Quote: RPH89 @ December 21 2011, 4:55 PM GMTI felt as writers, they tried too hard
Not sure that was the problem...
Life's Too Short Page 44
Quote: zooo @ December 21 2011, 4:56 PM GMTNow THAT will be good.
Yeah, just a shame we have to wait a year or so, probably more if you haven't got Sky and have to wait for the DVD.
Despite what Gervais might say on Twitter, I'd be surprised if any decision has been made about a second series yet.
Quote: RPH89 @ December 21 2011, 4:55 PM GMTI felt as writers, they tried too hard
As Lazzard suggests, I think the problem was that they didn't, as writers, try hard enough...
Quote: RPH89 @ December 21 2011, 4:55 PM GMTand as for Warwick, I seem to think he studied the box set of The Office way too hard (all his mannerisms and acting mirrored David Brent as a character way too much).
Not really Warwick's fault, this. The writing/dialogue pushes him towards Brent (and Millman in some cases) and G&M are directing his performance. Warwick is very good, unfortunately he was rather "sold a pup" as they used to say...
Quote: RPH89 @ December 21 2011, 4:55 PM GMTI really hope the BBC take note of how unpopular this series has been and try even harder to find fresh talent.
Don't hold your breath...
Quote: RPH89 @ December 21 2011, 4:55 PM GMTThere's way too much crap-comedy on television at the moment,
Well this comment would be mostly true if said at any time since television first started broadcasting comedy. Crap sitcoms are ten-a-penny because comedy is hard to get right. What would perhaps be fairer is to say that there aren't enough great comedies on television at the moment...
Quote: RPH89 @ December 21 2011, 4:55 PM GMTcan't wait for something new and relevant to hit my TV screen and for writers to stop trying too hard.
Not quite sure why you're blaming the writers for what gets commissioned. Writers try to write new and relevant sitcoms all the time, but that doesn't mean they will get commissioned. Anyway, as for "trying too hard"... Think of your absolutely all-time favourite sitcoms. OK? Well I can absolutely guarantee you that, in every single case, the writers of those shows were trying very, very hard when they wrote them... (Unless your favourite show is Mrs Brown's Boys, of course, then ignore me)
Quote: RPH89 @ December 21 2011, 4:55 PM GMTThink Inbetweeners. So simply written....
Looks simple. In fact, extremely difficult to write that show to work as well as it does. Congratulations to Iain Morris & Damon Beesley for making it look so easy...
Quote: chipolata @ December 21 2011, 9:32 AM GMTSo the 1.5 million viewers who deserted it over the course of the run actually thought it was hysterically funny but decided to stop watching because of some beastly comments on Internet forums?
No, I didn't suggest that, funnily enough, but that the majority of views on this thread saying it is rubbish are way off the mark, too harsh and are sometimes more to do with a prejudice or grudge against the 'smug' Gervais than the quality of LTS's comedy. I do think some here were determined not to find it funny, based on its obvious predictibility and similarities in style to their previous.
I hated the first episode and criticised it here like many did, but I came back to the others with an open mind and found it funnier and funnier each episode. The flaws didn't bother me as much as I finally got that it was a spoof of G&M's work as well, and I was able to laugh at the comedy instead of wanting to find fault with it and take it too literally or seriously. I'd happily watch it from the 3rd episode again.
I apologise for the following bad language, but this series was SHITE!
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ December 22 2011, 8:06 AM GMTNo, I didn't suggest that, funnily enough, but that the majority of views on this thread saying it is rubbish are way off the mark, too harsh and are sometimes more to do with a prejudice or grudge against the 'smug' Gervais than the quality of LTS' comedy. I do think some here were determined not to find it funny, based on its obvious predictibility and similarities in style to their previous.
No, this series just didn't cut it. The Office was a masterpiece, Extras flawed but good, and this pretty dreary. I'm sure there are a lot of Gervais-haters out there but the criticism of the show wouldn't have been able to get traction if it was actually any good.
