The Outlaws

I'm a red blooded American from Missouri and the strangest thing happened to me when I saw the film Shaun of the Dead. I went down the rabbit hole of British TV and movies and came out a better person. Life is doom and gloom in on the telly *as the Brits say* in America 24/7 on a loop and it is exhausting. These kind of shows you can just turn on and have a good time. It doesn't shy away from serious issues, but it takes them on differently than American TV and that is why British TV for the win. If you like British TV you'll like this. If you don't wtf are you watching it for?

Having read some other reviews complaining they didn't get as many laughs as they were expecting, I'd like to clarify; The Outlaws is not a sitcom. It is a dramedy or comedy-drama. I think people have seen Merchant's name, thought of The Office and Extras and thus misunderstood the idea behind this series.

Some of the humour is around social disparity, inequality and issues of race and class. That these topics are both explored in the dramatic theme and at times joked about does not make the show "woke" or "PC" as some reviews are suggesting....that's just some people's reaction to anything mentioning these issues in any context and one of the characters is based on the white, middle-class, rage-baited tabloid reader stereotype (though goes on to become more multi-faceted and sympathetic as the story and characters develop), so that's where those reviews are coming from.

The Outlaws delivers a masterful blend of tension, action, emotion and Merchant's signature style of comedy, which tends to be a mix of self-deprecation, irony and social observation. Each of the characters has something to like, something to sympathise, something to dislike and something to laugh about.

As with any series, I'd say always give it at least two episodes before you make your mind up - the pilot is always going to be the weakest link because it has to set everything up which follows.

This one is well worth the patience to pursue.

Why is this so underrated? It has great humor, drama, acting and storyline. Unique. Love it. I was expecting a typical British comedy, but got so much more.

The 1st ep might be a bit on the slow side while setting up what's in store with the following eps.

Steven unselfishly doesn't make himself the hero or even the main character. He dips in and out adding comic relief and giving all the actors a decent back story. He doesn't even give himself the best comedic scenes as there is plenty other light relief from some of the other actors from a fairly complex and dark story line and keeps you guessing till the end.

The adding of the absolute icon of Christopher Walken is class.

A defo binge worthy series.

If you don't like this then you need to take a look in the mirror and question your life choices.

A novel comedy from Stephen Merchant in which a group of seven very different strangers complete community service together in Bristol.

It's not a pure comedy, it's a mix of comedy and drama. However, it has a good plot with some excellent characters. Christopher Walken is brilliant, Stephen Merchant is very funny, and the rest of the cast do a good job.

I just watched Season 2.

The story continues where it left off but this is not as good as Season 1. It lacks the novelty of the first season.

I was bored in parts although it gets better as it goes. Episodes can trundle along with rare moments of excitement. It's not really a comedy, it's a drama with some funny (rarely laugh out loud) moments.

A mixed cast, varying in quality but Merchant and Walken still stand out. Across both Seasons I'd give it a 7* but I wouldn't want to watch it again. It's not that great.