Small Town, Big Story

Christina Hendricks and Paddy Considine are great in this, along with Susan Lynch and other cast members, but the script flatlines and the comedy doesn't quite get there.

O'Dowd's direction and script make it a bit wooden and clunky. You are always waiting for the killer laughs, the key character moments, the unique Irish craic, but it never arrives.

It's watchable, but it will leave you with a sense of unfulfilled potential. Key relationships just take too long to establish, some great character potential is lost because the moment of spark is missing in the script. The actors are forced to act on, dragging out the awkwardness that's not necessarily good for the character, and leaving the viewer frustrated at the missed opportunity to take them further into the storyline.

The cast saved whatever elements of this that made it watchable but they clearly struggled with O'Dowd's flat script.

There just wasn't that link between comedy, plot and irishness that often makes these types of series work.

I think there's an age old lesson that O'Dowd has forgotten here, don't try and do everything yourself. Sometimes you need a critical friend (or two) on the project and this felt that it was the result of nobody being able to say "try that again" to the the ubiquitous O'Dowd.

Maybe a fresh director and a good script adaptation would revive it.

I hope so, there was something in there that O'Dowd just couldn't tease out.

Title: "Small Town Big Story" Genre: Comedy (allegedly)

Review: Welcome to "Small Town Big Story," the TV series that promises to be a comedy but delivers anything but laughs. This show is a masterclass in how not to make people laugh, and it does so with such dedication that you almost have to admire it. Almost.

Let's start with the premise. Ah, the premise. It's as cliché as they come. Picture this: a woman returns to her native Ireland with money to make a movie in a small town that includes her ex and a group of quirky friends, navigating the ups and downs of life with a series of wacky misadventures. Sounds familiar? That's because it is. It's been done a million times before, and "Small Town Big Story" brings absolutely nothing new to the table. It's like the writer took a checklist of every overused sitcom trope and decided to cram them all into one show.

Now, onto the so-called jokes. If you can call them that. The joke deliveries in "Small Town Big Story" are so terrible that they make dad jokes look like comedic gold. The punchlines are predictable, the timing is off, and the humor is so forced that you can practically hear the writer straining to be funny. It's like watching a stand-up comedian bomb on stage, but instead of feeling sympathy, you just feel annoyed.

The camera work is another highlight of this disaster. Or rather, the lack of consistency in the camera work. One moment, you're treated to a close-up of a character's face, and the next, the camera is zooming out so far that you can barely see what's happening. It's as if the cameraman was having a bad day and decided to take it out on the viewers. The result is a visual mess that leaves you feeling dizzy and disoriented.

And then there's the acting. Or should I say, the lack of acting. The performances in "Small Town Big Story" are so thoughtless that you wonder if the actors were even trying. The characters are unbelievable, and not in a good way. They lack depth, personality, and any semblance of relatability. It's like watching cardboard cutouts recite lines with all the enthusiasm of a sloth on a lazy Sunday.

The plot, if you can call it that, goes round and round and gets nowhere. There's no sense of progression or development, and by the end of the first episode, you're left wondering why you wasted your time watching it in the first place.

But perhaps the most disappointing aspect of "Small Town Big Story" is the fact that it was written, directed, and produced by a man who was once a very funny actor. It's like watching a once-great comedian lose their touch and desperately try to recapture their former glory. Unfortunately, the result is a show that falls flat on its face and leaves you cringing in embarrassment.

In conclusion, "Small Town Big Story" is a comedy that fails to deliver on its promise of laughs. With a cliché premise, terrible joke deliveries, inconsistent camera work, thoughtless acting, unbelievable characters, and a plot that goes nowhere, it's a show that should be avoided at all costs. Save yourself the time and find something else to watch. Trust me, you'll thank me later.

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I hadn't read anything about this show and had no idea where it was going but as the show developed the characters of the town come more to life and getting to know the characters may slow the pace at the beginning but you really need to understand their motivations. Six episodes was not enough as I was just starting to get into it, questions were being answered but there are still more questions. You should give this show a chance and I would say it's much better binge watched in order to keep pace going. I really hope there is a season 2 of this as there is so much potential now that we know the town, there is more room for the story to evolve.

This has been advertised as a "comedy" but 2 episodes in I've yet to even smile. If it was advertised as a drama that would make it a bit better. I suspect all the "funny" bits are in the trailer.

So I've watched 2 episodes and nothing makes any sense. What programme is the Irish born/American producer making? Why are the townspeople so keen on having it made there? What are they actually auditioning for?

I really like Chris O'Dowd but enough to make me watch more episodes? I really, really don't know when there are so many better programmes to watch instead. I might try episode 3 reluctantly.

I heard Chris O'Dowd talking about this show on a podcast. He doesn't make an appearance till episode 4, which is, in my opinion, a missed opportunity. However, Christina Hendrick, and the rest of the mad irish cast, do a great job, especially Paddy Considine, who is marvellous. If you liked Bad Sisters you'll like this, because it has the same crazy vibe. I think the bad reviews are missing the point. It's a piss take, and as such it works well. It's funny, in an off beat way and the cast obviously had a great time making the show. Slight shame that Christina didn't do even a touch of a latent Irish accent.