The one hundred thirteenth TV show: #877 Episodes
Episodes is another show we stopped watching after a while, although I'm less clear on why that was. We enjoyed the first season, and rewatching it it's still amazing, but it faded out a bit around the third season for us. I think that for us, it was more about the amount of shows we're watching, and how it gets slightly darker. The concept of two British comedy writers bringing their award winning sitcom to the US, getting annoyed with the system they have to deal with. The two writers are played by Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig, both giants in the British comedy scenes. We loved both in Green Wing and in particular saw Tamsin Greig in both Friday Night Dinner and Black Books in great parts as well. They have great chemistry and get their performances right on all levels. They bicker immensely well, which works great for the show.
The third side of the triangle, during the show partially a love triangle, is Matt LeBlanc. Although he's obviously known mostly for his role as Joey in Friends, in this series he shows that he can do more than that. He plays what you'd expect him to be like - wise in the ways of US showbiz, but also vapid standard celeb. It's quite self aware and his confidence in making a fool of himself works well. He manages to flirt with both of the other characters and comes across as incredibly charming, which means he can get away with the antics on the show.
Although not singled out as often, Kathleen Rose Perkins' performance is just as good, both piling on to the showbiz vapidness while also be aware enough of it that he can get the Lincolns through all of it.
Rewatching it, the show moves quite quickly through the first season. A lot happens, and while some of the twists are a bit obvious, there are enough layers to it that they work. It feels like a British sitcom made in Hollywood, avoiding the obvious pitfalls that the show shows would happen if it was a network comedy rather than on Showtime. The way it skewers both side works well and the actors apply themselves well enough that the performances raises it even further. Perhaps not perfect in places and the show may not hold up, but it's worth watching the show's take off.