A while ago I happened to notice that there are barely any reviews of TV shows on this site. I also noticed that there's a lot of love here for quickly cancelled British shows. So thought I'd take the chance to review a show I recently found, which quickly became one of my favourite shows of all time. I am talking about the wonder that is Spaced.
Ok lets start with this. If you are a fan of Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz you will love this. The show's cast includes some of the same stars, one of the same writers and the same director as these movies. If you didn't like those movies what the hell is wrong with you this probably isn't the show for you. It carries the same feel as the movies mostly due to the idea for Shaun of the Dead being thought of during filming for a dream sequence for this show. So if you didn't like Shaun and Fuzz just stop reading now. You won't like this and I won't like you.
Spaced first came to our screens in 1999 but only made it to 2001 with two series' (fourteen episodes). And we've found our first problem. Why the hell was there only fourteen episodes. That's ridiculous. It's amazing to see how fresh, interesting shows like this can end so abruptly, while other more generic, less interesting shows can go on for so many years. But that's for another review.
Spaced focuses on the lives of Tim Bisley (Simon Pegg) and Daisy Steiner (Jessica Stevenson) who decide to pretend to be a professional couple so that they can rent a flat together. The other main cast members include Tim's best friend and weapons expert Mike (Nick Frost), Daisy's best (yet cruel) friend Twist (Katy Carmichael), alcoholic landlady Marsha (Julia Deakin), and angsty artist Brian (Mark Heap). All of these people can take making you laugh and turn it into an art. Hell even Colin (Aida) is great at getting laughs, and she's a dog. All of the actors have great chemistry together and they piece the show together. When you can make a paintball fight seem dramatic, you know you're doing your job.
The supporting cast work just as well. In fact I found myself wanting to see more of them. Tim's antics with his rival Duane (shown above) were hilarious and Tyres had some of the best jokes in the show.
While the shows main plot is very simplistic it's the surreal humour and the large amount of pop culture references that make the show stand out. Despite frequently referencing stuff like The X Files and Star Wars and having some ridiculously over the top stories the characters always feel down to earth and relatable to. I think this is one of the best things about the show. It doesn't limit itself in craziness yet knows how to make us connect with the characters. This is a very hard thing to do but somehow Spaced pulls it off perfectly.
I can't think of any possible way to accurately write down what the humour is like. This isn't just because of how unbelievably funny it is but because it's so different to anything else that's ever been on TV. It's definitely, by far the most creative show I've ever seen. From the first episode to the last they had some of the funniest jokes, some of the best callbacks and some of the most detailed parodies ever seen on TV. However, while the parodies and references are done extremely well, they make up the bulk of the shows humour. If you don't get them a lot of jokes will fall flat. Like I said, there is no proper way to describe it so just watch it. I don't care how you do it, just do it. It would be criminal not to. It is truly one of the best things you'll ever see.
To sum up Spaced is one of the most interesting and funny shows ever known to man. It's definitely worth watching no matter how you do it. However, the many pop culture references may alienate some viewers. By the way, sorry if this seemed like a bit of a fanboygasm at some points. It starts great and ends great, with the shows quirky humour appearing up in the very first scene and refusing to leave. And I love them for it.
Tim: Is there someone else?
Sarah: Sort of.
Tim: Oh... What?
Sarah: My boyfriend.
Tim: That bastard! I bloody knew it!
So that's my review of Spaced. I don't think I can properly tell you what this show is like but just watch these scenes. They're one of the funniest (and wierdest) moments in Spaced and can probably give you a better idea of what the show is about than I ever could
Thanks for reading. As always, comments and criticism are more than welcome.
Ok lets start with this. If you are a fan of Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz you will love this. The show's cast includes some of the same stars, one of the same writers and the same director as these movies. If you didn't like those movies what the hell is wrong with you this probably isn't the show for you. It carries the same feel as the movies mostly due to the idea for Shaun of the Dead being thought of during filming for a dream sequence for this show. So if you didn't like Shaun and Fuzz just stop reading now. You won't like this and I won't like you.
Spaced first came to our screens in 1999 but only made it to 2001 with two series' (fourteen episodes). And we've found our first problem. Why the hell was there only fourteen episodes. That's ridiculous. It's amazing to see how fresh, interesting shows like this can end so abruptly, while other more generic, less interesting shows can go on for so many years. But that's for another review.
Spaced focuses on the lives of Tim Bisley (Simon Pegg) and Daisy Steiner (Jessica Stevenson) who decide to pretend to be a professional couple so that they can rent a flat together. The other main cast members include Tim's best friend and weapons expert Mike (Nick Frost), Daisy's best (yet cruel) friend Twist (Katy Carmichael), alcoholic landlady Marsha (Julia Deakin), and angsty artist Brian (Mark Heap). All of these people can take making you laugh and turn it into an art. Hell even Colin (Aida) is great at getting laughs, and she's a dog. All of the actors have great chemistry together and they piece the show together. When you can make a paintball fight seem dramatic, you know you're doing your job.
The supporting cast work just as well. In fact I found myself wanting to see more of them. Tim's antics with his rival Duane (shown above) were hilarious and Tyres had some of the best jokes in the show.
While the shows main plot is very simplistic it's the surreal humour and the large amount of pop culture references that make the show stand out. Despite frequently referencing stuff like The X Files and Star Wars and having some ridiculously over the top stories the characters always feel down to earth and relatable to. I think this is one of the best things about the show. It doesn't limit itself in craziness yet knows how to make us connect with the characters. This is a very hard thing to do but somehow Spaced pulls it off perfectly.
I can't think of any possible way to accurately write down what the humour is like. This isn't just because of how unbelievably funny it is but because it's so different to anything else that's ever been on TV. It's definitely, by far the most creative show I've ever seen. From the first episode to the last they had some of the funniest jokes, some of the best callbacks and some of the most detailed parodies ever seen on TV. However, while the parodies and references are done extremely well, they make up the bulk of the shows humour. If you don't get them a lot of jokes will fall flat. Like I said, there is no proper way to describe it so just watch it. I don't care how you do it, just do it. It would be criminal not to. It is truly one of the best things you'll ever see.
To sum up Spaced is one of the most interesting and funny shows ever known to man. It's definitely worth watching no matter how you do it. However, the many pop culture references may alienate some viewers. By the way, sorry if this seemed like a bit of a fanboygasm at some points. It starts great and ends great, with the shows quirky humour appearing up in the very first scene and refusing to leave. And I love them for it.
Tim: Is there someone else?
Sarah: Sort of.
Tim: Oh... What?
Sarah: My boyfriend.
Tim: That bastard! I bloody knew it!
So that's my review of Spaced. I don't think I can properly tell you what this show is like but just watch these scenes. They're one of the funniest (and wierdest) moments in Spaced and can probably give you a better idea of what the show is about than I ever could
Thanks for reading. As always, comments and criticism are more than welcome.
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Games:Quantum of Solace [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.131732]
