Over the past six years, the comedy series "Episodes" has been shown with great success on television in the UK and the USA. Neither critics nor the producers predicted such a long glory to the sitcom. The latter suggested closing the show immediately after the start of the season, but the audience’s feedback extended the life of the screen heroes until at least 2018.
Script Writer
According to legend, the action of the series "Episodes" in season 1 takes place in Los Angeles. However, the main material was filmed in the UK, in the mansion of screenwriters. To make it clearer, it’s worthwhile to dwell a little on the plot of the series.
Very popular screenwriters live and work in the UK - a married couple of Lincoln, Sean and Beverly. In their homeland, the Lyman's Boys series about an elderly teacher of literature was shot based on their work. The highlight of this plot is the love of the philologist-intellectual in a woman librarian with an unconventional sexual orientation. His wards, the boys of the same school, help the touching adventures of an unlucky teacher.
The series won the love of the audience in England, and the Lincoln wife - honor and respect. At one of the events, where they received another award for their creation, they received an offer from a representative of the American television channel to remove a remake of their sitcom in Los Angeles. However, the plot must be adapted to the mentality of the audience of the New World. Not really understanding what this condition could turn out for them, Lincoln agrees. The backstage of American television very quickly brings them to life, but there is nowhere to go - the contract has been signed. "Episodes" is a series where the actors were perfectly able to convey the atmosphere of the set.
TV Series Characters
From the original plot of the London version in Los Angeles, nothing remains. Lincoln is forced to turn an elderly teacher into a young coach of the hockey team, and the school into a sports section. And as a result of dramatic changes - the American version of Lyman's Boys called Pucks “Pucks”. The only thing that suits the scriptwriters is the characters. All but one. The main role was given to American producers by Matt LeBlanc, who plays ... Matt LeBlanc.
In the series "Episodes", the actors successfully cope with their images in the images, because some artists have to try on two characters at once: the heroes of "Episodes" who play the heroes of the American series "Pucks". Even LeBlanc is forced to portray a somewhat exaggerated copy of himself. The main cast is exclusively the characters of "Episodes".
The roles of the Lincoln spouses were masterfully played by Tamzin Greg and Stephen Mangen. The inimitable bewilderment that their intelligent heroes had to experience in the new American reality, where the disguised falsity rules the ball, shows the duplicity of the show business of the city of angels better than any words. The British in their images are convincing, you believe them implicitly. Like Katherine Rose Perkins as Carol Rance - Assistant Channel Leader. All four characters starred in 41 sitcom series. The rest did not reach 30.
Uncomplicated, but with subtext
In "Episodes," everything arouses the sympathy of the audience, and especially the unobtrusive exposure of the backstage of American filmmaking. In the first season, consisting of seven episodes, Lincoln wage a three-sided struggle with the leadership of the channel with their peremptory requirements, and with Matt LeBlanc, which does not suit them at all. Subtle English humor is intertwined with rude American, causing the fireworks of misunderstandings, children's insults, verbal traps and frank confusion in the relations of the characters. The facial expressions of the actors at the same time cause an additional wave of laughter from the audience.
You can add about laughter that in the series “Episodes” of season 2, the tendency of the first was continued - the audience was not forced to impose extra sound effects in the form of voice-over laughter of an imaginary audience. In general, American comedy series rarely do without this feature: after each successful remark, according to the director, in addition to the characters' text, viewers hear a plot laughter outside as a hint that this screen joke turned out to be especially successful and should be supported.
Seasons "Episodes"
The English channel BBC Two and the American Showtime launched the Episodes project in 2011. Then only seven episodes were filmed. In the second and third seasons - already nine. In subsequent years, the number of episodes was kept in the same range, and was recognized by the audience as optimal for the film to look with interest. The producers of the show continued the successful project. 186 channels worldwide got the right to broadcast the sitcom.
In August 17th, the fifth season of the episode "Episodes" was released. Actors and the roles performed by them fell in love with the audience on all continents. Today, filming of the project continues, British television announced the continuation of the sitcom in 2018. The popularity of the series is growing with each new series, its rating is rapidly increasing. According to fans of the show, the plot of the film is quite original, and the problems raised in it are relevant for any society, although they are presented in a somewhat grotesque form.
The ups and downs in the fate of the characters
In the 30 episode of the series, John Pankow played a prominent role in not knowing what the tyrant producer of the American channel wanted. The actor’s magnificent game was remembered by the audience even more than the plot passions of his on-screen character. Mircy Monroe in the role of the over-age beauty Morning Randolph appeared even less - in 26 episodes of the first seasons, but managed to give her character a unique comedic image, successfully defeating the desire of every woman to appear younger than her years.
As for the main couple of Lincoln screenwriters, their marriage was subjected to the most terrible trials of jealousy, suspicion, and betrayal over the course of several seasons. Sean had an affair with Morning, Beverly with Matt. Having reached the limit, the couple still managed to save the family and stay with friends abandoned by ex-lovers. And Carol, over time, not knowing at the beginning whose side to take - the defrauded screenwriters or the boss, a tyrant, begins to support the British.
With Matt LeBlanc, everything is simple - he became friends with Sean, who discovered that the American star did not have so many real friends, and decided to take this niche himself. Which he has been doing over the past seasons. Their warm relationship, which has passed many tests, is the decoration of the series.
Prestigious reward for yourself
Russian viewers did not immediately fall in love with the episode Episodes. Season 3, when the events in the show began to develop more rapidly, was watched by more fans of sitcoms than the first two.
At first, he was mainly interested in fans of Matt LeBlanc, who is familiar to the general public for his participation in the successful American comedy Friends. Cute but noticeably stupid Joey performed by LeBlanc appeared on Russian TV channels for 12 years. They managed to get used to it, to fall in love. Therefore, his long-awaited appearance in the role of himself determined the audience’s interest in the show.
For subtle ridicule of his own personal image, more negative than positive, the artist was awarded the Golden Globe Award. Critics praised his very parody in the series "Episodes".
The actors of the show created a magnificent ensemble, attracting more and more new spectators to the sitcom. Starting viewing from the fifth season, many then begin to look for records of previous ones. The series has every chance to gain a foothold in the grids of world channels for a long time.