SingerSteph

(2012-04-18 18:44:37)

Not Really

I don't know what the other reviewer was thinking, it's the perfectblend of American and British comedy that the Office couldn't achieve -they have British people doing British humour. And yes, it is only thefirst two episodes but it has shown great promise. I think it is aperfect mix of British and American humour because they don't mix themtogether to form some weird half-breed, but they separate them and havethem interact as two different entities. Matt LeBlanc is hilarious, andthey way he pokes fun at Joey is something we haven't seen since JuliaRoberts in Oceans 13. Give this show a chance, you'll probably like it!

Rifqi

(2012-04-18 17:11:38)

Funny Funny Funny

Well, out of Friends former member's new ventures, I have to say thatEpisodes is the funniest...I watched this without too much expectation,I already watched Cougar Town and Sunshine Pilots so that's reasonable.Because those other shows is not funny-so-I-blurt-laugh-unconsciouslykind of thing, smile yes, but laugh no...This show is fresh air of comedy in TV shows that heavy in drama,horror, and police procedural. I also love Tamsin Greig and hercounterpart (forget his name), they add certain quality of 'British'flavor that I really love.Matt Le Blanc is funny and those writers from London is not lightweightcomedian either. And the chemistry between three of them is palpableand hilarious, it's a rare feat for this kind of show. Hopefully thisshow will be catching a wind and growing huge because it really hasgreat quality of comedy.Highly recommended for good laugh and insight about how TV studiowork...

patrick powell

(2012-04-17 01:45:09)

Comes alive when Matt LeBlanc's on...

Episodes is curious in that Friends' David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik seeit as an opportunity to let their hair down and write the kind ofcomedy drama which would never see the light of day on mainstream US TVand the Brit contingent, Langan and Greig, can play with the big boys –despite the one-off that was the Brti pop invasion of the Sixties, goodOld Blighty has a rather dog-in-the-manger attitude to the States, notleast because economies of scale mean there's a lot more money to bethrown around Stateside. This Brit – me – gets pretty fed up withLangan and Greig who are too mannered and knowing for my tastes, but ithas to be said that kind of thing goes down well in the UK whereeveryone likes to adopt a faux cynical seen-it-all air (which, ofcourse, they haven't). For me Matt LeBlanc steals the show. He has anatural comedic gift which manages to make every line fresh and, againfor me, a universe away from the mannered scenes between Langan andGreig. The two are flavour of the month this side of the Atlantic and,as always, we overdo it with a vengeance, casting them in everythinguntil the day their star suddenly wanes and a new flavour of the monthis born. The language is very fruity, but here in Britain allowing iton TV shows is regarded as progress and liberation, though I can't forthe life of me see why. I don't now whether this is being shown in theUS and, if so, on which cable channel, but although the kind oflanguage is commonplace in some situations, Episodes is rather guiltyof over-egging the pudding. But overall it has its moments, usuallythose in which Langan and Greig do not figure so prominently. JohnPankow's character as the studio exec with the blind wife is nicelydrawn as is his assistant cum mistress. But I wouldn't give it the 8out of 10 it is getting.

belthazzar

(2012-04-16 10:43:13)

Just survive the pilot!

I was very excited when I heard about this show. Matt LeBlanc is one ofmy favorite TV show actors, and mixed with smart British humor canbring very interesting results. But, then I saw pilot...Pilot wasn't able to stand up to my expectations. Many jokes weren'tfunny, main characters were too new for us to enjoy their fighting andwhole plot was messed up. Beginning kinda spoiled us that trip of ourprotagonists, British couple, authors of successful show in England,isn't going to be very pleasant. Mainly because other episodes are intone "It isn't what we wanted, but hopefully, it will work", giving ushope there will be happy ending. Flashbacking of pilot was cheap and Iwas afraid, it's going to be another mediocre show.Then second episode came and with it, Matt LeBlanc. Matt is portrayinghis ultimate character, called Matt LeBlanc as well. But this Matt isdifferent. It draws from legacy of Friends far better then Joey everdid, creating not true LeBlanc, but rather actor, who acts the wayaudience would think "Joey" acts like. He is great. But it's not justMatt who gets better with second episode. Every other character getsmore and more interesting too. Merc, the puppet master of television,is more, then just "guy who wants to have sex with stuff". His humor isusually cruel, yet there is deeper, fragile part of his soul. He loveshis wife, yet he makes fun of her charity activities. He manipulateseveryone around, yet he is afraid of someone cutting his string. Hiswife is his hero, yet he cheats on her. That brings us to Carla, who isas interesting as Merc, with angel and devil fighting each other, whilesitting on her shoulders. She cheats, but she hates herself for it. Sheis Mercs right hand of manipulations, yet it makes her feel bad.And, same goes for the British couple. In first episode, they lookedlike one simple character split between two actors, but now, they aregetting more alive, more real and more different. And that's what Ilike about them. They are acting like normal people set in crazysit-com world, surprised and confused, it is literally driving themcrazy (ending of second episode is one of the most hilarious moments inhistory of television shows). It almost looks like they didn't crossedjust Atlantic, but also dimensions and are lost in fictional world ofshow called "EPISODES" and that's what sets it apart from anything elseyou can see in television right now.I highly recommend this show to anyone who's looking for some qualitytime with just a little bit of smarter humor.

