Just Good Friends

John Sullivan was one of the best British comedy writers ever and this sitcom proves that.

Each episode is well crafted with lots of warm hearted moments that puts the crude comedy of today to shame. Every character is three dimensional and real to the point where we root for them and wish them well.

It is such a shame that this sitcom is not repeated very often because lots of the jokes still remain as funny as they were when the show was first broadcast.

However the biggest shame is that John Sullivan is still not around today to create more fantastic moments of comedy like he has in this great BBC sitcom.

i saw this 19 years after it was first released. the BBC have started running it from the start, and i couldn't move after watching the World Cup on tv, and on this popped -- i remember being a kid when this was on, but didn't know anything about it -- anyways, the first episode got me suckered in with a reminiscing jerk of the emotions... i have seen about 7 episodes now, and the one liners can be great, the inter-action between the 2 leads is cute, and i'm interested to see the direction it will go :)

not as good as only fools and horses (sullivan's more renowned comedy series) but very good nonetheless... oh, and i really dig that theme song! ;)

Didn't realise this drivel was written by John Sullivan, the man who copied every character - episode - storyline from Steptoe & Son to write Only fools and horses. Don't believe me then watch every episode of Steptoe then go watch Only fools and you'll see the names Rodney, Delboy, Alby-Albert etc etc all mentioned in Steptoe. This Just good friends is utter drivel where every episode is the same. Awful show from a conman.

The series follows the wavering relationship between two ex-lovers, Penny Warrender, a secretary for an advertising firm, and Vincent Pinner, an ex-ice cream salesman turned turf-accountant (bookmaker) who is the son of a wealthy scrap-metal merchant. The couple split up following Vincent's decision not to marry Penny on their wedding day, leaving her at the altar. In the pilot episode, 5 years since their intended wedding day, they meet again by chance in a pub while out on individual dates. They decide to forget the past and become friends, although the rekindling of their relationship is not welcomed by Penny's snobbish parents, particularly her mother Daphne.

I realise that I'm in a minority here, but on a recent second viewing, I was more than a little disappointed with this series. First time round I was captivated and looked forward to each episode. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can see it's faults with its increasingly far fetched plot lines and insufferable canned laughter.

Unlike "Only Fools and Horses", there is very little by way of character development. All seem to be one dimensional and, in at least a couple of instances, poorly acted. I'm thinking here in particular of Daphne Warrender and Les Pinner.

But on a positive note, the early episodes of the first series still stand the test of time some 38 years later and can be enjoyed over and over again. Episode 4 of the third series, "Juanita", contains a very tender scene between Mr and Mrs Warrender when they finally loose their inhibitions and express their deep love for each other, possibly for the first time since their marriage vows.

Unbelievably Just Good Friends is actually the same bloke, that gave us one of the best TV comedy shows Only Fools and Horses, it's one that I have taken until now to bother to watch it at all.

Surprisingly John Sullivan actually wrote the shows signature song, which even more unlikely is sung by the shows lead actor Paul Nicholas.

Two families one of which is "The Pinners" Less Pinner is the bloke who has built up a pile in a scrap metal business, Rita Pinner with a voice akin to a "screech owl" sons Clifford perpetually confused and accident prone, and Vincent the smart Alec proprietor of a turf accountants.

The second family is the Warrenders, Norman is a nice amiable easy going bloke, but a veritable doormat to his overbearing spouse, Daphne Warrender is the archetypal harridan overbearing, obnoxious and thoroughly egocentric. The daughter is "Lady Penelope" a reference to the character, in the TV series which I think was Thunderbirds, the stuck up pompous and somewhat snooty character, and a carbon copy of her mum.

The couple Penny and Vincent have a relationship akin to a ride, on the Big Dipper at Blackpool without any of the fun and excitement, for an otherwise grownup woman, Penny invariably shows all of the maturity of a spoil brat. While Vincent behaves like a kid, who wants all of the candy in the sweet shop, along with being the archetypal Jack the lad.

I had no expectations of Just Good Friends and it hasn't disappointed, it's most certainly not up to to standards of Only Fools and Horses, but for all that it's not too bad, a rather amiable and unpretentious comedy, about the ups and downs of human relationships.