User reviews

I must admit to having high expectations of this, and I will confirm it did not let me down!

This is Steve Merchant at his best. After reading mostly mixed reviews, I wanted to give my humble opinion as to why this show is so enjoyable.

If you have been a fan of Merchant since his XFM days you will see his comedy stylings splashed across this series and he nails his awkward, gawky character to a tee.

The penny-pinching persona, cringe-worthy attempts to hit on the ladies and all round geeky- vibe is exactly what this comedy genius is about. It's witty, awkward and filled with laughs whilst infused with an pseudo-emotional undertone about his overall bad luck with the female persuasion. The cinematography, intro clips and soundtracks have an 'entourage' style and are fantastic and really add to quality of this show. The friends of Merchant in the show compliment him - and the series greatly - and overall I'm really enjoying this series so far

Viewers who may not like this style of comedy or S.Merch as a comic writer will most likely disagree with my views and I can completely understand as it is not for everyones taste, but those who indulge in Merchants style will greatly appreciate this series.

Didn't watch this after I watched the trailer but i'm glad I did. Yes some parts are kind of stupid like parts in the trailer and a lot of the jokes fall flat but the ones that didn't omg ! I must of rewound at least 6 scenes and cracked up each time. My fave character was the guy in the wheel chair. Ha he didn't have to work at all at getting the "ladies'. I wish they had continued on to see what happened with him and some of the other characters but they wrapped it up decently. I'm very picky about comedies but quite enjoyed this.

Edit: after reading some reviews here.... He's supposed to be a douchebag! Jesus! If it offends you,, simply don't watch! I often wonder who the real douchbags are when they watch a whole series , where the character's intentions/ personality are obvious from the get go are then come and complain. Boo hoo!

It's simply one of the most hilarious show in the last years. I've just found it and I can't understand why they have done only a few episodes. It's much more comic than many shows that pretends to be comic, but it isn't at all.

I love it.

It's sweet, charming and hilariously funny! I cannot for the life of me think why this would get cancelled. I was literally crying laughing.

Recorded the pilot for this show just to see what it was all about and I was very pleasantly surprised, to say the least. I have watched it several times, usually in the morning to start my day off right, and each time I watch it I can see subtle things that I had missed previously. There is a lot of humour in here that goes beyond the usual and deserves to be noticed, whether it is a facial expression and/or some unique body language. I think the supporting cast, in particular the tenant, are all great choices which result in a nice mix of somewhat damaged, and therefore human, characters. The main character however is priceless and brings to mind a less manic Fawlty. I also find it refreshing to watch a comedy that does not rely on predictable humour backed up by canned laughter which seems to be a common practice these days. I, for one, am very impressed with this comedy, it almost feels as though it could've been an eventual cult classic movie if it had been produced that way. I hope that it can manage to catch on but if it doesn't, it will be one of the series that I would definitely purchase when it becomes available, it just seems that good to me!

a comedy that grew on me as it evolved, just watched the season finale, a bit clichéd, but it was funny. the song at the end is haunting me as I know it but cant place the name maybe a 10cc song ??

I can see it that in the end, he finds that she is the one he's been looking for all along etc..

funniest line in the finale-the guy in the wheelchair outside the club "you gonna be long as its cold and I cant feel my legs" :)

I look forward to season 2, and more from Stuart Pritchard ! Stephen Merchants writing is top class, - i'm hoping for good things. once again we see British comedy coming to the forefront !

Love him or loathe him, you can't fail to see that Mr Merchant is an incredible talent with a good eye on what his strengths are. And on initial viewing he looks like he has crafted a work of genius with Hello Ladies. He made his name alongside a certain Ricky Gervais with the sort of awkward, hard to watch comedy in the UK Office & Hello ladies is much of the same in terms of "oh no did he really say that" type humour. The characters were all on point, Merchant was the main man & played his role to perfection, anyone who watched "Extras" will be reminded of the bar scene where him & Barry from Eastenders tried to chat the women up in the bar. Get this show watched it looks like it will be a cracker.

I came to this show in an odd way. On one hand I had planned to watch it for a while as I enjoy Merchant for his most popular work, whether it be writing the UK Office, or his 'Wheatley' in Portal 2. On the flipside though, I had seen all the negative commentary on the show, and heard from people who had seen that it was not great. I left it for ages but eventually sat to watch it, keen to like it, but also aware that it would probably disappoint. It was interesting viewing then to have both of these things come to be true because the show is both some good elements of Merchant's awkward comedy, mixed with plenty that simply doesn't work.