prestonloyola

(2012-03-21 11:21:06)

fantastic so far (as of ep 3)

After watching the first 3 shows, I'm impressed, will be a great showif this level of writing can be sustained. "Episodes" is a crossbetween "Entourage" (minus the glorification of wealth and conspicuousconsumption), "Curb your Enthusiasm" (minus bad acting), and "Extras"(minus cameos, and bits that sucked of which there were many). I don't know why there are so many negative reviews (as of 1/25/2011) -perhaps Americans are having trouble relating to the lead Britishcouple? In any case, seeing the inner workings of Hollywood'sentertainment industrial complex through their down-to-earth eyes is agreat premise, casting Matt LeBlanc was a genius touch, and I hope thisgem continues for a lot more 'episodes'.

gregsawyer2006

(2012-03-21 02:24:31)

Smart, quiet and funnier than any other comedy on SHOWTIME.

I really feel confused. There seems to be an overwhelming sense ofanimosity toward this show.In a world where HOT IN CLEVELAND is a hit,it makes me sad that so many people don't seem to appreciate the nuanceand detail that have gone into this show. There are some reviews herethat don't even make much sense.They're just plain angry. (One reviewactually criticized the hair color of one of the actors!) I say, relaxpeople. If you don't find it to your liking don't watch. But for thoseof us that do, (it's already a hit in the UK as well as on SHOWTIME) itis a subtle and sophisticated pleasure that doesn't pander to it'saudience. This show is about a married couple and their relationship.It's set in the world of television but the TV aspect is secondary. Ihadn't seen the two British leads before but I totally love theirchemistry. It feels much more honest than most TV relationships. Bothactors are subtle and complicated and I can totally buy the fact thatthey're married. I thought the first episode did exactly what it had todo which is introduce a whole lot of characters plus set up thiscouple's journey. As for not being funny, I am at a complete loss. JohnPankow established "Merc Lapides" in twenty seconds. How could you notlaugh at his references to his bigoted New Jersey grandmother, hisalcohol addiction, his cancer? And "Carol Rance", the network exec,made me laugh at just about everything she said. Ditto the head ofcomedy who with just a few grimaces and groans created a hysterical andmemorable character. I feel that this is not a show for the masses. Itwas clearly never meant to be. It's a small gem of a show that respectsit's audience and has it's own very unique voice. Thank You SHOWTIMEfor presenting it.

edward2-2

(2012-03-19 22:15:19)

awfully mediocre

To be honest I do not even know where to start. I started to watch thisseries only because Matt and I guess a lot other will do the same.I was expecting much more I finally got. The story is just awful. Allseries generally are in huge huge crisis when they come up with theshow in the show idea (e.g.: Nip/Tuck) and Episodes is based aroundthis idea.About humour: its not present. Profanity is funny between 8 years old.There are a lot of awkwardness and very shallow jokes like repeating aword 1000 times. Again it is funny in basic elementary school not forgrown humans. Anyone who says English comedy is present clearly neverseen anything from Monty Python or shows like: Black Adder, Allo Allo,You rang M'Lord or from present days The IT Crowd. These are funny.About Matt and his character. Not sure who he is playing here himselfor Joey. Joey's character was already ruined in Joey season 2, but Isee David Crane try to be more like George Lucas here. And at the endc'mon you have to be serious. Matt makes a move on the most ugly andstupid woman in the universe? A good advice to Matt: Abandon thesinking ship as long as he can get inside a rescue ship, but I thinkits already too late.

