in this new era of streaming - in which classic studio audience sitcoms don't appear to fit in anymore - I'm not entirely sure the BBC will be that reluctant if Mack decides to call time. Then again, ratings are up on the last series, so *shrugs*... (yet the move to BBC2 tonight - and maybe even next week - won't help in that regard).

And re: Two Doors Down - without wishing to derail the thread - yes, that's also not the show it once was (it peaked in quality in series 3, and the last series was largely an improvement on the one before), but remains a solid watch and I'm looking forward to it popping up on BBC1 later in the year.

Yeah I still enjoy Two Doors Down and feel both shows deserve to carry on. For want of a better and less cloying word, these shows, to be honest, should be cherished.

Yeah they aren't as good as they were. I still think NGO had a perfect ending when Lee and Lucy married (genuinely, don't know how others feel, but I really loved those last 2 episodes). But then as I said before, there has still been a few great episodes of NGO post time-jump. And if it ended back then we'd have lost those.

We do need more new blood, but these old mainstays should still stay, especially as from my POV at least are still quality, and seem to still hold a decent audience.

In this age of many TV channels and streamers, there has to be a big dedication for Sitcoms somewhere. I'm yet to see most of ITV/ITVX's push (Family Pile was... okay... and I really want to catch up with Changing Ends and Significant Other as their first eps were great) but they seem to be going for it a bit.

Saw 'Coffin' tonight. Not one of the better episodes IMO, probably not one I'd want to rewatch.

Tonight's was... different. It's always difficult to judge NGO's unconventional episodes, such as the occasional two-handers between Lee and Lucy (as we're getting the week after next), and those held in solely one setting with no time breaks in general. I can't help but think, though, the experience of watching the episode was let down by the fact the ending and resolution was spoiled in the trailer for this series, so the tension and the suspense was completely undermined - even if we all knew that Lee wasn't going to be in danger for long (struggled to write that sentence without being spoilery!) anyway.

Overall, it was an alright watch, but I'm not sure the episode being entirely set in the coffin worked. Could we have done with something NGO used to deploy in the past, and used flashbacks instead of every event outside of the coffin communicated to us via the slanted screen on Lee's phone? It was certainly a worthy experiment, though, but, I agree, it's one I might leave out of any rewatches.

Yeah I'd agree with the above too. Greatly enjoy them doing different things and it was an interesting one to see, but won't go down as a favourite.

I hadn't had the ending spoiled but thought it quite odd. Particularly the just panning up to the church, as if there was something to see there.

I may rewatch it with a clearer head eventually but not soon.

My nan died Thursday evening and I'd spent yesterday morning/afternoon with my mum dad and sister as we were setting the ball rolling for funeral stuff.

It didn't make the episode upsetting or morbid (I actually chuckled at a couple of moments, ha), but it was utterly surreal to watch after the last couple of days!

Oh dear! Sorry to hear that. Yes - it would be a very odd watch indeed.

Much stronger episode tonight, Chris McCausland was brilliant, not surprised to see he co-wrote the episode as well. He and Mack were wonderful when they presented at the BAFTAs together last year.

I liked Toby's incessant gags and the utter revulsion on Anna's face every time.

I'm mixed about tonight's. The plotline and the twist at the end was decent enough (I guessed about half the twist but didn't see the revelation at the very end coming), yet found the execution quite underwhelming and lacklustre. Maybe it'll become a reliable enough episode through re-watches - which I've found from previous episodes, particularly the last couple series which had, upon first watch, some bordering-on-stinkers - but I couldn't help but feel there was something lacking, like both the episode and the characters weren't layered enough. Chris McCausland's Martin was rather caricatural; yes, it's good to have a blind character featured so prominently on a prime-time sitcom, but the episode focused on his blindness as his main characteristic for too long (and while it's appreciated to feature how characters reacted differently to it, that also went on a bit much too) - unless that was deliberate so the character's innocence was convincing enough so the others didn't suspect anything of him? The writers also appeared to have realised they haven't given Toby much in the way of his quips in the form of wordplay in quite some time, and rather overcompensated as a result.

I feel nasty picking at the episode so much as it wasn't bad at all, but IMO they could have done a lot more with the story than they did. Perhaps the one-room setting - which last week's also suffered a little from - didn't help (the details of the episode suggesting Lee would turn into a Poirot didn't quite live up to expectations, as I thought it would be using a lot more of a train set than it did). Next week's also seems to be a one-setting episode inside the house, but there's a lot more that can be done with such a large set.