Hold the Sunset (TV Series 2018–2019) Poster

(2018–2019)

User Reviews

Review this title
74 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
6/10
Safe and Pleasant but not Great
prylands-389-56748022 November 2020
The show truly has an excellent cast. And I love sitcoms - especially the old ones, However, this is the slightly the wrong side of silly and features some unbelievable characters that become wholly predictable.

I like that this show exists but I would not rush to watch more of it.

If you want to lazily wtach some gentle humour then this is fine. If you want to laugh then watch the better ones.
5 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
"Garbo laughs"-""Harpo speaks" - "Cleese smiles"........
ianlouisiana19 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
As an oldie I suppose I should be rising above resentment at "Hold the sunset" being denigrated as aimed at the pensioner market by a reviewer contemptuously dismissing a significant proportion of the country's population as having no cultural awareness or value,but,hey,it happens everyday on TV and wireless programmes aimed at mindless twenty - somethings with the attention span of a spaniel puppy. So I shall. Pensioners Cleese and Steadman manage to find their way round the set without falling over an achievement by itself,evidently. They are joined briefly by pensioner Egan before surrendering centre stage to Jason Watkins who isn't quite so aged - but then he isn't quite so funny either. In fact he isn't funny at all. The script calls for Mr Cleese to be good humoured,even smile from time to time. For a man whose default character setting is smug Oxbridge snob he does a good job. It is left to Miss Steadman to charm her way through the piece and make it worth watching. She and Mr Cleese are the Love Interest;a couple almost star - crossed in that their wish to be together is thwarted by the arrival of her son,a 50 year old pre - adolescent who's prime regret is not cementing a relationship he had when he was seven. He has left the marital home and gone back to mum. Bugger what she thinks or what plans she may have had. There is a word for him that is usually preceded by "Selfish". I am reasonably sure Cleese and Steadman will prevail in the end,and I will personally be very happy to see Jason Watkins sleeping rough on the streets of whatever posh borough he lives in - perhaps it's Windsor who's plans for ethnically cleansing their homeless population I would be willing - in his case - to heartily endorse.
11 out of 19 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Very entertaining...just get past the first episode!
tmichaelny@aol.com13 November 2020
I binged watched this one night and thoroughly enjoyed the series. Each episode builds on the next as opposed to just random stories. I almost did. It want to continue use after the first episode as it was just obnoxious. But I read another review which advised to go past the first one and it was well worth it. John Cleese's character is a move likable Basilt Fawlty and he delivers some of the best sarcastic lines.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Nice watch
hyacintoblack26 March 2018
It's sad that some reviewers are slating this as poor or bad. They are used to sitcoms with constant swearing and lewd humour obviously. This one is refreshingly clean and aimed at people with decency. I'd give it a 7 out of 10. Alison Steadman is amazing. I liked her since she played in Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth. Shame how old and bloated John Cleese looks now... :(
11 out of 22 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
It ceased to be, it's an ex-comedy deprived of life
dmcmrd22 February 2018
Awful. Stereo typical 'Terry & June' Metropolitan/Home Counties suburbia. (Might be Maidenhead, the bridge looked familiar?) Silly, but not in a good 'Reeves & Mortimer' way. The script obvious and very unoriginal. So I expect the Beeb will already be commissioning another 10 series to bore us for the next several years. Hope not.
24 out of 44 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Watch just for Jason Watkins
rghnaish18 February 2018
Thank goodness for the wonderful acting and timing of Jason Watkins to make this sitcom watchable. First his delightful performance on W1A and now saving this.
10 out of 22 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
No, make the sunset happen faster.
Filboid_Studge25 February 2018
An atrocity and an abortion of a tossed-off snorefest.

It's like this was written by Alexa after a tin of Vimto was poured on her, and then directed by one of those hoovers that you switch on, go out and leave to bimble around at random.

Did anyone in the world laugh when this was broadcast? I mean, anyone whose brain isn't overrun with worms or dementia or syphilis and doesn't laugh involuntarily as a result?