The plot is a British guy living in LA trying to land a relationship with a model, and spectacularly failing to do so. In the course of its 8 episodes it offers lots of awkward social interactions where Stuart finds himself on the outside looking in - treated badly, trying his hardest, but left with wounded price and nothing to show for it. On the face of it, the character should manage to be the same tragic monster that Partridge and Brent managed to be - someone who makes you cringe but at the same time you feel for them and want them to see that part of them and change it so they can succeed. The failure of Hello Ladies is that the latter half of that doesn't happen. Stuart is rarely more than a superficial creep, and his pursuit of models doesn't really let any humanity come through. In 4+ hours of time, there are a few cracks that suggest more, but they only suggest it - certainly it is not enough to save the character.

It is a shame, because the show gets the cringe factor bang on, but it doesn't deliver the heart to balance it. Merchant is the key failing in doing this, as he doesn't make the most of the few times when he has the shot at heart. By contrast the supporting cast do deliver this well. Woods was great; she is all the pain and enthusiasm of an aspiring actress, and it makes her character really engaging and accessible. Likewise Torrence offers a nice holding character against the impact of Stuart; but it surely shouldn't work that the main character needs the supports to draw the viewer in?

In small moments, and in the final episode, the show finds the person within the cringe, but mostly it only celebrates the cringe by making Stuart cruel and superficial. This produces a season which is funny, pained, and enjoyable on that level, but offers almost nothing behind that to make the viewer care. That Merchant has written shows that have done much, much better at this only adds to the feeling that Hello Ladies falls short.

I want to like, no, LOVE this. The main character is just so incredibly vile - and not that vile type we love to hate either. Just, hate?

Always had a thing for the bad guy/villain/misunderstood meanie. Still do. This one however is not fun to watch. I'm writing this in agony. Aborted the mission episode 4. Feels like I'm selling out, but the truth is the truth I guess ...

Just discovered this hilarious series. I am telling everyone about Hello Ladies. The cast is simply wonderful and every episode is well written and so darned funny! Please continue this for many more seasons......we are hooked! Stuart is such a funny character and all his cohorts just make this such an original series. The writers just get these awkward situations so perfect and the actors expressions just make it right on. It's very difficult to write comedy that keeps the laughs coming throughout, but this one does and the music is also right on. Please please keep this series on....guaranteed to make all who watch it become fans!

The title says it all. The humor is spot on and very much so in the vein of Merchant's past work. If you can handle cringe humor like Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office (UK), Peep Show, Todd Margaret, etc. you'l enjoy this. Merchant's character is barely likable for most of the series, but he brings a charm to the role and an earnest naivety that reflects the struggle of a British man from small towns trying to adapt to LA life. The arching plot is very formulaic unfortunately. He chases stunning yet vapid women with whom he has nothing in common while there's the perfect woman for him right under his nose. There are plenty of subplots that make up for this, and there's a nice theme that ties these plot lines together. There were a couple recurring characters that could have been explored more in the first series. Overall it's worth your time if you have it. Don't move it to the top of your list, however.

I must say I was excited to watch this series when I first heard of it, to my surprise the humor was too centered around embarrassing the main character which resulted in a lot of cringe-worthy moments to say the least.

This series had the potential of having a great set of characters that didn't have to follow certain stereotypes. Take the main character who's a somewhat geeky person trying to make it in a big city, kind of out of his element but to add to it that he's rather clumsy doesn't really help the character out in my opinion. Just having the attribute of being a bit socially awkward but not self-aware of it would've been fine.

I personally get the feeling that they were trying too hard on creating embarrassing moments for the main character where he just shrugs it off, barely reacting to them as people are just staring and laughing at him.

This isn't everyone's cup of tea and I'm certain that this series has potential to become something great, but so far I'm not impressed.

Steve Merchant is at it again. I will be an avid viewer of this show for the comedic writing, timing and humor.

The show places Merchant's character in America fighting through a lonely single life. As a viewer you are rooting for Merchant to succeed but left with awkward, hard to watch scenes that make you laugh out loud.

The characters in this show are diverse and play off each other well. Merchant is seemingly the most normal person person in the show placed in unfortunate (yet hilarious) situations.

