Bliss

The final episode of the double-life dramedy is all blind panic, as Andrew (Stephen Mangan) tries everything to stop his son visiting the house of his secret other family. In less skilful hands than Mangan's this scenario might be too absurd or just too stressful and unpleasant, but somehow he gets you to buy in.

Stephen Mangan on his new show Bliss - and why Green Wing didn't win more awards.

Interview: Jo Hartley

The actor tells Janet Christie how she followed the yellow brick road from This is England to bigamy comedy drama Bliss.

Sky One's new comedy Bliss had very little redeeming features and outstayed its welcome within the first fifteen minutes of its forty-five-minute running time. Written and created by Arrested Development's David Cross, Bliss focuses on travel writer Andrew (Stephen Mangan) who uses his job to cover-up the fact he's leading a double life. On one end of Bristol, Andrew is married to pretty American Kim (Heather Graham) who he shares a teenage daughter Christina (Hannah Milward). Whilst, in a separate part of the sister, he lives with long-time partner Denise (Jo Hartley) and their son Kris (Spike White); who is a little tired of his dad turning up with plane models from his faux work trips. Despite Andrew deceiving four of the people he supposedly cares most for, the character I felt sorriest for in Bliss was his boss as he was re-purposing Trip Advisor reviews of the destinations he was supposedly visiting whilst he was with his respective households. There was a myriad of problems with Bliss, which is one of the worst comedies I've seen in quite a while, starting with the fact that the show's lead character is duping two women as well as deceiving his two children. Despite being played by the charming Stephen Mangan, Andrew is essentially a sociopath who is living so many lies that he's struggling to keep up with various deceptions. Cross depicts Andrew as someone whose close to breaking down as we see him crying as he leaves Kim's house for Denise's at the start of the episode. In fact, Bliss' other main crime is that it's not funny in the least and almost functions more as a drama about a man whose double life is starting to affect his sanity. The key storyline in this first episode sees Andrew try to prevent both women from being at the same Italian restaurant at the same time, however his methods are incredibly questionable. From slinging racial insults at he and Denise's dinner guests to slating the vegan friends of Kim, Andrew is a character who has very few redeeming features. Meanwhile, both Denise and Kim are presented as women who struggle to think for themselves and go along with what Andrew tells them to do. Kim is especially under-utilised in this first episode as Andrew spends most of his time with Denise whilst his wife struggles to cope with the Eastern European builders that are working on their new kitchen. Despite being a fan of David Cross, I have no interest in watching any more of Bliss; a comedy that isn't funny and one that I'm shocked was commissioned in the first place.

Reviews: Damned and Bliss

Jo Brand and Morwenna Banks's sitcom is scathing and subtle as it makes unfunny subjects hilarious. Plus: playing bigamy for laughs in Bliss.

Review: Bliss

When I heard that American comedian David Cross was writing a comedy starring Stephen Mangan as an Englishman with two families who do not know about each other I assumed that one family would be in America, one in the UK. Maybe the budget didn't stretch that far. On the other hand there is plenty of additional tension as both families live in Bristol.

Bliss, a comedy about bigamy that wants it both ways

Stephen Mangan's character used to be indecisive but now he's not so sure.

A new dramedy from David Cross, starring Stephen Mangan as travel writer Andrew, who divides his time between two families. This opener charts an excruciating dinner engagement, where Andrew worries about being discovered. Your enjoyment may rest on how much you sympathise with Andrew's anguish at his own situation.

Bliss review

It's the perfect premise for farce, so it's a surprise that bigamy hasn't really been the subject of a TV comedy before.

It's already time to divorce from Bliss - review

If David Cross had removed all the jokes from his new Sky One series Bliss, it would have made a very fine, uneasy drama about bigamy and the lies we tell ourselves. Unfortunately, he didn't. And as a comedy, it fails pretty spectacularly.