You, Me and the Apocalypse

From the first episode, I was hooked. As some people may think, there are plot points that could seem implausible but given time are not. The casting is brilliant, Jenna Fischer is a revelation, Matthew Baynton is fantastic, Joel Fry is hilarious, though I've never thought much of Pauline Quirk, she is great, Patterson Joseph and Kyle Soller are a fabulous team, Gaia Scodellaro and Rob Lowe make a strange yet funny couple and lastly Megan Mullaly is still fabulous as a white supremacist. I also appreciate how well the stories begin to intertwine after the first episode. The scripts are well written and sometimes filled with surprises. All in all, I really love this quirky show!

It's too good to stop and whoever wrote it is definitely smart enough to keep it going. Not many dramas can include so many genres done so well, make them interlink so well plus make each show an improvement on the preceding one. There's political, romantic, dramatic, humour, science fiction, religious, scenic, scientific, glamour, sociological and psychological and all done brilliantly. You just don't know what's coming next. Plus it's a tough call to pick who's the standout actor, most of the leads are equally brilliant. Just an excellent production. One last thing, as well as sophisticated and imaginative it's earthy, plus even incorrect, the racist, the soldier and the clergy are painted with sympathy. It's great.

Firstly, I don't really know what others have been saying about the accents. They are all pretty solid - the character who they have been complaining about is an intentionally offensive redneck stereotype. Someone else here has complained of the show's low budget. What do you expect? It's a small relatively unknown program in its first series. That being said, initially lower- budget props and sets are replaced in later episodes with filming locations of increased diversity and much higher quality set-pieces. Noticeable or bad CGI is minimal, if there at all.

Anyway... an overview...

Throughout the show, several characters around the ending world have their stories intertwined in what, to be honest, seemed like a boring cliché to me. Then I watched it. I was really, really, really wrong. I mean, I guess the show's subtle humour wouldn't appeal to everyone (the delivery reminds me of Parks and Rec without any fourth wall- breaking), but it's dispersed very naturally in each episode, along with many striking scenes that can be both tantalizing and ridiculous. It is a genuinely new take on the apocalypse genre: something fresh, innovative, and really just great fun to watch.

The main area in which the show shines is in character writing and development. Well, that, and the spiraling web of interconnected story lines that to follow is engaging, moving, and still quite believable. Increasing with each episode is the depth and realism of every character's motivations: their personality; their morality and their sanity. 'You, Me and the Apocalypse' undoubtedly has some of the most diverse and brilliant casting in recent comedy dramas (in terms of fame, race, age and gender).

There's not really much else I can think of that doesn't delve into spoiler territory. SO WATCH IT.

I have been employing IMDb for several years now, conceivably in a similar fashion to other registered/unregistered users. To this date, I had never posted my own review albeit not for lack of opinion. About a month ago(early October-ish)while poking around the web, I stumbled upon this little 'gem'; You, Me and the Apocalypse. Simply put, this is an awesome show that was impeccably cast, written, directed and produced. Y,M and the A has a sublime blend of all that makes a program great. I am always pleasantly surprised to see what direction the show will take and I have to say, I found myself quite emotionally taken with the character development. My friends and family have dubbed me as over-critical when I comment on any particular show, series, movie etc. Thankfully there is still good new content being released and I enjoy productions such as Y,M and the A all the more because they stand out from re-hashed, vanilla and blasé mainstream media....;-)

Slightly perplexed by the last two reviewers (were they watching the same show as me?!), as far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best written shows on TV at the moment. The plot is great - twisting and turning with a fabulous blend of humour and drama. I quite literally don't know where it's going from week to week. Whilst it is first and foremost a comedy - there is enough tension in the plot to make you genuinely concerned for the various characters - some of which meet quite unpleasant endings... The curious blend of Slough and the apocalypse - who'd have thought that would work?!

The acting is top notch - Rob Lowe perfectly cast. Matthew Baynton playing both parts with relish. There's not a week link in it. I will be truly sad when the show is over.

My only complaint is that they really should have stuck with the original title: "Apocalypse Slough!". Genius.