The Inbetweeners comes to BBC America

BAFTA-nominated E4/Channel 4 comedy The Inbetweeners has been acquired by BBC America for broadcast later this year. The series follows the exploits of four sixth form friends who are caught inbetween the social strata of geekyness and popularity. The series is written by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris (who worked on The 11 O'Clock Show), and is certainly worth checking out if you like the idea of a silly, adolescent Skins-esque sitcom.

I recently caught up with series 1 on DVD (after seeing episode 1 when it aired, but falling behind¹), and found it quite enjoyable. I didn't find it hilarious, but some elements certainly struck a chord with me. It was just a shame a lot of the punchlines relied on comic incidents and reactions that just didn't ring true (like one character jumping on someone's car roof to make a point, or the gang evacuating a car because the seats are sticky with semen.) But, while it didn't reach any great comedy heights, the performances were agreeable and the characters likeable. I also found it amusing that the parents were arguably even more immature than their kids, and twice as horrifying. And maybe series 2 has improved things; I'll have to catch-up with the Channel 4 repeats later this year.


1. I can't be alone in rarely tuning into E4 for original homegrown comedy, can I? It's too far down the EPG and isn't it all Smallville repeats?