Coupling - The Complete First Season

Movie / Show Details

Amazon.com

This witty, instantly addictive British series could also be called Chaps or Squelchy in the City. Coupling charts the tangled sex lives of a close-knit group comprising “exes and best friends”: womanizer Jack, hapless nice guy Steve, “strange and disturbing” Jeff, uninhibited Susan, neurotic Sally, and manipulative Jane. Coupling may inspire feelings of déjà-view. The obvious frame of reference is Friends (Steve and Susan are the Ross-Rachel equivalent), but this series also echoes Seinfeld in its coinage of catch-phrases (although it’s doubtful that “the boyfriend zone” will replace “master of your domain”) and plotlines (in episode one, Steve tries to dump Jane, who refuses to accept). But Coupling has its own fresh and provocative takes on relationships. At one point, a furious Susan discovers that Patrick not only had a videotape of the former couple having sex, but that he also taped over her. An American remake is reportedly in the works. Didn’t the Fawlty Towers knockoffs, Amanda’s and Payne, teach us anything? –Donald Liebenson

Product Description

For everyone who appreciates the cozy camaraderie of Friends, the spice of Sex in the City, and the sheer nuttiness of Seinfeld, here’s a hip hybrid of all three delivered with an English accent. The candor with which six young charmers (sound appealingly familiar?) deal with their lives and love affairs makes this series a tad edgier than most. NBC just obtained rights to it from the BBC. Obviously, the network decision makers were impressed by Coupling’s nomination for Best TV Comedy at the 2001 British Comedy Awards event. About 3 hours. DVD. Simon Says: When asked if the American version of Coupling will require toning down for the stateside audience, producer Sue Vertue (Vicar of Dibley, Mr. Bean) quipped, “We’ve just done the American pilot. It’s as rude as ever, you’ll be pleased to know. And actually, very, very like the original!”