its certainly not groundbreaking, i agree. But it doesn't have to be.
If you watch something that you already have written-off the its unlikely to be funny. Humour is about taste and if you are expecting crap it will usually be so.
G+S is obviously to some people's taste and not to others. Isn't all comedy?
Agree totally with you, ContainsNuts. I just couldn't let that statement go by without questioning it.
I watched this for the first time l.night. I enjoyed it. The actors make it. There was a few laugh out loud bits & i did find it entertaining. I will be watching again next week.
I think it's truly original because i can't think of another comedy that has the depth of feeling or character that Gavin and Stacey does. The performances are better than anything i've seen since The Office, the production values are incredibly high for a bbc3 show and i think it stands up against anything else that's on at the moment. I cannot remember the last time i cared so much for the characters in a half hour comedy. We're never ever going to agree on this. I just think in 2 years time this show will have won awards and have moved to a primetime channel and be up there with the greats. That's my hunch anyway. 
That's a pirate. That's how serious i am about this. Yes, a pirate.
You're certainly right that we will never agree on the quality of this show.
However I'm not deaf or blind and I am aware that this show has been extremely favourably reviewed and has many supporters. In fact a few pro reviewers have said that it's not very funny, but they still found it charming and likeable. The success of this show is something that anyone who wants to write sitcom for the BBC will have to consider seriously.
Regarding its reputation in the long term:– I watched the first series of the office when it was broadcast – and got it. I also liked and rated This Life when it was first shown and universally panned. I like to believe that I've got a good eye and ear for trends and can spot quality when I see it. That may not be true, but at the moment I think that a show so thinly written will not endure long term. I think that by the time the second series is airing and G & S has been hammered to death on mainstream channels, the critical backlash will begin and it will go down like the second series of Nighty Night did.
My only beef with this show is the writing. I think the script is an actor's script, rather than a writer's one, and that at a textural level it is thinner than a lampshade.
I take on board the previous poster's point about the acting and characterisation, but do not think this distinguishes the show particularly. I can't see how it is any more original for example than the recent 'Pulling' which was also about two people getting married and presented in a naturalistic style.
I didn't like that show either because it seemed mean-spirited, but the opening credit sequence of the first episode is funnier than the whole of Gavin & Stacey (in my opinion). I'll post a clip if people haven't seen it.
Quote: Josh Dulaney @ June 5, 2007, 12:19 AMThe performances are better than anything i've seen since The Office,
I can't let you get away with that Josh. The guy who plays Gavin can't act. In Roman's Empire, The Catherine Tate Show and Gavin and Stacy he plays the same character, and his voice, Jesus, it drives me crazy. The rest of the cast is good though, especially the guest stars.
I agree with you Josh but its not a comedy, comedy drama maybe but its more like a soap along the lines of Coronation Street with some comic moments. The problem was how it was promoted.
And for the record I always view things with an open mind.
Quote: Josh Dulaney @ June 5, 2007, 12:19 AMI think it's truly original because i can't think of another comedy that has the depth of feeling or character that Gavin and Stacey does. The performances are better than anything i've seen since The Office, the production values are incredibly high for a bbc3 show and i think it stands up against anything else that's on at the moment. I cannot remember the last time i cared so much for the characters in a half hour comedy. We're never ever going to agree on this. I just think in 2 years time this show will have won awards and have moved to a primetime channel and be up there with the greats. That's my hunch anyway.
Hi Josh.
First off I have to agree with some of Godot Taxi & AJP's posts.
G&S is in my view & like Godot's, a drama with some comical scenes.
I can in no way shape or form put it up there with The Office. It has a charm & an appeal I give you that. However I only watched my first eppy sunday night as I had blown it out previously in favour of one of my fav programmes *dont kill me* Desperate Housewives. Also a drama with some comical scenes.
I prefer Romans Empire to G&S and I do like the acting of the fellow who plays Gavin. I can understand why he would annoy some though.
In a nutshell Josh, you enjoy your G&S. Keep loving what you love. Dont be pissed that some may not. The Beauty of any comedy is in the ears & eyes of the beholder. There is a vast comedic taste in this forum and around the world.
Thank fook I say.
Yeah Josh, you defend your corner so I have nothing but respect for you and your opinion. Mine just happens to differ. Please don't be offended by what I say because chances are i'm talking bullshit. (I usually am).
AJP you never talk bullshit. I love you, i do.xxx
Now you're talking bullshit 
Thanks though
I like it but its not on the Office's level at all, as that was truely groundbreaking and funnier. However, I also found myself gunning for the characters more than most.
One thing thats surprises me about this knowledgable crowd is that they are still debating whether its a comedy or a drama/soap with comedy in it. Of course its a comedy - full stop. There are enough jokes, extremely subtle as well as obvious. You might not get all of them or find them funny, but that doesn't mean its not a supposed to be a comedy.
Can you give examples of the extremely subtle jokes as I may have missed them 
i haven't memorised them, there are also quite a few running gags so its not something you can watch one episode, in the middle, of. Such as the 'marry one, shag one...' game.
Anyway, I like it, but not enough for defending it to the hills while at work
Mathew Horne's acting is a pretty subtle running joke
Man I made myself laugh out loud then.
Just seen this in this weeks radio times:
Comedy of the week.
"This glorious series gets a perfectly pitched finale,
as the wedding arrives. The tender dramatic moments are
unashamedly sentimental and deftly handled - reminiscent
of The Royle Family at its very best - but the ceremony
is peppered with raucous, acutely observed comic moments,
from Smithy's disastrous best man speech to the return of
Dawn and Pete, the embittered married couple. Every member
of the excellent cast gets at least one terrific line ;
seeing everyone in one room brings home how many well-drawn
characters Ruth Jones and James Corden have created, almost
without us noticing. Truth be told, this is up there with
Peep Show for the comedy of the year."
Says it all for me! 
