This Is Jinsy

Since I watched this in '15 I occasionally checked to see what they'd do next...nothing! This was unique, funny, bizarre and canceled before its time. The high caliber guest stars and great songs made me think we had a pair of great tv creators for decades to come. I'd really like to know what happened to these guys.

If you like any of the absurdist Brit comedies ya gotta see this. The premise is brilliant. The ensemble of regulars seamlessly weaves in guest stars who all appear well into the joke. My recommendations fall on deaf ears and blind ears among my friends and acquaintances but if you've found your way here....search this out.

...There is every chance you'll enjoy this. This is its own thing. But it's never going to escape style comparisons with Monty Python. And darn it, if you love weird, surreal, off-the-wall and unconsciously jarring British humour, Jinsy is going to sink under your skin. Even when you can't find it amusing, or find it repetitive, the visuals alone will haunt your back brain.

Jinsy also has flavours of Brazil, The City of Lost Children, The Delicatessen, and Twelve Monkeys. It includes the sort of self-consciously ironic music-comedy skits that peppered The Big Gig and The Sideshow variety shows from Australia.

I predict that in 10 or 20 years Americans will discover another reason why cults become classic.

Must say I didn't quite know what to make of Jinsy the first time I watched the pilot episode. But after watching a few more, you really do get into the whole surreal world they've created. The songs are silly, catchy and years later I still find myself humming along to a number of them, something I haven't done to any comedic songs since the Python days. This won't appeal to all, especially the more conservative mainstream sitcom type watchers, but to anyone who likes some quirky and a bit crazy comedy sketches and songs and episodes filled with guest stars such as Rob Brydon (love his badger song!), David Tennant, Greg Davies, Stephen Fry etc etc, its a blast!

Funniest thing on British TV in many years and the most re-watchable program I've probably ever seen.

This is - I'll admit - a patchy but also occasionally brilliant comedy. Rather like League of Gentlemen or Monty Python, any surreal and original comedy will have moments where it doesn't work; this, like those programmes, is worth watching for when it does. The musical interludes are superb as are the guests who join in the fun - such as Rob Bryden's performance of "Female Badger" (see youtube). Don't watch it before visiting the supermarket as you'll end up singing questionable lyrics to bemused fellow shoppers. The use of language is also inventive and generates the claustrophobia of small communities. It is criminally under appreciated and definitely deserves to be better known.

This show sits within that specific genre where people either love it or hate it. I'm not a fan of all absurdest comedy, but once I started watching this I just couldn't stop! It has a hypnotic quality that I just can't describe and it sucks you in. It's just so fabulously fresh and out there, but in a way where it has such momentum going from one crazy and entertaining thing to the next, that there is no time to ponder on one thing too long and get bored with the format at all.

Adding further to this; the show has (for me at least) that rare quality where despite the "nuttiness", it still has enough coherence to make sense without totally losing me. I also love the inspirational story behind the incredibly talented duo who star in and write the show, so I'm crossing all my fingers that we get the third season they so deserve.

If you enjoy something completely on the flip side, with a lot of (very well done and thought out) absurdity thrown in, then do yourself a favour and watch this gem. Hopefully the more positive reviews they receive, the more likely it will be that we'll get another season. Although I understand that this show isn't for everybody, I'm pretty confident that for fans of such niche genres, this show will become an instant cult classic!

WARNING: Be prepared to have the songs and ditties from this show stick in your head for days on end...aaarrgggh!!!!

Nightly Bye all ;-)