Nadia Rao

(2012-03-19 07:25:40)

Highly recommended

Hilarious culture-clash take on two British screenwriters who crashland in Hollywood to adapt their award-winning sitcom for the US. Thisis "The Office" cringe humor meets "The Player" showbiz absurdity.The two leads Stephen Mangan and Tasmin Greig do a finely nuanced jobas the bewildered Londoners in the seductive yet soul-twisting LalaLand. And Matt LeBlanc does a great dry-witted, Golden GlobeAward-winning spoof of himself.The show also lies in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" territory with itsbehind-the-scenes glimpse into a cynical studio system where celebrityclout, personal politics and petty vanities trump artistic integrity atevery turn.Worth a look-see.

revere2

(2012-03-15 23:49:13)

Maybe not the worst thing on TV

I've now watched five or six episodes of this program.First the good: The pacing isn't rushed, there's no laugh track, andMatt LeBlanc gives a generally competent performance.Now the bad: This is a program mostly about people I wouldn't want toknow in real life, and with whom I can't really identify. Almost allthe central characters are either despicable users, whinypassive/aggressive types, are carrying on an affair with a marriedboss, or are despicable in some other way(s). The program displays ahigh degree of sexual content, whether it's a scene about a characterbragging about the size of his genitals, or a scene of the married bossand his assistant copulating. Is it just too hard to be funny withoutshowcasing squalid, trashy, vulgar, and contemptible behavior? Is thistruly the stuff we Americans crave? I am 56 years old, and clearly this program is aimed at someone whosevalues and preferences bear little resemblance to mine.

beresfordjd

(2012-03-15 06:32:50)

Stick with it

I watched the first episode of Episodes and was not knocked out but sawthat it had some potential. Matt Le Blanc really makes this show with asatirical take on himself and "stars" generally. I am now on the fourthepisode and it has just gotten better and better. Most sitcoms are likethis - they rarely hit their stride right out of the traps - thoughFrasier and Friends manage to buck that trend. I have never been a fanof Tamsin Greig or Stephen Mangan but I am beginning to appreciatetheir talents in this. Episodes is a great concept and is well writtenand performed. It benefits from having no laugh track or studioaudience. Lots of reviewers here have written this off after the pilotepisode but it is their loss - I really like this show and hope itworks in the US as well as the UK. Added 22/02/11 Just watched thefinal episode of series 1 and I have grown to love this series-I justhope they recommission it. Matt Le Blanc should be lauded for the kindof bravery in acting that US stars usually forego. He was terrific inthis.

johncammies

(2012-03-06 07:30:18)

Promising Start

I enjoyed the first episode of Episodes, you've got Stephen Mangan,Tamsin Greig and of course Matt LeBlanc, what's not to like. There'ssome shock value humour, some more subtle laughs and some hilariousawkward moments; everything you need for a good start to a series, Ithink it shows promise and I'll definitely be tuning in next week.Now for the mildly Spoilery section:I really like the premise of the show, that it's a classy Britishsitcom ruined by it's American re-makers, because this is a thingeveryone has seen in the past and commented on, all the charm is lostand the casting is almost always wrong (however, though it is a bitdifferent I do love the US version of the Office). You've also got somegreat characters emerging already, Merc Lapidus seems like he'llprovide the blatant more slapstick humour; which I enjoyed in the firstepisode (if slightly cringeworthy in parts), and you have the big 3 whoseem to be gelling well already; and from viewing the trailer it seemsMatt and Sean's relationship will develop into something verywatchable.If you weren't as keen on the start of the Episodes series as me, Ithink it's definitely worth giving it a few 'Episodes' to settle in,most good comedies don't hit their stride for a few episodes or evenseries's so don't be too quick to judge Episodes. P.S I think it's important for people not to try and compare this toFriends, they're both very different shows; Friends is more foreveryone I feel and Episodes is a bit more niche and seems definitelymore adult.To wrap up, Episodes has made a promising start 9/10

Mesh13-03

(2012-03-05 15:33:51)

It's not Joey, Its the writer.

I have great hopes for Episodes especially for the obvious reason, MattLe Blanc and David Crane back together, but Crane isn't the onlywriter, is it? There is another guy named, Jefferey Klarik. Not sayinghe is badwriter, but judging (bias, I know!) from his writer-graphy, hehas a sheer of bad luck! Now, Episodes started out great and ended upalright. Nothing went wrong for the first six episode but the finalepisode for me was weak. It was cheap, not funny and predictable. Ilike the actor, especially Matt Le Blanc, I am an avid FRIENDS fan buthonestly speaking I am not fond of Joey. But here Matt build his owncharacter and playing his self version was hilarious as hell. I do likethe British couple, they are talented and funny as well. Some reviewsindicated that people don't get the humor, I do! Like I stated above,the first to six episodes were brilliant (screenplay and humor wise)but the final episode killed it! I'm glad they got renewed, I wanna seewhere Episodes is going and I hope it's gonna be entertaining as it'ssupposed to be.

Movie_Masher

(2012-03-04 16:08:30)

Episodes

The show said it perfectly 'I want to make love to your show'. Well, Iwant to make extreme amounts of passionate love to this show andeverything it stands for.Behind the comedy and witty satire, this show has a deep and meaningfulpurpose. It shows exactly what the entertainment industry is like. Howa perfect couple, deeply devoted to one another could potentially behilted by 'The industry' that they have worked so hard together to makeit into.This show is funny, heart felt and in a lot of ways elegant. The actingis sublime and the story is strong.I would recommend this to anyone looking for a REAL show to watch. Justwait and see how thick and fast you fall in love with the charactersand their struggle with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood as they walkdirectly into the belly of the beast itself.

Sloffy

(2012-03-04 05:18:00)

Dreadful

I watched the pilot hoping for an intelligent comedy that would parodythe destruction of great British comedy shows into absolutely rubbishUS remakes (eg. The Office, Shameless, Fawlty Towers, Life on Mars).What I saw was an absolutely rubbish attempt at making a parody of thedestruction of a terrible British comedy show into even more direrubbish. Awful, 1 star is being kind. The 2 British actors were clearly"hamming it up" for the American audience to understand their accents,which resulted in a lack of integrity and makes their acting seem evenworse. The male lead was dreadful. Tasmin Grieg has done much better(see Black Books), and lost any sort of respect with the desperateattempt in the pilot to make it more 'sexy' by taking her blouse off. The jokes were predictable and not funny. Do not watch this show unlessyou wish to torture yourself for 20 minutes.

ron_2110

(2012-02-23 08:19:12)

My Kind of Humor

To sum this show up, it's my kind of humor. I like Friends, Two and aHalf Men, The Office, etc, but this show has a different kind of humorto it. I agree that the first episode was doubtful. but the next 6 episodesreally hooked me. Its got what the two British writers are hoping forPucks, a smart humor. It's a change from the mainstream sitcom orslapstick even, that most people want, and I find it really refreshing.It tickles your wit, but not so much that you loose the humor. It's sadthat not most people get it, but when you do, it's a real treat!Can't wait for the next series!

A56T

(2012-02-22 17:41:27)

I love it / I hate it

Episodes has a lot going for it. It is sharply written and the cast aregood with Matt Le Blanc proving to be the star of the show and stealsevery scene he is in. Mangan and Grieg do their bit and the show withina show element is good fun.However it cannot be ignored that the show has a very dark undertonethat keeps rearing its head. The jokes about Merc's blind wife are invery poor taste and the constant effing and blinding is both offputting and not needed. What does it add to Crane and Klarik's script -nothing. It just cheapens the show.I sat through the dull first episode (let's face it, it was dull), Isat through the effing and blinding the vomiting but I cannot sit backand watch scenes like the one featured in episode five. First of allthe rape jokes were really really in poor taste and to then end theepisode with clear masturbation and porn sightings just concluded myviewing of the show. Just because a show is on cable doesn't mean you can disregard allsenses of decency.

jazebelle

(2012-02-18 02:19:12)

Just don't get it

OK... sorry the only way anyone is actually going to enjoy this newseries is if they were above the age of 40, or went to some preppyboarding school in their childhood. I'm afraid I couldn't connect to itor find anything amusing about the show. Be it 2 episodes only so far,I'm not really kicking and screaming, anticipating the rest. Somehow Ifear it might stop its run before the first season ends, or may just becanceled after the first season. Let's get down to the tiny facts. For one the characters who play thetwo writers of a TV Series, Beverly and Sean Lincoln, have absolutelyno chemistry between them. Instead of looking like a happily marriedcouple, they look like they could play a mother and son role. Givingthat Tamsin is older, this only further proves that point. Secondly, it isn't funny at all, sadly. I did not laugh, not once, butoddly enough found John Pankow to be the most entertaining person inthe show. As for Leblanc, well I was a fan of his when he played Joeyin FRIENDS definitely, but I wonder how his character is going todevelop here and relate to the audience. I suppose that's one reason tokeep watching the show and look forward to it's coming episodes. Still overall, Episodes isn't doing it for me. I hope it either picksup in coming episodes, for 'Joey's' sake, or I simply can chose not towatch it anymore.

manja2005

(2012-02-17 10:04:17)

Could be the next big thing

OK,let me start my review by saying that there aren't many good comedyshows or sitcoms in TV these days.I was hugely disappointed whenCharlie Sheen was removed from Two and a half men,forinstance.Well,then I came across this show and found the premise quiteinteresting. Season 1,of the show was fairly good,with some smart humorscattered here and there.The show reminds you of 30 Rock at places. Ifyou love 30 Rock,then you will probably love this one too. Still what'scool about this show is that,the pilot made me watch the subsequentepisodes. Acting wise,The performances by the lead actors were prettygood,especially Matt LeBlanc,who I think,is the best in the show.He mayhave gotten older,but acting-wise,he's still remains one of my favoriteTV Actors. However,the drawbacks of Season 1 were,as I said before,fewand scattered jokes,and less number of episodes,only 7,also,I couldn'tunderstand some of the British words. However,I still feel that,if theshow is given a chance,then yeah,with some slick writing,it may turnout to be the next big thing ever,Talk of the Town,if I may. Probablythe best episode of Season 1 is the finale episode,the fight betweenMatt and Sean is quite hilarious. On concluding,I would like to saythat,Season 1 does not disappoint you.

therefdotcom

(2012-02-11 21:27:44)

good, but could and should be better.

this TV series basically combines three things: all elements that wereused to write the movie "TV set", just with less bitterness, two of thebest British actors/comedians alive and joey from friends playing mattle blanc. no, it is not a mix up, i mean joey playing matt, not theother way around. know what i mean? ;)oh and one could also say that quite a lot of stuff got borrowed offthe wonderful steve martin movie LA story.anyway it takes a while really get into the pilot episode, but afterthat it really unfolds in a great way. i was an instant fan after thepilot and couldn't wait for more. as i mentioned, this is basically thestoryline of the movie "TV set" with some minor changes. while in TVset it is one American writer who's intention to do a great TV seriesgets destroyed in the US TV production blender, in this TV series it isa British couple, who get lured into remaking their hit-UK series forthe USA, which THEN gets destroyed in said blender. the main difference is, that TV set is a bitter bitter movie that aimsto be a comedy, but fails as that and turns out to be an interestingdrama, under a false premisse, while episodes deals with the samematter by ridiculing the hell outta it. it has this lighthearted"charme in bitterness" that usually only UK series like the early lovesoup seasons bring to the table. also it is set in LA, so all theclichГѓВ©s about LA will be thrown into the mix, so expect 60% of the "lastory" stereotypes to get re-heated. to top it all off they force mattle blanc onto the protagonists as a lead actor for their series, whichworks astonishing well at the beginning.as i wrote, the pilot episode was fantastic. not necessarily flawless,as a couple of gags didn't really work out at all, while some otherswere written brilliantly and some of the characters could have usedsome more work before calling it the final draft.anyway, the whole concept kinda works until and including episode 3. ijust recently watched episode 5 and very sadly i gotta admit that theyseem to have no further idea as to what to do now with the storyline,which makes it a bit boring at the moment, because everything seems tobe just repeating itself. as for the other reviews, who seem to be very black/white for the mostpart i gotta say this: it is an at least mildly clever series, there isno doubt about it. it is solidly produced, written and acted.objectively you can not come to a different conclusion. it is notpretentious high brow attempt that terribly fails as some peoplestated.on the other hand it isn't the supersolid, groundbreakinggiganto-series that finally emerges British and American sitcom stylesfor the first time. it's moments range from brilliant to mediocre, withthe occasional complete stinker-moment.it is solid, the pilot was brilliant and in recent episodes it startedto lose momentum. i hope the writer are able to recover the series anddeliver us a mighty tasty and mighty funny season finale.

Andreas Karpasitis

(2012-02-11 09:29:02)

People don't get it...

This show is very clever doing what it does. The only reason somepeople don't like it is because their sense of humor is skewed. I neverexpected the humor to be like friends because of Matt or David Crane. Iexpected the same commitment from Matt though. He pours his self in thecharacter, since he is playing an extravagant fictional version ofhimself and creates excellent scenes between the two British writers.Sure it is dark and very hard to get into in the first episode, butafter episode 2 I was sold. Episode 3 was even better as there was moreMatt to go around!! His interactions with Beverly, their sniping ateach other and fighting felt genuine and was extremely funny! Give theshow a chance and try to expand your comical vocabulary!