I recommend this show to anyone who was a fan of the Office (UK) or the Ricky Gervais Show. You will enjoy Hello Ladies!

Please, more! One of the funniest shows I've seen!!

When I saw ads for "Hello Ladies" in a men's magazine, I was pretty excited. I have a love-hate relationship with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant: I think "The Office" is brilliant, "Extras" unfairly maligned, and am most of all a fan of their podcast series with Karl Pilkington. But they can also be off-putting: Gervais at times seems like he has transformed into his egotistical character David Brent, and Merchant has seemed suspiciously detached from their last few outings together (I'm not into rumor-mongering, but I'd be remiss to mention he was absent from the last series of An Idiot Abroad altogether, as well as the "Learn English with Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington" web series -- not to mention they haven't released any new podcasts in a few years now, all signs pointing to a desire on his part to leave the past behind).

Merchant seems like he's struggling to break free of the Gervais association, and so this HBO series (which is co-produced, incidentally, by Eisenberg and Stupinsky, the guys behind the American adaptation of The Office) finds him running solo. Merchant, like Gervais, excels at awkward situational humor. This series at times is extremely cringe-worthy, just like the greatest moments of The Office and Extras.

Here are some problems, though:

Merchant's character, as many critics have noted, is fairly unlikeable. This worked for Gervais as Brent because he was first and foremost a supporting character in the larger picture -- Tim and Dawn's relationship was what gave the series a backbone and a heart, and Brent was allowed to kind of seep into the program through the corners and find his own emotional core. But if The Office had just been about Brent being a miserable boss every episode, I do think the show wouldn't have resonated quite as strongly. Brent was also unaware of his own horrible actions, whereas Merchant's character in Hello Ladies seems happily self-aware.

The key to making a series like this is to have the main character be relatable to audiences. As a single 20-something young professional, I can relate to the single club scene and the frustrations of a bachelor lifestyle. Merchant wisely exaggerates the pathetic underbelly of the Los Angeles nightlife, with aspiring actresses and sleazy guys trying to work their way up the social ladder.

But instead of allowing his character to find himself lost in this haze, Merchant actually makes his character even more unlikeable than many of the people he's ostensibly doing social battle with.

This produces a stream of inconsistency in the character which is hard to shake. An example: in the first episode of the show, Merchant's character, creepily trying to hit on a beautiful woman way out of his league, inadvertently spends hundreds of dollars ordering drinks at a swanky nightclub. This is played for laughs, but never for a moment does he hesitate the way a normal person might: he puts the drinks on his tab and keeps trying to hit on her.

But in episode three, he takes a really cute girl out on a date (a girl many might say is out of his league, mind) who keeps trying to initiate conversation with him. But he can't focus on the conversation because he's too distracted by the high price of the wine bottle (he frequently excuses himself to privately tell the waiter that the $70 bottle is too expensive).

OK, let's consider this for a moment. Is it funny? At face value, yes, because all of us can relate to a situation where we've been casually forced into spending way more than we want to, especially during something like a first date. But it doesn't jibe with the character, because just two episodes earlier, he was willing to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a girl who he had far less of a chance of sleeping with.

In another episode, Merchant's character is doing yoga and cockily hits on a beautiful woman next to him. But in other episodes, his ineptitude and shyness around women is played for laughs. So which is he? An arrogant jerk or a timid geek?

Merchant is so overly focused on making situations awkward that, as a result, his character doesn't ring true, and often the comedy feels quite contrived.

Having said all that, I do enjoy it, and I think there's room for improvement. The leading co-star, played by Christine Woods, really steals the show from Merchant with her easy charm. She's essentially the "straight man" from a comedy perspective and, honestly, her character and her plights are waaay more interesting (and consistent, and realistic) than Merchant's. I like Merchant, but the roles should be swapped if he's not going to develop his character further or make him more likable. I'm four episodes in, and at this point I care way more about Woods' character than Merchant's.

The show is entertaining, though. It's just not anywhere near the level of perfection of The Office or really even quite as funny as The Office. I think Merchant is simply trying too hard and needs to re-evaluate both his character, and where he wants to take the show. If it's just a sleazy, opportunistic guy trying to pick up women every episode (and being cruel and sadistic to his friends in the process), then it'll get old really fast. He needs to give his central character a more empathetic core, and a greater consistency in tone, and allow the awkward situations to evolve organically rather than force them to happen.

