The Trouble with Maggie Cole

As an American, I found this short series to be very intriguing and enjoyable. To me, the acting by all was uniformly excellent. Each actor/actress developed a unique character who was fascinating to watch as the story unfolded. Dawn French in particular. There are plenty of twists and turns as the six episodes proceed, and while there is drama, there is also some wonderful humor - and, hey, that's the way real life is most of the time, isn't it? In the United States, we rarely get to see a series like this - most of our tv is flash and trash or special effects with comic book superheroes. But, here, we see real life in a small town and how it can be thrown off balance by one careless citizen. The production values are top notch (the scenery is terrific), the direction is excellent, and the writing is smart and clever. The final episode alone is worth the trip. One of the best series conclusions I have ever seen. Really well done by all.

In isolation at home and flicking through ITV hub I came across a Dawn French show I wasn't aware of, wasn't initially sure why this had passed me by.

However, halfway through the first episode I realised why none of my friends and the media had been talking about this show. Extremely poor writing. Are there no good writers out there anymore?

I struggled to get to episode 4 and then just had to give up.

Sorry Dawn I love you, but most certainly don't love this! This is truly another failure for ITV.

The cast is mostly engaging and some of the dialogue is clever. As a Dawn French fan thanks to Vicar of Dibley, she was my reason to tune in. Her character is a little too much, though. Main issue I had with the series was the over-abundance of plots (especially the Alex and the Money one). I give the writers a nod for giving the Karen character the name "Karen."

I have no idea what the negative reviewers watched, but it wasn't this show! I found none of their reviews accurate or relevant. This is a very well made show telling a great story with beautiful scenery and great acting. See it for yourself - it's short and I watched it all this morning.

The well-known cast (Dawn French, Mark Heap etc) draw you in, but the cliché characters and cheap storyline develop at an extremely slow pace making for a difficult watch. The writing is truly a mess and all over the place. Neither funny, dramatic or interesting.

I kept watching trying to fathom why ITV thought this would be suitable for an 8pm mid-week slot, possibly more suited as a daytime drama on an unknown satellite channel.

Please please ITV don't waste your money on commissioning another series, a better option would be throwing it down the drain. Dawn French, focus on making another series of the exquisite drama Delicious.

1 star for the stunning location and costumes, most certaintly not worthy of the ghastly writting.