Beaver Falls is the latest comedy from the E4 stable that has previously brought us Skins, The Inbetweeners and Misfits. On the evidence of this first episode, they have another homegrown winner on their hands.
Last week’s opening episode of BBC Two’s latest foray into quality original period drama featured a lot of set-up. That’s not to say it was dull – far from it – but at times the exposition threatened to overwhelm.
And so along comes the much-touted Jane Espenson (Buffy, Caprica, Game Of Thrones) and her first episode for Torchwood: Miracle Day. But will the incredibly experienced genre TV writer come up with the goods?
‘The next six hours is going to be filled with boredom, followed by monotony,’ CIA agent Rex Matheson remarks at the beginning as he boards a transatlantic flight with the manacled members of Torchwood in tow, but the subsequent episode is anything but dull.
Continuing directly where the explosive first episode left off, we find Captain Jack, Gwen and Rhys (and the baby!) being extradited by CIA Agent Rex Matheson and his sultry colleague Peterfield.
Timing for the BBC’s new television news-based drama could hardly have been more apposite, with the recent News Of The World and Rupert Murdoch debacle raging on.
So, by now, the whole world (well, almost) has had the opportunity to gaze upon the first episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day, the fourth series of the Doctor Who spin-off from writer Russell T Davies.
Some programmes thrive on constantly treading the line between funny and serious without ever truly identifying which they are – Shameless did it for years before toppling over the edge – while others are content to nail their comedic or dramatic flags to the mast from the outset.
There are only a few reasons why television remakes are commissioned, but the ways in which they can fail are as plentiful as there are fans to castigate a production company for daring to make such horrendous sows’ ears out of the silk purse originals.
‘This is the NHS,’ a podgy pathologist points out to Detective Sergeants Brooks and Devlin at the beginning of the episode, ‘not CSI.’ – and there’s no mistaking the warmer, more down-to-earth British cousin of the long-running, long-faced American franchise for anything more transatlantic.