I could see these improvements taking place, and hopefully by the end of its first season the show will have evolved into something greater than just a reasonably entertaining program.

First of all let me say i love this show, and it quickly turned into my favorite comedy show this year.

Basically the show is about an English guy, who has absolutely no self consciousness (a lot like the boss in "the office") who is desperately trying to hit on hot (and some not that hot) girls on every single occasion he has. the combination of the two results in disastrous embarrassing situations over and over again.

Just like "the office", this show grows on you and it gets funnier and funnier each week, the character played by Merchant is hilarious and the side kicks are also funny and memorable characters.

I can only recommend this show to people who like "embarrassing" type of humor, and my advise to you is to give it at least 4-5 episode before you decide if you are going to commit to it!

I understand the criticisms but the show has only gotten better. If you are a fan of gervais and merchant's other works, definitely check it out.

Stuart (merchant) can definitely be dislikable but i think overall he is a man who is just blinded by the medias portrayal of the Hollywood dating life. Episode 2 in particular, he comes off as an unsympathetic character but it picks right back up in episode 3 playing a desperate awkward loser. I hope the show picks up its steam like it did this week, because if it does, this show is a winner.

Not to mention the side characters are amazing like Jessica and Rory.

The show contains merchant's dry humor as well as the office- us (also creators of the show) silliness. Try it out and keep up with it as it is only improving.

I didn't really have that high expectations for this, i'm not sure why really as i pretty much have loved everything that steve has been involved with (with the exception of lts ). Just wondered if he could write a hit sitcom without gervais's influence. I needn't have worried as this is fantastic, only seen two eps so far but already know this is a winning formula. Steve plays Stuart, a web designer living in la, The show centers around him trying to find a girl and basically failing at ever hurdle to great comedic reward. The rest of the cast also seem strong and quite likable. if your not a Steve Merchant fan then this probably wont be for you. Looking forward to the rest of the series

I had high hopes for this series. The old "loser can't find a girl" plot/theme appeals to me for personal reasons. Unfortunately, the main character is so intensely unlikable I have absolutely no sympathy or compassion for him. I don't want him to win. He not only deserves what he gets, I want worse things to happen to him. Unlike, say, Dwight from The Office, who's a widget, yet you want him to catch a whiff of enlightenment, the main character in this series actually angered me. And they're telegraphing the "friend who is a girl, but has potential to be a lover" troupe like a pirate flag. There were so many ways to tackle this approach. Heck, all of the Seinfield characters were horrible people yet you still laughed at them. While I think Stephen Merchant may be talented, and perhaps even funny, the character he plays in this is too big of a poo-poo head to invoke my compassion.

Unique and original. An utter masterpiece - Merchant hits jackpot with his new role.

A funny portrayal of life's bittersweet moments - all can relate to. If you like Karl Pilkington an Idiot Abroad or English humour look no further - this also coalesces finely with American humour too!

Merchant's masterpiece will have you in stitches from the start!

There's a lot to this seemingly small, intimate comedy. It's lucid and engaging on all levels and, as well as being an interesting, well-thought through plot, it's one of those rare, truly funny shows

10/10!

Hello Ladies is off to a pretty good start. I found myself laughing throughout the first episode and I can see the show only getting better as it goes on. Some slight adjustments and this show will be spot on. There is great potential here if handled right. Hello Ladies has the benefit of having the mind of Stephen Merchant behind it, as well as in it. I have been a Stephen Merchant fan for sometime and became most familiar with him through his work on The Ricky Gervais Show. I know that this show has the potential to be wildly popular with a younger demographic.

As for cons, I'd say my least favorite character is Wade. I do think the character can be improved; however, I don't feel that Nate Torrence was the best actor to portray him. Jonah Hill or Seth Rogan would have set this show off greatly in the roll of Wade.

I dont even remember how I found this on HBO, but this is one of the funniest shows I've seen in years! Buy a lot. I think the fact that it came out in 2013, when there were so many good comedies just made this hard to compete with. But watch this in 2023 and you're gonna be pleasantly surprised at how funny this show is. Not sure why it got canceled but it looks like there was a movie to follow. So as soon as I'm done with the TV show, I'm watching the movie. Well done!

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