Salty and Sweet: Two new BritComs to check out on PBS 45 & 49

by Michelle Street

Coupling
Saturdays at 10 pm

There has been an increased Americanization of British television. In May of 2000, a sitcom called Coupling premiered. The romantic adventures of six good-looking Londoners automatically caused comparisons to Friends.

There are some similarities. Coupling stars three handsome men and three lovely women who dress well and live in great apartments. Ill even grant you that the Friends coffeehouse can be compared to the pub where the Coupling gang hangs out, but thats pretty much it. In my opinion, Coupling actually has more in common with HBOs Sex and the City than it does with Friends.

Partly because the BBC is not beholden to advertisers, writer Steven Moffat is able to give a more frank, open and sometimes raunchy view of the lives of these "singletons." The character of Jane is bisexual, the girls openly discuss why Patrick is called a "tripod" and female body parts are unabashedly analyzed by the males.

Hang on a minute, though. For those whove never seen it, I dont mean to make Coupling sound like some frat-house teen comedy. Its not. Its a smart, bold look at life among singles from both the male and female perspective. The beautifully crafted scripts always end with a satisfying payoff and the appealing cast works together extraordinarily well.

Coupling will soon enter its third season and could prove to be a long runner. NBC recently snapped up the rights to produce a pilot for an American version hoping to use it as a replacement for Friends after its final season.

My Hero
Saturdays at 10:30 pm

The history of British comedy also bears out an old truth: the more liberal the government, the more conservative the comedy. This rule is definitely in force today as Tony Blairs "Cool Britannia" has seen a return to more traditional fare.

The trend back to a kindler, gentler Britcom started during the 1990s with The Vicar of Dibley and As Time Goes By. Another good example is My Hero, starring Ardal OHanlon from Father Ted as a mild-mannered alien from the planet Ultron who comes to Earth and does all sorts of good deeds in the guise of superhero Thermoman. When not in superhero mode, though, he is George Sunday, an average, but ditzy, bloke who falls in love with nurse Janet Dawkins.

The scripts by May to December writer Paul Mendelson are neither offensive nor obscene, but sweet. A nice bit of nastiness, however, is provided by the characters of the pompous doctor Piers Crispin and his sarcastic receptionist, Mrs. Raven.

The BBC has made My Hero a comedy priority. Smart move, because they have a star in Ardal OHanlon and a show that will appeal to a wide audience.