Maybe it was because I watched it right after the always brilliant Peep Show, but I thought the first episode was rather terrible. Josh Widdicombe can't really act and his housemates weren't much better (I still haven't forgiven Elis James for the atrocity that was his previous sitcom Crims). I'll stick with it for now, mainly because of Jack Dee.
I didn't LOVE it, but Jennifer Saunders's daughter* is good. And although it felt like Josh was just being himself rather than acting per se, he was very good at it!
*Beattie Edmondson. I looked it up. Go me.
Pretty terrible, felt rushed.
It has potential. A rocky start but I'll stick with it for a few weeks. Great cast supporting Josh.
I'm outnumbered here then. I actually thought it was quite good. I did wonder who the girl was, as I thought I recognised her, but nothing much came up on IMDB.
Meh. That's my in depth review of episode 1.
I was excited about this since the pilot 18 months ago, but I have to say this was absolutely terrible.
Kate was annoying: she was insecure in the pilot, with her obsession with a potential boyfriend who didn't message her back on Facebook, but whereas that was understandable and, for better or worse, something a lot of young people today go through, insecurity over whether or not she was a good kisser was just too infantile. Constantly saying puns when she was embarrassed was also annoying as there seemed to be loads of them.
Both story threads seemed to be irrelevant sub-plots.
The pilot was much better and that was on for only half the time. In both cases, it was cringe-comedy, but whereras the pilot had some funny lines, ("I'm not in it for the clicking!", "We can't break up, Geoff, we're not Wham!") this was just weak and underdeveloped and it was obvious after as little as five minutes that it wasn't going to be as good as I had hoped it would be.
You'd hear funnier anecdotes from your mates down the pub than the scenarios in last night's show.
Even Jack Dee can't save this lead balloon.
Quote: Dave @ 12th November 2015, 7:07 PM GMTKate was annoying:
I'd say she was just being herself, given how like her Mum she is. Maybe it says more about you?
Quote: TonyT @ 12th November 2015, 2:42 PM GMTI'm outnumbered here then. I actually thought it was quite good. I did wonder who the girl was, as I thought I recognised her, but nothing much came up on IMDB.
She's done a fair bit in the past few years, but this is her first major role.
Aside from being a leading member of sketch group Lady Garden/Birthday Girls, Beattie's been in Pompidou, Marley's Ghosts, Spy, The Wright Way, Little Crackers, Live At The Electric, and of course a small appearance in Absolutely Fabulous.
I preferred the pilot episode also.
Quote: Aaron @ 12th November 2015, 10:05 PM GMTShe's done a fair bit in the past few years, but this is her first major role.
Aside from being a leading member of sketch group Lady Garden/Birthday Girls, Beattie's been in Pompidou, Marley's Ghosts, Spy, The Wright Way, Little Crackers, Live At The Electric, and of course a small appearance in Absolutely Fabulous.
I preferred the pilot episode also.
I didn't recognise her from The Wright Way - I was going to watch it again, but I'll give that one a miss I think.
Watched the first ten minutes and thought it was okay, but nothing to shout about.
Didn't see the pilot, so can't compare.
I thought this was sometimes good, but felt like two decent shows rubbing against each other that don't quite fit.
On the one hand you have a simple, broad strokes comedy with a star playing themselves (or, more accurately, just making no attempt to act), in the style of US sitcoms of various vintage. I found this quite endearing, and although some of the simpler gags missed their mark with me it was nicely structured, had a good joke per minute ratio, and the characters were 2D but immediately graspable - I like Josh, and his non-performing delivery worked for me.
But simulataneously there was a sort of grown up social-interaction comedy going on that only really works if you have fully realised characters. Taking babaganoush to a youthful party and defending it by saying "it's the Persian salsa" is just lovely, and would work a treat in Peep Show, but here you don't care. You can't feel embarrassment for someone when they barely have a character, just as you can't laugh at the indignity of poor swimming instruction from a man who's had mere seconds of screen time (again, pilot aside, I assume) - I'm sure we can all imagine characters with more depth for whom that scene would have been excrutiating and funny (say, Arnold Rimmer, or Corporal Jones), but the character has to have a bit of dignity to lose, which means they have to have done something other than change a light bulb beforehand.
Oh, yeah, and an adult having to admit he can't swim at a pool party is a good plot, but when it's actually because he's allergic to chlorine there's no shame in it, and had he just said that everyone would have understood - seems like just painting Josh red was a cop out escape from that a delicately set up scenario.
So, I shall watch again next week, but it sort of feels it needs to get either more or less clever to hang together.
Sorry, long stream of consciousness opinion there. 
