Stephen Mangan

The latest sitcom from Friends co-creator David Crane stars Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig as a British couple who write a hit BBC TV show. They move to LA to recreate their sitcom for a US audience, but realise the studio execs have no intention of sticking to their original concept. Enter the great Matt LeBlanc (Friends' Joey), playing a caricature of himself, who is horribly miscast as the show's protagonist, much to Mangan and Greig's vexation. Frequent laugh-out-loud moments and a host of endearingly awful characters make this series feel like a very promising start, but Americanised one-liners fail to capitalise on Mangan and Greig's distinctly British delivery.

Episodes staring Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig (both from Green Wing) tells the story of two of successful British comedy writers trying to translate their award winning show to an American audience. Various US TV executives plug in to the process with their ideas of what the public want and how to Americanis(z)e the show, which includes the casting of Friends favourite Matt LeBlanc in the original role. The idea, on paper, is sensational but it's a shame this doesn't quite transfer into practice.

While it was engaging enough to stay tuned until the end, the laughs were few and far between. The concept was in the Gervais-Merchant-esque mould: a form of 'reality comedy' which does cause derision amongst the UK comedy hierarchy - Lee Mack for one isn't a fan - but this one was just a bit wanting in all areas.

The show has been left dangling, hinting at another series, on an interesting cliff hanger, however at this stage it's hard to tell where exactly a second series could go. For my money, the major funny areas of conversion have been covered. While it was an interesting experiment, in the end the true test of comedy is always laughter, and I'm sad to say Episodes lacked a good shot of that.

Last year the BBC aired Grandma's House, Simon Amstell's acerbic sitcom about a dysfunctional Jewish family. The very mixed notices it received have clearly not deterred Channel 4, who keep the middle-class Jewish mayhem coming with this new series from writer Robert Popper. Each episode centres on Friday night dinner with the Goodman family. Bickering brothers Adam (Simon Bird, star of The Inbetweeners) and Jonny (newcomer Tom Rosenthal, son of sports broadcaster Jim) are reluctant attendees, while their mother Jackie (Tamsin Greig, fresh from appearing alongside Matt LeBlanc and Stephen Mangan in Episodes) and father Martin (Pulling's Paul Ritter) try to uphold some family values. In tonight's opening episode, Jackie is intent on getting the boys to watch the MasterChef final, while Martin is preoccupied with rescuing old copies of New Scientist from the dump. Things are further complicated by the continual interruptions from weird neighbour Jim (Mark Heap), who claims to have broken his loo. As a comedy, it's not mean-spirited and cynical, but actually rather sweet. Of course, It's too early to say if it'll be a hit - in particular it is unclear whether Bird has acting gears other than his sarcastic, awkward Inbetweeners persona - but there's certainly enough here to keep you watching.

If you saw the opening episode six weeks ago you can skip the first 10 minutes tonight, which is a scene-for-scene retread. Things improve thereafter, as scriptwriter Bev's (Tasmin Greig) quest to escape the hell of Tinseltown and her feckless partner Sean (Stephen Mangan) leads to a clearing of the air between her and the star of their programme, Matt LeBlanc. The two have previously disagreed; he thinks she is prissy and uptight, she thinks he is a boorish lout. Both actors seem to be naturally suited to their roles, and their reconciliation is one of the better 20 minutes in an underperforming series.

The comedy drama about an English writing couple (Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig, both good) who take their hit TV comedy to the US continues. Tonight, Beverly (Grieg) has a run-in with a camp stylist who wants to doll up one of her characters to make her more palatable to US viewers. "No one ever stopped watching a TV show because the librarian was too hot!" he shrieks.

[Episodes] is a frustrating comedy, three-quarters of the way to being very funny, but getting there only sporadically.

Actually, I think my review of the opening episode still holds up: the problem lies with our very own Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan, whose banter - as very English husband-and-wife scriptwriters relocated to Hollywood - never quite convinces, probably because it was written by Americans. Which makes Episodes a case of life imitating art imitating life, or maybe the other way round. Whatever, I hate to seem in thrall to the big starry name, but it's Matt LeBlanc playing a revved-up version of himself who makes the thing worth watching, and who gets all the best lines. Catchphrases are cheesy, said Sean (Mangan) last night. "Really," said LeBlanc. "Tell that to my house in Malibu."

Episodes 1.4 review

I was led to believe Episodes radically improves from "Episode Four" onwards, but this was the week asphyxiation with a cushion felt preferable to watching the interplay between Matt Le Blanc, Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig.

Four episodes in and it still feels unformed. Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig act their comedy socks off - and their comedy socks, as we know, are from the very top sock drawer - but the script has a way of leaving them stranded. However much we warm to their characters - a writing duo whose sitcom is being remade in LA with Matt LeBlanc - there's the sense of the comedy never catching fire, the pace never clicking, plots not gelling into anything more than a bunch of scenes with the odd funny line. Tonight, LeBlanc gets drunk in a remote bar and our heroes have to drive out and pick him up, with jokes about sat navs and C-words along the way.

Four episodes in and this sitcom continues to polarise opinion: some critics think it's subtle and rewarding; others have argued that it lacks zest. In tonight's instalment, Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan's characters - a writing duo whose British sitcom is being remade in LA - are forced to travel to a remote bar to pick up a drunk Matt LeBlanc, who's the star of their show. Be warned: the language is very rude.