I missed the pilot but gather it was well liked by viewers and critics which got the show a series commission. The fact that both press and viewer response has significantly cooled after two eps brings up a potential problem imo with the scheme of using a televised pilot as a test for a full series commission. If you're putting everything in to writing a one off 'come look at me' show but then can't replicate the quality for another six eps then you're going to cop the full flack of bad reviews, there is nowhere to hide from them, not these days.
Of course the poor response to the show so far it seems isn't as much down to the scripts as the quality of actors, who for me aren't anywhere near strong or photogenic enough for such an iconic sitcom where the characters really mattered and the actors playing them shone. There wasn't a single actor in the original Porridge who didn't look or sound like a real character. This lot imo, apart from the Mr Barrowclough copy and mayyybe Bishop are instantly forgettable and cannot hold a good long close up or deliver a strong line like Barker, MacKay, Beckinsale, Vaughan, Jason or any of the rest. With the original cast, I think the current scripts would be hitting the target much much better. So just where have all these strong character actors gone? Has Elton nicked them all for Upstart Crow, a comparatively strong cast who do justice to his scripts?
