The eighty-third TV show: #764 Outnumbered
I've been struggling how to approach this series. We've watched it before and enjoyed it. There are a bunch of good moments and it's quite recognisable - this is what life with kids looks like. At the same time, I've not been overly enthusiastic about watching it either. Why? I think part of it is that the show has a tendency to repeat similar beats and doesn't always bring something original to the table. That's fine in shorter stretches, but not when you binge a bunch of them. That's not because of the parents' plots. Claire Skinner and Hugh Dennis are good, as expected, carrying whatever they need to do while having the right level of exasperation at the kids and their actions, while dealing with their grown up problems. Tyger Drew-Honey, as he's slightly older at the start of the series, gets more to do as well and continues to be a delight to watch. The level of awareness is greater, which means he's as game as any of the adults, which creates both fun and emotional situations.
Ben and Karen, the two younger kids, feel less strong. The show, at least early on, relies quite a bit on improvised reactions from the kids, not scripted. While handled quite well, it can hit a lot of the same notes, at times quite manic, and that gets quite exhausting - you keep hoping for something new, but it doesn't get there, while also not developing much through the episode. The later seasons get better at that, as the kids grow into their roles, but if you're watching it in order now, I think you might almost want to skip to later seasons.
For a first watch, though, it's a lot of fun, especially seeing the kids grow up and develop. They change away from their initial roles, but in the end, enough is recognisable throughout to make this a fun, if small scale comedy.