Episodes - Series 1 Page 11

I'll attempt to get this back on topic - shall I?

Yes? Good.

I watched Episodes last night and really liked it. As Ben said it plays more like a comedy drama and maybe the 7 episodes could have been shown in that format - 90 min opener and then two 60s.

Nice pacing and for me most of it worked very well, except for the second audition in the American accent. The 'audience' reaction here was completely unbelievable following on from the previous English reading that appeared to go over quite well..

Apart from that and the need to suspend disbelief here and there with some naive plot devices, it's off to a good start for me. Nicely shot and good performances from all the cast too. I just hope Matt Le Blanc doesn't come in and kill it stone dead.

Quote: Blenkinsop @ January 16 2011, 2:32 PM GMT

I just hope Matt Le Blanc doesn't come in and kill it stone dead.

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Are you kidding?! I think the fact he's about to turn up will be why a lot of people want to watch this!

Quote: Matthew Stott @ January 16 2011, 2:34 PM GMT

Are you kidding?! I think the fact he's about to turn up will be why a lot of people want to watch this!

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No doubt you're right of course about Le Blanc. I'm sure he's the big draw, and the show's USP to the money men. But I'm really talking about its balance here. At the moment I think although it's a UK/USA collaboration it's sitting nicely on the UK side of the fence for me.

Don't get me wrong I like US shows too, but after the opener it feels more like us looking at them than vice versa.

Maybe I need to fess up here...I didn't like Friends and found it all a bit naff, giving up very early on in its life. Countless people whose views and judgement I really respect told me I was a prannet for holding this view, but try as I might, it never ever did it for me.

Quote: Nat Wicks @ January 16 2011, 2:49 PM GMT

I don't trust people who don't like Friends.

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Racist!

Some of my best friends are people who don't like Friends...

Personally I thought that 'Friends', despite being very throwaway, was very funny, well performed and written with great wit. However I don't see how that show has any bearing on how good/bad 'Episodes' will turn out to be. Yes, David Crane co-created 'Friends', but then Adam Chase was also a major factor in the success of that show and he then gave us 'Clone' (remember that?). The memory of Joey from 'Friends' will only make Matt LeBlanc playing "himself" novel for - ooh, I reckon - about one episode. If the show relies on this conceit for most of its comedy then it will come a cropper.

Thanks for getting this thread back on track...

Obviously one of the flaws of the opening episode was missing out the character the whole show hinges around... will be interesting to see how it changes now he's arrived.

I think one of the problems Episodes is suffering from is that people are expecting it to be a gag-packed sitcom. It seems to be one of these weird breed of new shows which are halfway between sitcom and comedy drama where the humour is very subtle (either that or they have indeed forgotten to put some gags in!)

Ooooh! It's on tomorrow night! The clips they were showing of Le Blanc on Graham Norton the other night looked funny. I think the show will be an amiable half hour each week if not an Emmy winner.

Quote: Mark @ January 16 2011, 4:08 PM GMT

I think one of the problems Episodes is suffering from is that people are expecting it to be a gag-packed sitcom. It seems to be one of these weird breed of new shows which are halfway between sitcom and comedy drama where the humour is very subtle (either that or they have indeed forgotten to put some gags in!)

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Subtle? A wanking gag in the first 30 seconds, the obvious "bath taking ages to fill up and the characters sexual ardor evaporating", American TV people saying one thing but meaning another? The interminable saga with the gatehouse guard and them not being on the list?

What humour was in there, seemed about as subtle as an Israeli boarding of an aid ship.

Quote: Tony Cowards @ January 16 2011, 4:19 PM GMT

Subtle? A wanking gag in the first 30 seconds, the obvious "bath taking ages to fill up and the characters sexual ardor evaporating", American TV people saying one thing but meaning another? The interminable saga with the gatehouse guard and them not being on the list?

What humour was in there, seemed about as subtle as an Israeli boarding of an aid ship.

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Oh, I didn't realise those bits were supposed to be funny

I guess I need to fear for this show's future a bit more than I did previously then...

Still, let's see what Episode 2 brings before judging it too much.

I think the Problem is that ever since Matt LeBlanc finished with Freinds he has gone off the radar a bit. The Friends spin-off was terrible.

He just can't seem to replicate the success he had with Friends. Episodes backs up this idea.

Quote: WeakFlesh @ January 17 2011, 1:11 PM GMT

I think the Problem is that ever since Matt LeBlanc finished with Freinds he has gone off the radar a bit. The Friends spin-off was terrible.

He just can't seem to replicate the success he had with Friends. Episodes backs up this idea.

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Don't think you can blame him for the general mediocrity of the first episode considering he wasn't in it.

Quote: Tony Cowards @ January 17 2011, 2:16 PM GMT

Don't think you can blame him for the general mediocrity of the first episode considering he wasn't in it.

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I was not even blaming him. All I said was that ever since Freinds ended, he has not had a very sucsessful Career.

Quote: Mark @ January 16 2011, 4:08 PM GMT

Thanks for getting this thread back on track...

Obviously one of the flaws of the opening episode was missing out the character the whole show hinges around... will be interesting to see how it changes now he's arrived.

I think one of the problems Episodes is suffering from is that people are expecting it to be a gag-packed sitcom. It seems to be one of these weird breed of new shows which are halfway between sitcom and comedy drama where the humour is very subtle (either that or they have indeed forgotten to put some gags in!)

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Shouldn't all sit-coms be gag-packed??

Nope.