This smart, dark UK comedy series showcased the fabulous Anne Dudek a couple of years before she made her bones playing meanies or crazies on American TV (most notably the hyperintense Dr. Amber Volakis on "House"). Here she's Clare, a prickly American expat and the instigator of the book group; another heavy hitter, Rory McCann (Sandor Clegane, "The Hound," on "Game of Thrones"), is exceptional as Kenny, a sweet-natured giant now confined to a wheelchair by a climbing accident; James Lance is suitably repulsive as Barney, a temperamental grad student, in the first season and again as Lachlan, Clare's overattentive boyfriend, in the second. Inspired by the group's first book, Kerouac's "On the Road," Clare and Kenny start writing novels (or pecking out their romantic fantasies) on their laptops; the fantasy sequences don't always add much, but Anne Dudek looks great when she lets her hair down as a tweedy Dryden scholar. A lot of the stuff aboot the fitba' went right by me, and the sexy soccer mamas are a bit over the top at times, but Michelle Gomez has some nice moments as Janice, a Real Housewife of Glasgow who goes all out for self-improvement, and Derek Riddell is adorable (if not always comprehensible) as Rab, a shifty guy in a tracksuit wha disnae much care for buiks. The first season has real momentum as the characters get involved (mostly in pursuit of unrequited crushes) in each other's lives, the second's a lot less focused, though partly redeemed by the presence of comic Karen Kilgariff as Clare's tough-talking sister. The second season ends on an ambiguous but upbeat note, and Anne D. gets to show her softer, gentler side with a little karaoke number in the series closer. Final grade: eight stars for the first season, six for the second, docked one star for the unsubtitled Dutch, Swedish, Spanish and Arabic. Finally, this is a bit off topic but how many would like to read a fanfic about a coed kickball league in Hell featuring rival captains Amber Volakis and Sandor Clegane (he must be dead by now, right?)? No longer available on streaming Netflix, I'm sorry to say.

Not all British comedies are great, but the seasons are short! So there was ample time to watch all of it and judge it harshly. I only wanted to watch this because one of my favorite characters/actress from Green Wing is in this (Michelle Gomez).However, this just turned out to be a complete disappointment. There was only 1-2 likable characters, and the plot was overly disappointing. Some scenes were way over drawn. And the "cold hearted bitch" (also known as Wilson' dead girlfriend) from House was the leading character. There was no coherent love lines or interpersonal relationship.There were a few good lines and scene, but I was sorely disappointed. The writing is haphazard and the characters are randomly underdeveloped. Apparently there are failing shows in ever country, even in England. Sadness abounds. I HATE LIFE sometimes.SORE DISAPPOINTMENT.

Not everybody will like this type of transgressive, subtle comedy rooted in appreciation of character, but those how do will find it one of the funniest things they have ever seen.The comedy of this show is basically about delusion. Almost all of the people in it are deceiving themselves about who and what they are. They are building castles in the air and refusing to accept their lives. The main character in the show and the butt of most of the humour is Clare, the American girl who starts the book group. Well-intentioned but also vain and naive, she looks down on the other girls for their ignorance and open sexuality, and refuses to admit to herself that her motive in starting the group is basically sex. She believes she has insight into others while in fact she has none, coming from a protected background, romancing her own life and failing completely to understand the earthy Glasgow people. The only character who is not comic is Ken, who is a paraplegic who has had to be realistic about his own life and who is turning his dreams into reality.This comedy is also very transgressive. In one scene, Lachlan and Clare are having sex while he explains to her where her G-spot is.But the real butt of the comedy is the audience. It asks us to re-evaluate our own intellectual pretensions and lives. This is why some people react so strongly to it. The humour arises from understanding and compassion. The Book Group is true art because it asks us to examine our own lives.

The premise is so simple that it would seem likely to be a snowballing success.The fact that the first episode was such a well structured, delicately written and well acted piece, meant that it appeared there was every possibility it could be a well thought through character study over a six week, or however long, period.Perhaps I am missing something as I have not read all the books that have so far been discussed by the group, but in any case the first episode was the only one that even touched upon the book at any level.Since then the programme has descended into the characters outside of the group. More about how they react in other environments and the experience that the book group may have had on them. The episodes appear to have been cut very harshly. There are great wapping gaps, with no explanation.The stuff about Kenny and Claire and the kiss has been forgotten. Barney and Claire and their immediate chemistry. The female obsession of Kenny's hands.It has to be said that the acting is very accomplished and it is a pleasure to see new actors proving their worth. Perhaps at the end of the run all of the loose ends will be tied up and it will make sense as a whole?Even so though it needs to be judged on each episodes merits, and doing that is so hard as each episode is so vastly different in genre and style.It feels like it should have been a two part series, just like Men Only which is one of the best things Channel 4 has ever shown.