I hope that Gervais and Marchant still have more great shows in them, but they need to cut out all the bullshit distractions - presenting awards ceremonies, schmoozing with celebrities, bit parts in Hollywood turkeys, lame attempts at movie making - and get a bit of hard work and discipline back into their working lives. And they need to listen to the criticism. It's all very well lapping up the plaudits when they make something as good as The Office, but they need to be humble enough to recognise that when they make something substandard the criticism is not down to spite or jealousy but an honest desire for them to make the best possible show they can.
My summing up...
1. Too similar in presentation to The Office and Extras but fell short of both.
2. A seven part series was completely the wrong format - two hour long Christmas specials would've worked far better and would've been a good addition to what is pretty spartan seasonal schedule.
3. The accountant was so fake it made a mockery of the mockumentary format. My heart sank everytime he came on screen because I knew what was coming
Quote: chipolata @ December 22 2011, 10:05 AM GMTI'm sure there are a lot of Gervais-haters out there but the criticism of the show wouldn't have been able to get traction if it was actually any good.
I hope that Gervais and Marchant still have more great shows in them,
I actually think that most of the vitriol has come from Gervais & Merchant's fanbase, who were hoping for something fresh, when they should perhaps be accepting that a fairly narrow comedy furrow is offering diminishing returns. For my part, I remain as ambivalent towards Gervais & Merchant as I have always been, but seem to like this show better than most on here.
I think, apart from the stupefyingly bad fifth episode, this was ok. The accountant became a guilty pleasure for me by the end. But as said, it was predictable, pretty much everyone spoke in exactly the same way and it just felt tired.
Totally agree with the comment above which said Warwick Davis was fantastic. The script, less so. I still can't get enough of the Liam Neeson sketch though, one of the funniest pieces of television in recent years for my money.
Overall, if marks out of ten actually meant anything, I'd give this a six. I bet they write a top notch Christmas special and this will end up being remembered quite fondly.
What was with all the suicide talk in the last couple of episodes?
Well I just assumed that was Gervais' world weary side coming through as it did in their previous sitcoms with Brent and Millman. Unless it's the start of a storyline for series 2, which I am looking forward to already. Davis certainly deserves another series, as he gave a top lesson in comic timing and looking to camera as well as doing great physical comedy. He's come out of this the best by far, as it seems the pressure put on G&M by viewers to produce nothing less than another classic was alarmingly and unfairly severe, imo.
I'm a massive Gervais and Merchant fan and started watching it because I expected a good piece of work from a reliable duo. I was absolutely gutted that I didn't like it. Actually more than not liking I actually found a lot of the parts irritating and hard to watch because they annoyed me too much. If I just wouldn't have liked it I'd have come to the conclusion that it just wasn't for me, but because watching it irritated me it made me strangely want to watch it again to see how bad the next episode was going to be. I can't believe anyone that likes G & M's previous work can watch this and like it. So, I don't think this is any sort of angry mob out to get Gervais. I think people are just genuinely disappointed by how poor it's been.
Then you've got the media reaction, trying to make out that's it's offensive so that they can appear to take a moral high ground and look superior and with that comes the 'I don't follow the crowd' crowd that wallow in their own self righteousness acting offending on somebody else's behalf. All that did was detract away from the issue of the quality of the sitcom. Whether it was good or not didn't become the issue, whether it was offensive or not became the talking point. Over all everything about this series just left me irritated. Everything. And even though there's a lot worse tele out there, because I don't expect anything from them, I don't care. Gervais may feel people are out to get him but due to the brilliance of the Office. The high quality of Extras, the ease into how he took to stand-up and the success in America he's become the King of British Comedy. Heavy sits the crown and all that...
Not to mention how he went on about Life's Too Short being "the funniest thing" he and Merchant have done.
Yes, that was baffling.
Perhaps rather than funniest as in 'best' he meant funniest as in with the most (meant to be) laugh out loud moments, with the slapstick falls, etc. A more straight comedy than The Office and Extras, which maybe were more subtle in style.
Otherwise, I really don't know how he could think it's his best work so far.