Worst Week

This is a rare example where the American version of a TV show is better than the British original. The original was merely frustrating in its Sisyphean contrivances whereas the American is more sweet-natured and the actors are more likable. I particularly loved the scene where a stunned budgie is mistaken for a growing erection in the hapless hero's pants while he watches his fiancée's sister breastfeeding – it's more complicated than that of course but still hilarious! The fiancée's father is played by Kurtwood Smith from Dead Poets' Society and many other good movies. Unfortunately Channel 10 in Australia gave up on the show after a few episodes because of poor ratings.

Melanie Clayton (Erinn Hayes) is seven weeks pregnant and she's announcing her engagement to Sam Briggs (Kyle Bornheimer) at the family gathering. In the pilot, he meets his future in-laws Angela (Nancy Lenehan) and judge Dick Clayton (Kurtwood Smith) in a diaper. He pees into the food and Dick slips on his pee. He mistakenly assumes that Dick is dead and tells the family with the distressing false bad news. The show expands with her sister Sarah (Jessica St. Clair) and her husband Chad (Hayes MacArthur), brother David (RonReaco Lee) and heart-broken Chloe (Brooke Nevin). Sam's friend Adam (Nick Kroll) comes to try to fix the painting of Dick that Sam ruined and starts hooking up with Chloe.

Through incompetence, bad luck and nervousness, Sam is the butt of all of the jokes in the show. It is very forced even more so than the usual sitcom. Every week has Sam doing something stupid. It gets a bit repetitive. Kyle Bornheimer is an OK comedic actor although his usual nervous act does get tired. It helps a lot whenever Erinn Hayes joins him in the stupidity. She needs to be more than the girlfriend trying to placate her parents and encourage her boyfriend. She needs to be as big of an idiot as Sam is.

My mom told me to watch this show so I finally gave it a chance. It was so funny! It's one of those shows where you're embarrassed for the guy like in move's like "Meet the Parents", "There's something about Marry" or "Super Star". I kept having to hide my face in fear of the consequences of some of his crazy mishaps he would get himself into. I was laughing aloud the whole time. So the only thing I can warn you about is those stomach cramps you get when you laugh too much. I wouldn't listen to anyone saying it's not funny. You should watch it and then take your own opinion. I'm not really into British Comedy but I might even have to look up the British version to see if it's as funny.

I really didn't know much about the program before I watched it. I wasn't expecting much. I just finished watching the first episode of Worst Week and I'm still wiping the tears from my eyes. Yes, I laughed until I cried. This episode was one hilarious event after another.

It was a cross between Meet the Parents and sometimes Weekend at Bernie's. The main character had the worst luck of anyone I have ever seen! I only worry that the premise might get old and become less funny episode after episode. I hope not.

One great thing about this show is no laugh track! Yay!

Don't miss this one! It's one in a million.

Sorry folks, but this is, once again, a very bad attempt by Americans to remake brilliant comedies from other countries, and failing miserably. They have done this with a number of shows and it's getting irritating. While this isn't unfunny, the jokes aren't delivered well, with the exception of the father who is simply brilliant at delivering snappy laughs, and it seems to have been re-written for an American specific audience. If you haven't seen or heard of the original series, then you might enjoy this mildly, but otherwise I would recommend getting your hands on the British make. This is a mediocre comedy, with rehashed jokes, taken down a notch in class for a simpler audience. The sad thing is, this is the only version the mainstream audiences of Australia will see, like they did with The Office, Life on Mars and Kath & Kim.