I Hate You

I found this show funny and genuinely heartfelt at times, with two funny leads, Sure, it was a little cringe from time to time, such as the incesty plot points, but so was Friday Night Dinner, and most leading comedy shows at the worst of times. It was easy to get into and watch, and I was sad when I reached the end of series 1. I liked that the in-jokes between the friends were explained naturally to the audience, as if you were meeting very close friends for the first time in real life. Got some real laughs out of me. Definitely needs more time to find its footing, but I can see a lot of potential in it.

When going into this show, I already knew that it had an uphill battle due to its association to other very well-known comedies and the fact that the two main characters are women. A lot of the reviews I have seen for the show are extremely misogynistic and uncharitable. Many of the common critiques can also be thrown at the Inbetweeners or Friday Night dinner. Protagonists with questionable decision making? Fine when it's a man, but apparently completely irredeemable if it's a woman. I think some of these reviewers are having trouble realising that the characters are fictional people, and their actions have no real bearing on the world.

So what would I say to someone looking to watch this show? Go into it with an open mind, there is some genuine fun to be found in this series, and try not to take everything so seriously!

Feels like a lot of the bad sentiment about this show comes from a place of misogyny; god forbid young women make complicated decisions and have a libido. Would thoroughly recommend to anyone that enjoyed the same silly humour on Friday Night Dinner.

The lead actors perform the sharp, humorous writing well, and a convincing yet bizarre world is established around them. Again, anyone fans of one the previous lead's past experience (Sex Education), or of the creator's past project, Friday Night Dinner, should thoroughly enjoy the show.

The show covers a range of different concerns facing those in their mid-20s, especially those living around London and big cities, with a light, funny but, when needed, heartfelt touch.

So much comedy is simply not really funny and raises the odd titter. I personally have no idea why "Friends" was so massive for that very reason.

Once you take the time to get into this it has some truly laugh out loud moments.

The concept of having two very strong central characters, surrounded by a selection of very funny and quirky almost cameo performances, works incredibly well and is extremely well cast.

It's no "Friday Night Dinner" but that really is an impossible act to follow, on of the funniest shows I have ever watched and will live on in our minds for many, many years.

I would like to see more new comedy like this, not playing safe and breaking a few boundaries.

So for some reason they decided to start the series with the "edgiest" storyline, where the 20-something flatmates sort-of date a couple of pensioners. It's a ridiculous premise with very few laughs and to be honest I was going to not bother watching any more...

...but I've had a quiet afternoon so I came back to it and watched the rest of the series.

Any you know what - it's not that bad. The two lead actresses pull off the slightly awkward friendship between Charlie and Becca really well, a handful of the jokes are chuckle-worthy, and some of the supporting characters are very good (in particular Becca's boss and her stepbrother).

But there's plenty that doesn't work. Lots of the pre-launch focus was on the creator, Robert Popper, who's been involved in loads of British comedy shows over the years. He's an old man writing a show about two young women. And although some of the script doesn't ring true, the worst characters are the men. Charlie's boss is an unrealistic idiot, a man that has a crush on her is, well, an unrealistic idiot, and Becca's co-worker is, errr, an unrealistic idiot.

Highlights? Spilled coffee, an awkward Chess accident and a curious greeting.

Second series? Needs stronger jokes and better supporting characters to be worth it.

9/10, not because it is close to perfection, but it is far better than the snap-judgement harsh reviews would suggest.

It's a shame that quirky cannot make it past knee-jerk jerks. Michael Hogan in The Telegraph cites one of his irritations in a one-star review as a "Talking horse". Grossly unfair, because he seems to set out to hate the program. The horse is there, but only for two seconds at the end of the opening title sequence.

And I can't really take the opinion of a bearded fuddy-duddy seriously when his recommendations include "The Wheel", and "Saturday Night Takeaway". Pitiful. One of his scathing criticisms is that it is a storyline about two young women, written by - shock horror - a middle-aged man. Of course, J. R. R. Tolkien failed miserably with LOTR because he wasn't a wizard, elf, sentient tree, or hobbit.

But, back to what I see as plusses for "I Hate You". Two excellent leads, snappy lines, curiously amusing situations and niche comedy brilliance (Sustaining an injury after ignoring advice not to try running while listening to Jazz), and the occasional quickly handled running gags (DOG ADOPTIONS).

It's not for everyone. I mentioned the U. S. A. Because I watched the pilot of "Two Broke Girls", and two sentences in, the "audience" are in paroxsyms of laughter.

No such cues for the dim in "I Hate You".

I found Jonny Sweet's Bob Oxygen had a great name, but a stilted delivery, and a slightly irritating character. "A. Plant" was good enough, but it is Tanya Reynolds and Melissa Saint that shine. They perfectly deliver lines such as the response to "Post-punk, but also retro".

I'm not really a fan of Robert Popper's work - I thought "Friday Night Dinner" was a bit of a dud - but I found lots in "I Hate You" to enjoy, and was hoping for at least a second series. Thanks to lazy journalism and reviews seemingly given after viewing 2-3 minutes of one episode, there will be no follow-up.

I was quickly drawn in by the endearingly zany (and well-choreographed) title sequence, and the debate on whether humans have evolved from bears touches on many aspects of relationships, and fake news, without labouring for one moment.

Why oh why does "Mrs. Brown's Boys" never flushes, but something quite subtle gets culled?

I. H. Y., R. I. P. :-(