Having just hit the end of series three in the UK it is a bit of a mystery why Peep Show has failed to hit the heights of The Office for example. However the fact that it remains quite a "cult" sort of programme means that those of us that watch it are allowed to be a little bit smug about the fact that we do. The concept behind the programme is the live of flatmates Jeremy and Mark - the former being a bit of a student type and the latter being a bit middle-class and repressed. Rather than just follow the story in a normal way, we see the action through their eyes and, more importantly, get to hear their thoughts in between the dialogue.
This approach doesn't sound that clever or unique but I can assure you that it works much better than it sounds. The simple story lines are based around the recognisability of the characters and many of their thoughts are actually not that exaggerated. They are to a point of course, but not to an extreme and it is the familiarity of the characters that makes it work for me. The script is regularly spot on, with a real ear for dialogue, mixing the convincing with the absurd well and producing plenty of funny lines - again surprising me that the suitability for trailers and adverts of the material hasn't brought it more success.particularly in the Friday night slot that has previously shown to be such a winner for dross such as Friends as well as genuinely good comedies.
With good writing comes the need for good delivery and thankfully the lead two are on the ball. Webb wears Jeremy like a second skin and is totally convincing in his rather selfish character. Although he is less "cool" of a character, Mitchell is equally as good as Mark and again is easily able to carry off a rather podgy and repressed man who would rather suffer in silence than make a public scene (annoyingly a trait that I can recognise in myself). The support is good but with the script focusing on the actions and thoughts of Mark and Jez it is no surprise that Mitchell and Webb do deservedly dominate the programme.
Overall a fresh and funny comedy. The "point of view" thing does feel like a gimmick for a while when you first watch it, but the humour of the thoughts/voiceovers means that it is worth while and I quickly bought into it. Quite why it hasn't set the world on fire I can't say but it is definitely worth checking out on DVD if you haven't had the chance to watch it yet.
This approach doesn't sound that clever or unique but I can assure you that it works much better than it sounds. The simple story lines are based around the recognisability of the characters and many of their thoughts are actually not that exaggerated. They are to a point of course, but not to an extreme and it is the familiarity of the characters that makes it work for me. The script is regularly spot on, with a real ear for dialogue, mixing the convincing with the absurd well and producing plenty of funny lines - again surprising me that the suitability for trailers and adverts of the material hasn't brought it more success.particularly in the Friday night slot that has previously shown to be such a winner for dross such as Friends as well as genuinely good comedies.
With good writing comes the need for good delivery and thankfully the lead two are on the ball. Webb wears Jeremy like a second skin and is totally convincing in his rather selfish character. Although he is less "cool" of a character, Mitchell is equally as good as Mark and again is easily able to carry off a rather podgy and repressed man who would rather suffer in silence than make a public scene (annoyingly a trait that I can recognise in myself). The support is good but with the script focusing on the actions and thoughts of Mark and Jez it is no surprise that Mitchell and Webb do deservedly dominate the programme.
Overall a fresh and funny comedy. The "point of view" thing does feel like a gimmick for a while when you first watch it, but the humour of the thoughts/voiceovers means that it is worth while and I quickly bought into it. Quite why it hasn't set the world on fire I can't say but it is definitely worth checking out on DVD if you haven't had the chance to watch it yet.