Sunday, August 28, 2011

TV Characters "Watching TV" -- "Men Behaving Badly"!



Characters on TV are usually too busy being characters on TV to actually watch TV, but here's a wonderful combination of two of our favorite things -- Star Trek and TV watching!  The often hilarious Britcom Men Behaving Badly (1992 - 1999, which is listed now on IMDb as British MBB because there was a two-season U.S. version in 1996), starred the very talented Martin Clunes (you may know him best from his great work in the Doc Martin series as the titular curmudgeonly medico, or from his starring role in the very fine Goodbye, Mr. Chips redo which we saw over here as a Masterpiece Theatre), the droll Caroline Quentin (Jonathan Creek, Life Begins, many more), Leslie Ash, and Neil Morrissey (both of whom have done lots of TV in Britain but not shows that have traveled over here much, unfortunately).  The series was at first lambasted for the juvenile behavior of its stars -- the epitome of the British trend of the times known as "laddism" -- but it became immensely popular and it just plain funny.  (MBB ran on one of the Canadian niche networks (Book TV, of all things!) when I lived up there and I fell in love with it.)

The show lasted forty-four goofy episodes, and is highly recommended for good solid silly laughs.  Clunes and Morrissey are best friend flatmates; Quentin in Clunes' sensible girlfriend, and Ash is Morrissey's sometime girlfriend (he pursues her vigorously in the earlier episodes and she finally gives in).  In Season 6 they did an episode called "Watching TV" where they're plopped on the couch watching an episode of classic Star Trek, and talking through it.  Deceptively simple premise, very funny episode! (Also great because Quentin is at first conked out -- ladies often fall asleep during TV shows, I've found, experientially and anecdotally!) Men Behaving Badly is on Netflix streaming -- all seasons, at least right now.  Gratis, more Men Behaving Badly episodes are on Hulu, others here and there on the net, and on DVD.  Seems lately that links are harder to find if there are eps up on Hulu, but keep searching!)

Enjoy "Watching TV" from Men Behaving Badly, originally broadcast November 27, 1997!  (This is actually just the first five minutes, then you have to click on the link at the top of the viewers to go to Veoh and watch the rest, but it works just fine, or you can just click to begin with and watch the whole thing right away.)  Or watch on Netflix


Watch Men Behaving Badly - s6e04 - Watching Tv.avi in Comedy | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

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