Game-On

I think this is a forgotten gem. I rewatched it recently and forgot how funny it is, not to mention so many great cameos. Launched so many careers. The characters are perfectly written and perfectly cast. I first thought it should have carried on for more series' but actually it would have become boring and repetitive. The fact that they recast Matt didn't seem to have any detriment whatsoever. Both are equally funny in their own way. The whole show hasn't aged at all and the jokes and situations are all relevant nowadays. Soon, I'm sure someone will remake it which would be great but for the time being I love it. If you haven't seen it I would strongly suggest you check it out.

I bought the box set recently, and was happy to realise that the show is still really funny. Matthew Cottle is hilarious as Martin, the subservient saddo, who has a funny fascination with women. Samantha Janus/Womack is perfectly cast, as she is very sexy and beautiful, so she drives the guys crazy with lust. Her character(Mandy) also has issues and quirks, so she's also fun to watch. Then you have the character Matt, played in the first series by Ben Chaplin, and in the second and third.. by Neil Stuke. Ben Chaplin did a great job, and I thought he was better in some ways than Stuke, simply because you could believe he used to be a girl magnet, because he's good looking and pretty cool, whereas Stuke doesn't look like the kind of guy who'd have women swooning over him.

Chaplin's character was more serious, but I'd say more believable and in some ways funnier. Stuke plays Matt as more madcap and much dimmer, and he definitely doesn't have the authoritative air that Chaplin gave the character. Stuke still did a great job, and changed the Matt character a lot, but I can forget about Chaplin, and just enjoy what Stuke delivers.

Overall, the series is a true '90s gem, that is still worth owning and enjoying.

This show is a completely under-rated classic! Matthew Malone is one of the funniest comedy sitcom creations ever and show go down in the books next to Cosmo Kramer and all the other greats. Mandy is hot and poor bloody Martin, what a sad tosser! Its a shame they stopped making this show cause I love it, my fave Matt was Benny from the first series but his replacement was wicked too. An all round great show and one of the best of the 90s. Gotta love the themetune too. If you dont know this show too well then go check out the re-runs.

"Game On" stands the test of time and really feels like a little turning point into the twentysomething sitcoms that pretty much dominate these days. I must confess to basing the vast majority of my opinion on Series One alone. Ben Chaplin, I feel, gave the show a bit more of an edge in that he was actually a very convincing bully and there was darkness in his issues that made the show really buzz. Equal credit should go to Matt Cottle and Samantha Janus. All of them nail the lines perfectly. The comedy from just the audio delivery of words like "shag" is fantastic on a simple level but the character depth boils on a consistent level as well. Game On was dark stuff and rarely resolved cheerfully, but in terms of biting character stuff it's as good as the format got.

My knowledge of the later series is a bit sketchy but I seem to remember it feeling slightly less relevant and slightly more daft. However the show was always visually convincing despite being studio audience based (everything was in 1994). I think that the show has aged really well, I have fond memories of watching it at the age of 14 and it being brilliant and it still is.

Watching in December 2019 in hope that it holds up...

It totally does!