Parts of my soul died watching this. I aged about five years but was gripped with a grim, prurient fascination at a mediocrity which almost assumed physical form, like a big, globby, pulsing wall down the centre of my room, and I couldn't turn it off. I longed for Leatherface to suddenly steam into the faceless, pointless neighbourhood where this staggeringly inconsequential dreck takes place, and fill the air with criss-crossing geriatric entrails.
31 out of 61 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Hang in there..
robinsmerryband16 September 2018
Do not give up on this show. It has a rocky start, but gets really funny- like laughing when you are alone funny. All star cast drives the script.
28 out of 33 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Terrible, dated, DREADFUL
tomdaly-1743627 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
What to say about this train wreck that hasn't already been said? Whoever pitched this show, I hope that they were later fired. The humour and the plot is ancient! This kind of comedy was probably popular when we were painting on the walls of caves, but audiences have evolved.

This is your typical sitcom aimed at elderly viewers before the watershed. I bet John Cleese probably has nightmares about this. Hold the sunset? No, make the sun set quicker on this monstrosity! The characters have about as much personality as a plank and it makes you think, "What happened to sophisticated comedy?"

If I could go back in time, I would go back to when they pitched the script for this show and say "DON'T MAKE IT! This show is so dated it makes Dad's Army look like SAS: Who Dares Wins".
10 out of 24 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
I thought it might just be me, it isnt.
iwbrandf17 March 2019
I love John Cleese of course, and was so excited to watch this. . But it never delivers, not funny. Hoping season 2 is funny. New writers maybe?
2 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
So bad....
kate-9465320 February 2018
Bad is actually too generous. The script is utterly appalling and it is just a wonder how it got past the cutting room? Over acting and Steadman shrieking every line, it was so painful. And sad.
21 out of 42 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Sneeringly funny
tatlockm-9618110 March 2019
Really enjoyed this. I get the feeling that many are critical of this show simply because the shoe is on the other foot. People in their seventies are the ones that are tolerating and making fun of the puerile behavior of younger people. God forbid we have a show with older people who are independent, don't want their kids to move in with them and simply want to live their lives without all the unnecessary drama their kids try to impose on them.
15 out of 19 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Miscast?
zakstarkys27 February 2018
Jason Watkins miscast in a comedy? (previous review) see 7 seasons of Trollied. Comic genius.
2 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
I hoped for so much, but again another sitcom disappoints.
Sleepin_Dragon17 April 2018
It doesn't surprise me to see the generally negative reviews, sadly it wasn't the joy fest that many had hoped for. When you look at the cast, Steadman, Cleese, Scanlon etc. it should have been so much better. I found it watchable, typical Sunday tea time viewing, similar to Still Open all hours and Last of the Summer Wine in its latter years. The kind of show you don't mind washing the dishes to, before the real Sunday Night viewing starts. The ideas for the show were really good, the scripts however weren't up to much. I will praise Cleese for his presence, and I always find Steadman very watchable, but the only real highlight was the comedy that Jason Watkins brought, although he was done a disservice by the scripts.

The humour seemed dated, but dated in a 90's ITV kind of sitcom way, as opposed to classic 80's BBC.

There is something good lurking here, good actors, good ideas, but if it returns, we need some new writers on board please.

