Watch This Now: Spaced. Plus, what Brit show should I watch next?

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Watch This Now: Spaced. Plus, what Brit show should I watch next?

POSTED: Monday, July 27, 2009, 6:28 PM

Filed Under: TV Watch

Last week, arts editor extraordinaire Carolyn Huckabay noted how she had just watched the movie Hot Fuzz. Her BF Facebooked the experience positively and he was met with a deluge of comments agreeing that it was the best movie ever. She wanted to know what brought on this degree of of fanaticism. I totally get it: Easily recognizable film tropes (cop/action movies for Hot Fuzz, zombie movies for Simon Pegg/Edgar Wright/Nick Frost previous collabo Shaun of the Dead) lampooned with love.

But it all began with their sitcom Spaced, about Tim (Pegg) and Daisy (Jessica Hynes) who pretend to be married in order to rent a flat. It's the classic sitcom formula ' a man and a woman in a strange situation, surrounded by a cast of wacky supporting characters. But these characters are not of the similar, based in reality weirdos that populate the television landscape. These people are fucked, like Tim's war-loving BFF Mike (Frost, surely one of the great sidemen) and Brian, the troubled artist who may or may not be a serial killer. It's British comedy, so Tim and Daisy are endearing because they are down-and-out losers just like you and me. Like serious losers. It's not schadenfreude, per se, more like a mirror of your own shortcomings. Which may be worse. And like all will-they-or-won't-they?!?! American sitcoms, there's entirely no sexual chemistry ' ever ' between Tim and Daisy. They just want to be flatmates, and that's refreshing. It's also not constructed like a sitcom; Wright plays with temporality and the juxtaposition of scenes that points to his future career in film. But the biggest difference is that the writing doesn't wait for you to laugh. If you've missed the joke, you don't deserve to think it's funny anyway. Hulu just put up seasons one and two. Embedded above is the pilot, which happens to be my fave.

My equally-Spaced-obsessed friend Emily are in a British TV drought. We've done the classics ' Black Adder, Fawlty Towers ' and some new shows released over here ' The Office, Alan Partridge, Skins. Because we don't watch enough American TV ('), we need suggestions. Hit me up with your favorite TV show to satiate our Anglophilia.

cummins

Posted 2009-07-27 14:55:06

Peep Show is where it's at. Also, Being Human (it's like True Blood with Brits and more consistent characters).

cummins

Posted 2009-07-27 14:55:28

Black Books as well.

Shanana

Posted 2009-07-27 19:33:56

you need to look up the following: Green Wing (same team as Spaced) Black Books (same as above) Both are surreal, bitter comedies in familiar settings (a hospital and used bookstore, respectively). Would also recommend Top Gear and That Mitchell and Webb Look, a car show (you've probably seen it) and a rather hilarious sketch comedy show. All have a surreal bent and are very dry. Enjoy!! --- An American in Scotland

C. Watt

Posted 2009-07-27 21:57:38

"Brass Eye". It's a fake news magazine show. The one about drugs is insane. Also, the guy who created that one (Chris Morris) worked as a writer on a show called "Nathan Barley", about a dimwitted London hipster that plays as a broad parody of all manner of "cutting edge" culture. I must say I disagree with your remark about the lack of sexual tension between Tim and Daisy. Have you watched all of season 2 yet?

Mike

Posted 2009-07-28 11:19:52

As previously mentioned Black Books is great and features cameos by all of your SPACED favorites. Other than that I highly reccommend Peep Show. It's hilarious!

neil brimelow

Posted 2009-08-05 20:46:22

I cast my vote for PEEP SHOW! It is one of the funniest shows period. You have to give it a few episodes to get used to it. You can catch the first season on HULU, and the rest on Youtube. Unfortunately, the idiots at Channel 4 won't release the show on dvd in America, despite the fact that the sets are a top seller in England.

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