British television shows can often be overlooked by much of the world, simply for the sake of being aired out of a small territory. More so than overlooked, their shows while often critically acclaimed, just don’t get the screening power of a lot of American productions with the exception of a few. The Inbetweeners falls into this category in more ways than one, which is why it gets the attention from this blog today. This comedic sitcom graced British screens from 2008-2010 running for only three seasons but to great critical success and with two feature films to follow.
The Inbetweeners still holds its ground today. It follows four teenagers in the UK who are coming up on their last years in high school before they ascend into adulthood.
For a show that’s more than ten years old, The Inbetweeners still holds its ground today. It follows four teenagers in the UK who are coming up on their last years in high school before they ascend into adulthood. The name ‘inbetweeners’ signifies their place in the school social arena. Ergo, they’re not down with the ‘freaks’ as they put it, yet nor are they up with the popular crowd. Essentially it’s a coming of age series that follows the antics of the four friends Will, Jay, Neil, and Simon as they try to navigate situations such as school, attempting and mostly failing with the opposite sex, drinking alcohol, and trying to fit in and be noticed by their betters on the social latter.
Critically and commercially the show was a hit, and even took home an Audience Choice Award from the BAFTA TV awards which is the only category in which the public votes on a show. Writers Damon Beesley and Iain Morris are mostly to blame for the shows brilliance with really capturing the essence of teen culture in the UK, and exploiting the situations that audiences find to be hilarious and relatable. The actors were also well suited for their respective roles. The four teens played by Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison, and Joe Thomas completely nail the dialogue and tone of the show down to a tee, and their chemistry with one another was beyond compare. The production quality of the show was adequate and everything was shot simply, as the show’s true strength was in the writing and the characters.
It’s a shame really that this show only ran for three seasons over the span of eighteen episodes. It’s one of those shows where the studio could have likely recast new actors, created new characters and played off the same concepts. However, in seeing this show, it’s understanding why that was never the case. Though a short run it was, these actors solidified themselves as THE ‘Inbetweeners’ and it would almost not seem right to continue the show without them. Ultimately, this show was ‘theirs’ and it’s also a show that can be re-watched time and again as every episode runs under half an hour. Channel 4 streaming The Inbetweeners and it’s also available for online purchase so give it a watch. Why not? It’s a show that won’t take long to get through anyway.
