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REVIEWS | BBC's "COUPLING" The following is taken from the BBC's "Coupling" media guide BACK TO NBC
"COUPLING" —The Mirror, 16th May 2000 "I don't say this (I hope) just because it means that three of television's most gorgeous actresses are now together in the same programme -- but I can't remember the last time a British sitcom got off to such an assured start as 'Coupling.' Even the best comedy shows usually need a while to establish themselves. This one, however, hit the ground running so impressively that the avalanche of great gags and great comic situations, seemed somehow rooted in the characters from the first. (And no, I haven't a clue how the writer, Steven Moffat, managed that) ... Jack Davenport... proved a brilliant comedy actor ... I'll spare you too much sad lechery on the subject of Sarah Alexander." —Daily Telegraph, 15th May 2000 "Cunning and well-scripted new sitcom from Steven Moffat." —Guardian, 15th May 2000 "A dish of glib jokes sprinkled with a garnish of farce ... It is novel in that it starts from the premise that young women are now the sexually confident, predatory ones ... The second novelty is unusual sexual frankness." —The Times, 15th May 2000 "We may have found our very own Central Perkers... they are all gorgeous ... Sarah will have lustful fellas tuning in... while Richard, who gets the best lines as nervy Jeff, has the looks and the charm that make Ewan McGregor a hit with the ladies ... Snappy dialogue." —Sunday Mirror, 14th May 2000 "Steven Moffat's 'Coupling' was by far the greatest joy ... [His] expert ability to structure drama and his sharp ear for dialogue made this one of the funniest and most beautifully observed comedies in years. It is also perfectly cast, with six young actors, some new to comedy, who are as good as anyone we see on the supposedly superior American shows ... Gina Bellman's Jane was a riot ... The intricacies of the plot, with its elements of farce, were reminiscent of the best of Frasier; the comic timing, not least with an exceptional performance from Richard Coyle as Jeff, was equally impressive." —Mail on Sunday, 14th May 2000 "Irresistible... [Coupling] started last Friday and has already become grounds for turning down all but the hottest of Friday-night dates. Silliness is a rather underrated ingredient in successful comedy, but 'Coupling' has it in generous helpings... particularly in the acting, which is terrific, and lifts a competent show on to another plane. The ensemble work is excellent, but two performances stand out those of Gina Bellman... and Jack Davenport -- an inspired rendering of wry erotic incompetence." —Mail on Sunday, 14th May 2000 "Saucy new comedy drama." —Mail on Sunday, 14th May 2000 "Steven Moffat's series is a comedy in which men and women wittily negotiate the rules of erotic engagement. But in this case the men are the Ally figures -- passive, perplexed, desperately fantasising while the women are super confident... [Coupling] manages to be consistently funny." —Sunday Times, 14th May 2000 "Frothy comedy about the tangled love lives of six pals." —Mirror, 13th May 2000 "'Coupling' had some of the best comedy lines Išve heard in a British sitcom in ages." —Daily Express, 13th May 2000 "Fresh and funny... caustic, nicely observed." —Daily Telegraph, 13th May 2000 "Jack Davenport in particular shows an admirable sense of comic timing... wickedly funny." —Guardian, 13th May 2000 "'Coupling' is a witty comedy series about sexual mores today... the script crackled with good lines... At its best it was like an authentically British 'Friends,' combining group amiability with lines that encompass 'Bridget Jones' and 'Men Behaving Badly.'" —Daily Telegraph, 13th May 2000 "This has to be one of the most sassy and grown-up British sitcoms we've seen for quite some time." —The Sun, 13th May 2000 "Friday night is the best comedy night on TV, and this sparky new series, starring Jack Davenport... has no trouble keeping up the high standard... It's the sharpness of the writing, by Steven Moffat, that makes this stand out." —Evening Standard, 12th May 2000
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"Do we really want another
ensemble comedy full of bright young things having sex, thinking about
having sex, talking about having sex, not having sex and complaining about
not having sex? After watching 'Coupling' I think maybe we do. It's slick,
sharp, witty. And, of course, it's sexy."