Mediocre, 5/10
14 out of 29 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Old Stuff
fixumchad20 February 2018
Dear oh dear so so done before and much better than this, just watched the first episode and won't be tuning in again. Surprised J C would even think of anything like this!!
8 out of 22 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Like it, but sometimes don't like it
barbrickey177 August 2020
Well, this show is hard to explain. Very hard to explain. I have only watched series 1, and I have enjoyed it a lot, but it's just so all over the place. The characters keep changing, and some of it is not that funny, plus a couple of people can get really annoying. Hold the Sunset is a fantastic show, it's so brilliant but I feel that they could have done it a bit better, I feel that the storylines in some episodes could be a lot better and sometimes the acting is a bit dry, even with the legend himself John Cleese. I still love it though, I would recommend it to anyone, because although it's a bit jumbled and confusing, it's still a feel good series sort of and it shines the light on the brilliant actors in the show. John Cleese is himself, and I feel that he is a bit unused in the show, but all of the acting most of the time is extremely well done and excellent actors like Jason Watkins and Alison Steadman should be given more recognition for their roles in this show. The supporting cast is excellent, the chemistry between the characters is excellent, and there are some real funny bits. I think that you just need to stick with it, and it kinda gets better. I really love it though, it's a fantastic show that anyone could get a laugh out of. I'll get round to watching series 2 eventually, because I can't give up on this show. It's too great.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Farty Towels
ThreePointFive28 February 2018
We felt like giving up after one episode, but we decided to see if it was first episode syndrome. We wish we hadn't bothered. It just isn't funny. There's nothing else to say. If a sitcom isn't funny, then it isn't a sitcom. We won't be back for number three. You'd have to be mad.
16 out of 35 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Dreary rubbish
yvettelangbridge19 February 2018
Who on earth commisioned this? The heads of BBC comedy should be shut in a room with all the classics, such as, One Foot in the Grave, Ever decreasing circles,Dads Army,Porridge,ect,ect, and not allowed out untill they understand the meaning of comedy!!!!!!
16 out of 36 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Great enjoyable fun
tomasbruk13 April 2018
There are only 6 episodes? I knew it was too good to last. Each episode contains many good laughs. The dialogue is great, cast is wonderful and storyline is easy to relate to. Some great camera work there to as well as shots of our beloved Thames somewhere around Twickenham and Richmond. I have enjoyed every single one of the episodes and was looking forward to many more. Also, it has this gentle quality to it one feels rejuvenated afterwards. Thank you creators.
22 out of 30 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
Cheesy Britcom that's too much like an American Sitcom
qui_j16 September 2018
This must have been intended to follow in the footsteps of the other "retirement" comedies out there. Pensioners get ready to sail off into the sunset and enjoy their lives but "Boomerang" kids return home, bringing problems, and supposed laughs. Just doesn't work! The format is just a series of slapstick and one-liners, delivered in a way that has it better suited for a stage play, much like the format used in the days of early TV. Gone are the days of witty writing that dealt with this issue of aging and retirement! This is nothing as subtle, witty or clever like the 90s comedy, "Waiting for God"! I have no idea what the creators were thinking other than the hope that "Star Power" would make it work. They were very, very wrong!
13 out of 29 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Delightful
waddlesmom19 September 2018
Makes me laugh out loud! Enjoy all the characters. Classic!
17 out of 24 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
Dreadful
geoff.murrell27 February 2018
What were JC and AS thinking, getting involved in this dire 'comedy'. I enjoy a good laugh, but this didn't even bring a smile to my face. I even watched the second episode to see if it was anomaly, it wasn't!
12 out of 29 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Why?
offalot19 August 2019
John Cleese, Alison Steadman, Jason Watkins, James Cosmo, Rosie Cavaliero, Joanna Scanlon, Peter Egan and Anne Reid - all versatile and outstanding actors and personal favourites of mine, but it just doesn't gel. It should be a treat, instead with each episode I feel it hasn't even begun to get under way. Two bits only I find funny and draw me in - Cleese and Egan's interchange, and Anne Reid's mischievous manipulation, while Jason Watkins antics make me cringe and despair for the poor actor playing such an awful and relentless role.

And it won a second series, even worse than the first, so far. More dramatic. More bickering over sillier plots played out and flogged to extinction.

Two negatives in its favour - it lacks the substitute for humour so often offered by gratuitous and boring bad language, and there is no studio audience cackling away. But maybe they didn't çackle.

I'll watch every episode, in hope it may find what it lacks - or to prove I'm right that it is a hopeless case. And there's very little else on iPlayer comedy.
5 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Potboiler
via-helena18 September 2019
What an absolute abortion of a series, wasting the talents of respected actors like Alison Steadman, Jason Watkins & Sue Johnston not to mention destroying the legacy of comedy God John Cleese, (who I assume must be skint to have agreed to take this drivel on). Charles McKeown should have his fingers smashed with a hammer to ensure he can't churn out such mind-numbing crud in the future.
6 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Funny and lovable
nichole-lapland6 April 2019
This show is funny and lovable. John Cleese and Alison Stedman are adorable together and both very funny. Honestly, those two are my old age goals (sans Roger and Sandra who are each detestable in their own ways).

And Bonus! We can watch this with our 5 year old because there is no foul language and no sex scenes (thus far), which is quite refreshing.

I am desperate for a second season. 6 episodes a d a Christmas special are just not enough.
9 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed