MovieChat Forums > Black Books (2001) Discussion > does it really get better?

does it really get better?

posted 12 years ago by J_odelay
28 replies | jump to latest

i heard great things about this show and after watching episode 1, i'm... meh. i do enjoy british comedy. black adder, faulty towers, red dwarf, monty python and mr.bean if i'm in the right mood. this first episode however didn't do much for me other than the "jesus" scare at the end. there was way to much canned laughter at times where it wasn't funny. i love Dylan Moran as a stand up, but i wasn't that impressed with what i saw from episode 1. should i really keep going or is this a cult show like red dwarf? i love the dwarf, but after the pilot, i'm no where hooked on this show yet.

ps, also recomend other british shows that i need to watch. i remember an "odd couple" type show from the 90's that was great, but i forget what it was called. any suggestions? one guy always seemed to be "dirty or gross". that's all i remember, other than being funny.

[–] catjoescreed 9 years ago

This is my all-time favorite show. I gave it a 10. I can watch it over and over. Anyone who loves this will probably also love Spaced and the original (UK) The Office, and perhaps Flight of the Conchords.

That said, it's not for everybody. Nothing is. There are dozens and dozens of shows I absolutely loathe, and many of them are immensely popular with other people. Different strokes. Oh well.

[–] ptuk-1 9 years ago

I wasn't sure after the first episode but it does get better, it feels a lot like the IT crowd but set in a bookshop, the episode with the cleaning guy was particularly funny and the episode with the security system reminded me of an episode of the IT Crowd where Roy gets locked out of the office, on the whole I'd say it's good and very funny but clearly not for everyone.

[–] suzytrack 9 years ago

Thanks for the tip, I'll give it another chance. I adored the IT crowd and the British Office, so hopefully I'll enjoy it just as much.

[–] matthyew 9 years ago

loved the series from the beginning, great comedy from great comedians. wish there was more

[–] marcscottconnolly-06436 9 years ago

I observe a few trends in the negative reviews here and elsewhere.

First, it's easy for Americans especially to consider ideas like "British comedy", when in fact they are representing an entire genre on a few programs spanning decades. Cherry picking a few of your favorites and declaring them the standard for another country's national identity in media is presumptuous, and quite American (though also quite historically British).

Also, it's very American to consider genres in distilled, homogenized terms, as this is what has become of the media industry in the US, but creative production in most of the world is more varied than the cookie-cutter cliche machine which is Hollywood. It's also typically more personal, exploratory, and produced more cheaply.

Fact is, entertainment is completely subjective, and it's only a sense of entitlement that suggests that every product must meet your personal standards or match "British comedy" as you've defined it for yourself. Was "The Young Ones" funny or just rude and gross? Is "Qi" a proper, British comedy program or just a quiz show? Was "Hamish Macbeth" a comedy at all by your standards, or was it too derivative of US influences? I personally enjoyed all those shows, but I'd not expect many people from my neck of the woods to do so. They do/did find their audience, though, and it's for those people that the show is meaningful.

Maybe it's just a sense of being left out? It's ok. There's lots for you to enjoy. You don't need to compare your sensibilities to others in some rating system. Just enjoy and maybe let others enjoy.