Living The Dream

The sun-soaked dramedy reaches its last episode with holiday park owners Mal (Philip Glenister) and Jen (Lesley Sharp) giving the place a makeover. Will it be enough to revive their fortunes? With $50,000 to find to keep the park open, they need to track down the co-owner to help them. Cue a wild goose chase, some tinklingly tense music and a right old caper. The cast are great and do their best with the lightweight and gently watchable material that's on offer.

Sky's quest to hit the nail on the head with a Doc Martin/Stella-style comedy-drama continues with this gentle expat adventure. As Mal attempts to fund a renovation of the RV park, jettisoning his deadbeat residents, he must also contend with the arrival of Maureen, his mother-in-law. As you may have guessed, things don't quite go according to plan, with a Native American hex and a confusing Skype call contriving to stir the pot.

Lesley Sharp interview

Lesley Sharp talks about how women are portrayed in dramas and the struggles of Northern actors.

Living the Dream: comedy drama at its most lightweight

Living the Dream, Sky1's new six-part series, is billed as a "comedy-drama". No genre makes the heart sink quite so fast. All good comedy is weighted with pathos, just as dramas can be all the bleaker for the odd belly laugh. In British programming, "comedy drama" is a byword for "light viewing," usually a warning that what follows will be neither one thing nor the other.