Ballykissangel

It is not for everybody most likely but as you can see at my rating it is for me. I never saw this originally when it came out but a re-run about 6 years or so ago. I really enjoyed the simple humor, the simple drama, the stories as a whole, the characters. It's nearly real life with a bit of a twist at times but you could imagine is to actually have taken place. It never left my mind so this year I bought the DVD's to watch it all again and, so far, not disappointing, it has not lost it's charm. You like action, hero's, spectacular drama, belly aching laughter, this is not for you. You like good humor that puts a smile on your face, a nice story line, things that could be happening next door (if you would live there), this is for you.

I suspect it's difficult to sustain a long story line without occasional lapses into soap-opera territory. The occasional agonized glances and cryptic dialogue remind me I should say, "Offer it up."

That said, the writers do a masterful job with the various roles. It's reminiscent of some of Peter DeVries, whose dotty Irish characters alternately delighted and irritated. I've watched three series, and it's remarkable how the actors vanish into their roles, unlike other bar-themed productions like Cheers. Frazier was a great character, but he was still Kelsey Grammer.

Sidenotes--If Gary Whelan (Brendan) isn't a reincarnated Joe McCarthy, I don't know who could be, and if If the late Niall Tobin as the pastor wasn't a priest, he should have been.

The ensemble simply shines from top to bottom. Deirdre Donnelly as the vet and Bosco Hogan as the town GP make you wish they were treating you or your pets, and Peter Caffrey as Padraig is the barfly you'd always buy a drink for.

I somehow started liking the series, the chemistry between priest and the pub owner was good, there was good humor, the family drama, the amateurity writings ,the smalltown character they were going good somehow. But they killed the main character immaturely, they killed the show at the end of the season 3. And I stopped watching it then.

This is a great series. As you watch you get pulled into the lives of the various characters living in a small village. While there is a tendency to romanticize the rural life in many films (and in part here), there is a greater depth than the average show. There is much humor in this series and also much heat break. As much as the viewer yearns for things to go right in the characters lives, things tend to go wrong and the characters must deal with personal loss, death, divorce, and financial ruin. For a show billed as a comedy, it is more drama with an overlay of humor. I am being somewhat vague in this review because this is a series to be dipped into for episodes that are uplifting and heart warming but ultimately overshadowed by reality. If you watch it once you will find find that after the passage of a few years you are longing to revisit Ballykissangel and share in the lives of what almost become real people.

If you've ever the chance to watch this program, do give it a chance. It's brilliant and even though some characters have left it is still just as great! The new characters are very exciting and as always it is very well written. I answer to those who watch on PBS in the states, I've heard they are starting to play new episodes now.