Funniest British show on TV at the moment! (The Inbetweeners)

Member Name: grey0220

Product:	The Inbetweeners
Date:	04/11/09 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relatable regardless of age, mix of high and low comedy, very witty, quotable

Disadvantages: Next season doesn't start until 2011

I'm going to say it upfront: this show is the best British comedy currently out there. I didn't grow up in the UK but my husband did, but we both attest to the fact that 'The Inbetweeners' perfectly catches the sense of humour of boys that age, without being prohibitive to anyone over the age of 17 to watch.

On the front of the DVD case it's referred to as the 'anti-Skins' and I can't help but think that's spot-on. We're both in our mid-to-late 20s, but, unlike when we've caught 'Skins' on E4, neither of us feels overly old or even paedophilic when watching it. The problem with 'Skins' is that no one ever really knew anyone 'that cool' when they were 15/16 - in my experience, the cool kids were, at most, drinking, and none of them were as attractive as 'Skins' purports everyone at that age to be. Furthermore, whilst I knew of some negligent parents, I didn't know anyone at that age who was truly allowed such free reign without other parents or the school getting involved. 'Skins' is basically a fantasy of what that age is like.

Alternately, 'The Inbetweeners' is a pitch-perfect facsimile of what life is actually like as a 15/16 year old kid. Each character is such a perfect Xerox if someone you knew growing up - from the perverted chronic liar Jay to the uptight Will, everyone grew up with someone like that, and half the pleasure of watching the show when you're a bit older is knowing how exactly all these people will turn out.

The show also perfectly balances the inane with the insane - for example, in the episode where they skip school, Simon makes the seemingly outrageous decision to spray paint Carly's drive. But you DID know boys who were that dumb, and boys who WOULD have done it. So unlike 'Peep Show', which, with every passing season has an even more tenuous relationship with reality, 'The Inbetweeners' is so funny because it could so easily really happen.

I highly recommend picking up copies of the first and second series - you won't be disappointed.

Summary: To quote Will, 'brilliant'.