The Lake

So many shows these days mistake rapid-fire dialogue for wittiness. It is an attempt to make the character sound quick and with it, but it frequently makes them have dialogue that sounds forced and pathetically unfunny. That is the case here. The first of a few flaws. The quality shows have characters that speak with natural rhythm. The development and interaction flows evenly and the humor is naturally funny. The characters in The Lake come out of the starting gate trying to entertain the audience by forcing the issue. There is also a believability factor missing here. The relationships just don't feel real or believable.

This is a comfort food watch with an edge. I love that it's not shying away from adult themes and language, but is also very sweet. I also enjoy the diverse cast of characters, and the actors are very believable in their roles. I have LOL'd several times, and I also feel empathy for the characters, even Maisie. Granted, I am 3 episodes in, but I can feel I'm on binge with this one. Another reviewer mentioned Schitt's Creek; if you liked S1 of Schitt's Creek at the time it was released - before it was all the rage, I think you would love The Lake also.

This show so wants to be the next Schitts Creek, and it so isn't. I guess SC's first season was a bit rough, but the characters grew on you. These characters, I genuinely disliked more and more as the show went on. About the only lovable one was the handyman/storekeeper whose name I've already forgotten.

The plot was a bit of a stretch from the start, and, again, grew more rediculous as the episodes unfolded, with an awful ending and no sense of closure.

The show had a lot of potential, and squandered it all. I hope Amazon save their money and don't bother making the second season.

Not sure why there are so many negative reviews but I guess haters gonna hate. This series is a witty, light hearted summer tale of a gay dad and the daughter he gave up for adoption They find conflict with the dad's stepsister when he discovers she inherited the family cottage from his father. The schemes to get back his inheritance are silly but fun. The acting is good, the interaction between cast works. It's not Emmy winning material, fellow reviewers, but it's still good. The lead actor holds his own, and Julia Stiles delivers as always. Highly recommend for ....... lite summer viewing.

I thought they stopped writing bad sitcoms like this in the 1980s, but here we are. It's a sitcom, so you expect the over-the-top plots and ridiculous behavior, but what you don't want it tired repetitive jokes. That is just lazy, low bar writing, which this has plenty of. For example they play the 'I'm her father - I mean birth father!' joke at least half a dozen times in the first episode alone. Then the lead, Justin, has a crush and makes a sexual innuendo joke 'by mistake' at every meeting, greeting, goodbye, etc. It's just such lazy writing you could make a drinking game out of it.

The location is lovely. I've never had a summer house to go to, but in the movies it is always like this, so it is a nice fantasy to live. The characters are kind of entertaining, the premise of the adopted daughter having to get to know her birth father is a great one to have fun with - but 2 episodes in - and they haven't begun to mine it for all the humor it could have.

Again, it just comes down to poor writing. Had promise, but fails.