I wasn't sure what Blake Harrison's character was supposed to be exactly. Someone who's young and unapologetically progressive but also watches Channel 5 documentaries, perhaps. To an extent I agree with Rood Eye's comment that the actors and script weren't aligned, but there were definitely problems with both.

In some ways, though, this was a bit different, in a good way. I remember there being certain jokes or even bits of production which seemed to defy the mould of studio sitcoms of the last 15 years or so. Not dramatically so, or enough to stop unflattering comparisons of it to Drop The Dead Donkey, but still.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 5th June 2020, 10:35 AM

Five odd million a show and a second series coming. Hmm, am I too cynical to say this got aired at the just the right time? I tried it for five minutes and was genuinely left dismayed at the lack of funniness. But this, Still Open All Hours, Hold The Sunset and Boomers suggests the older audience is by far the most healthy market for sitcoms now, and they're not too demanding about what they get.

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Scheduling's important. Hold The Sunset, for example, got good viewing figures in its first series but was in a different slot in its second series and did a lot worse.

While watching "Kate & Koji", it's impossible for me to forget that I'm watching actors performing a script.

While watching most other sitcoms, I can immerse myself in the experience and believe that the characters I'm watching are real and their situation is real.

Unfortunately, with K & K, that doesn't happen.

A new Koji!

Should be something to be avoided like the plague, changing an actor to play the same part - one reason why our shows have short series, it allows working actors to fit in other roles. The Americans have to pay serious money to tie actors to long term contracts to avoid this happening, their 'seasons' are so long. Maybe he thought like me there's no way this thing'll get another series so I'll find another acting job.

Saw some more of a series one ep the other day and it staggered me how basic and banal the humour was. Had plenty of proper sitcom gags but they were just so stale, and that seemed to add to the dreary flatness of the thing. No energy in it at all, I thought all this is going to do is endorse the current trend for non studio sitcoms over an old hat and corny looking format younger writers and viewers no longer want. So I wish they'd not commissioned it as it makes it harder for any more trad style sitcoms to get shown which may have been funny, even moreso when one of the two main leads jacks it in for something else. ?

Your anger is misplaced again, Alf!

Jimmy Akingbola left because he got one of those big American shows with a strong contract. Kate & Koji Series 2 (which I'm thoroughly enjoying) was commissioned long before his new show was known about. K&K's return was delayed by covid, and sadly filming clashed with his much higher paying, higher profile American job, so he was forced to leave.

Crossing my fingers for an extended third series. ITV needs more broad comedy, especially as its ITVX offerings look to not be going down that route as yet.

So it's more Kate & Covid then. Whatever the reason, it would kill a show for me, if I liked it in the first place. I even went off Citizen Smith when they brought new actors in for the same parts. If someone's ill or worse there's nothing you can do about it, but if it's to take another job then they picked the wrong actor to start with (Different in this case because of the hold ups). That would usually (certainly in the past) kill your (TV at least) career here, but if you get a good role in US TV you're probably not bothered as it's better money without the pain of having to look for and fit in other work around lowish paid indefinite contracts.

Quote: Aaron @ 25th March 2022, 3:40 PM

ITV needs more broad comedy

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I'd say the opposite, it suffers from its sitcoms being too broad and middling, always. It needs sharper comedy, go for the kind of scripts BBC usually nabs, it needs an (the) Office or Blackadder or something almost as ambitious to challenge the Beeb's domination of comedy showing.

I see this has been cancelled. Doesn't this mean that there is not a single studio sitcom on television, or even in the pipeline? Except for the Mrs Brown's Boys Xmas Special presumably. That's a very, very sad state of affairs. I thought the Goes Wrong Show would at least have been recommissioned.

Sad but true. https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/7090/kate-koji-axed/

Studio sitcoms: Not Going Out, Mrs. Brown's Boys.

Good chance of Upstart Crow returning in some form, but nothing confirmed as yet.

Yeah, it's a shame there's not more Studio sitcoms, and as per Aaron's post above mine, very thin on the ground. In terms of episode number, Mrs Brown's Boys is doing a series next year on top of Christmas/New Year eps, but it's just more episodes of an existing show. I guess Still Open All Hours hasn't officially ended yet, has it? Been a while since the last episode though.

This Christmas it's just Mrs Brown's Boys, even Not Going Out doesn't seem to be on this year.

Quote: Feeoree @ 18th November 2022, 3:17 PM

I guess Still Open All Hours hasn't officially ended yet, has it? Been a while since the last episode though.

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They had planned another series, but I think it's been quietly dropped amidst covid, which is a shame. It had stopped being a studio audience show though, sadly! It was recorded on a closed set and then screened to an audience for the last couple of series.

All in all the sitcom genre is in a pretty terrible place right now. The axing of Kate & Koji is one of the final nails in the coffin of populist ones even further. Many column inches have been written on the 'death of sitcom' over the years, but it does now appear to be genuinely on the brink of coming true.

I am surprised ITV have axed Kate & Koji. I thought it would have run a little while longer to be honest, perhaps till a Series 3 or 4.

Very sorry to hear this was cancelled. I am likely out-of-step but I seem to always be trolling through my DVDs to re-watch series I've seen several times because nothing much new has materialized. This was one of the few along with Derry Girls, Staged and Ghosts that I happen to enjoy.

I enjoyed Kate & Koji, it was a very good show, to be honest I don't think ITV gave it enough publicity.

Quote: JJlovescomedy @ 9th December 2022, 6:48 PM

I enjoyed Kate & Koji, it was a very good show, to be honest I don't think ITV gave it enough publicity.

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I always felt there was something missing to make it really good. I don't know what though.

Quote: Chappers @ 10th December 2022, 9:33 PM

I always felt there was something missing to make it really good. I don't know what though.

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Funny lines.

Stale scripting by numbers from one of TV's few trusted writing teams who met the new woke brief with the sitcom premise. Bland and static drivel. imoo