The Kennedys

Terrific show that deserved a much better fate than it got. Parkinson and Peacock(real-life husband and wife) are outstanding as is the entire cast. If only the BBC would have given this gem another time slot or moved it to BBC 2. Such a shame we only have six episodes.

There seems to be several comedies started on the BBC based on memoirs about growing up in 1970s Britain.

Cradle to Grave based loosely on the autobiography of Danny Baker is much better and funnier.

This is based on the memoirs of writer and actress Emma Kennedy who is played by Lucy Hutchison. She is a 10 year old obsessed with Star Wars. Her parents are Brenda and Tony Kennedy played by Katherine Parkinson and Dan Skinner. The Kennedys have moved into a new estate in Stevenage and pleased that they are social climbing and on the verge of being considered middle class meaning dinners parties and being part of the new town community.

The Kennedys make friends to a couple who only live together. Tim is the typical 1970s Lothario looking type and Jenny is more traditional girlfriend who is also pregnant. They also have African neighbours who seemed to be confused by everyone's antics.

With the focus being on young Emma and her school friends lends the sitcom some similarities with Outnumbered and also allows it to insert pop references such as Stars Wars or the latest heartthrobs or pop groups. One of the episodes had the young girls in distress as Donny Osmond got engaged.

The adults get into their own misadventures usually based on confusion of some sort. One of the episodes had both couples pretending to be gay as they wanted to impress their new lesbian neighbours from Denmark.

The sitcom has no laughter track. If it did then the audience never bothered laughing. It is a mirth free zone. I thought the first episode was very bad and although it slightly improved, this lacks the heart, warmth and insight of Cradle to Grave.

The 1970s setting seems to be all over the place. It just went for some kind of generic 70s nostalgia. There was a good touch when showing those scary public information films which they used to show at school, because I saw them at school then.

The whole show wants to rely on just nostalgia but the script is poor. There is not much laughter in 'look bad women drivers' when it featured Brenda trying to pass her driving test and she was a horrible driver or Tim trying to get ready for parenthood by building a cot. Even the episode where they went on a disastrous camping holiday was rather predictable.

Some of the language is jarring as its too modern. They really did not speak like that in the 1970s. Having a black couple in the show and then sort of dismissing them just looks like casual racism even if the Kennedys actually may had treated their neighbours like that 40 years ago.

The Kennedys is loosely based on The Tent, The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy and is set in Stevenage in the late seventies.

I was born in 1979, so the nostalgia for me in this show is minimal. That said, it does remind me of my eighties childhood a little. I have seen some criticism of the show's anachronisms, something I'll admit to not noticing. I'm sure that could be irritating, but this isn't a documentary and shouldn't detract from the show's strengths.

The show focuses on the Kennedys and their friends Jenny and Tim, two young families grappling with the challenges of their era. Trying to be modern and fashionable at a time when lasagne is considered exotic.

Putting the past under the spotlight could easily descend into laughing at their ignorance and feel very mean spirited. Fortunately, Emma Kennedy's writing is much fairer than that. The characters' charm shines through and gives warmth to the humour that allows it to be absurd with out seeming ridiculous. While there are appeals to a sense of nostalgia, The Kennedys doesn't rely on it and allows it's humour to work in it's own right giving it appeal to me in my thirties and my parents who were in their twenties when this show is set.

The cast are fantastic. They manage to use the quirks of their characters to full comedic effect while keeping them grounded and believable as friends and family. This level of quality from the older actors is impressive, the fact that Lucy Hutchinson is up there too is astonishing.

I haven't read the book the show is based on, but the strength of the writing here really does recommend it.

I can't believe The Kennedys didn't get a second series commissioned! It felt unique and was laugh-out-loud funny each episode.

It has made me want to read the source material its loosely based on - The Tent, The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy. The first episode in particular had us laughing until we cried and excited that we had somehow stumbled upon a hidden gem.

Things were just as funny when 'the bucket' itself makes an appearance. Glad I never went camping with them. In fact, I don't think I'll go camping in a tent ever again now! It's the kind of show that makes you smile while reminiscing about it.

Not every episode was a winner though. Some fell flat, and even though it wasn't a long series, it did somehow manage to lose momentum. Still, the acting was all great and the lines delivered with excellent comedic timing. Will definitely watch again, especially when needing some laughter medicine!

This is one of the funnier sitcoms I have seen in quite some time. Post Covid, I started to run out of series to watch and found The Kennedys. I'm glad I did! One season, still worth the watch and some good belly laughs. It's a shame it only ran for one season. I hope it gets a reboot with added seasons but I have to say, the chemistry of the acting team will be tough to beat.