[.ca] Coupling: Complete Seasons 1 and 2

From 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. --Donald Liebenson Steven Moffat's second season is a brilliant consolidation of all those neuroses, small deceits, obsessions, and personality tics that struck such a resonant chord when Steve, Susan, and their four friends were first unleashed on us. Comparisons with Friends itself are tiresome and lazy: Coupling is an intrinsically British comedy that picks apart the trivial and the mundane in everyday relationships and takes them on surreal journeys, leaving the participants hilariously bemused and rarely any wiser. Its success is due to the magical combination of Moffat's very funny scripts and the talents of six extremely likable actors, including Jack Davenport (Steve) and Sarah Alexander (Susan). But it's Richard Coyle's Jeff whose sexual fantasies exert a compelling fascination that will really keep you watching in disbelief. Breasts, bottoms and pants are the basis for most of the conversational analysis when these friends get together as a group, as couples, as girlfriends, or as mates, invariably becoming metaphors for the state of a relationship or situation. Individual viewpoints and terrors are explored through respective memories of the same event and what-if scenarios. Chain reactions inevitably ensue, fuelling comedy that is based almost entirely on misunderstanding. --Piers Ford

If Friends and Sex and the City had a baby...:
If you like Friends and Sex in the City, you'll love Coupling. It's the funniest, smartest, most original comedy I've seen in a long time. My husband and I love to watch it together so it appeals to men and women alike. The cast is brilliant! The characters and the situations they find themselves in could easily become silly and annoying. However, the excellent actors make their quirky characters both human and endearing. (There was an attempt at an American version and it flopped because of the lousy actors, in my opinion.) I've watched each episode at least two times and they still crack me up. This is a definite must-have.

Giggle loop, sock gap, nudity buffer, bucket of women ears:
Those are a few of the many baffling and hilarious "Jeffisms" featured in seasons one and two. Coupling is one of my all-time favorite shows, with brilliant writing and a solid cast. The actors have come to really own their characters, increasing in emotional depth with each episode (be sure to check out season three, coming out soon). Over and over, I have enjoyed... -Steve's rants ("You do not need padding to tackle upholstery!") -Susan's dry wit ("Lucky you didn't bump into any goats") -Sally's insecurities ("Don't touch me, I'm full of moisturizer! You might drain it all off; like rain in the desert, it all gets sucked away. You'd probably reflate!") -Jane's insanity ("There's no such thing as homosexuals, just peoplesexuals!"), -and Patrick's relationship phobia ("Sally, there are certain words you just don't say to a man, they're too technical, like 'commitment' or 'cervix'"). But best of all is Jeff, a charmingly neurotic Whelshman who is capable of attracting women, yet becomes terrified when he does. Many of the phrases that come out of his mouth make me cringe and slap my forehead, while rolling on the floor laughing. Some of his romantic disasters include smiling at a co-worker and destroying a water cooler in the process ("She thinks I'm a mute with a balance problem"), telling an Israeli woman that he collects women's ears in a bucket, telling a woman on a train that one of his legs was amputated ("I've met the woman of my dreams, and I can't take my trousers off!"), getting tricked into joining a three-way with Patrick and his girlfriend Linda, complimenting his boss/future girlfriend Julia in an elevator ("You have the eyes of ten women...not in a jar or anything, I'm not accusing you!"), and of course, the famous striptease in a room that was, unbeknownst to him, full of his coworkers, friends, and his parents. Overall a classic character, and one of the funniest I've seen in a long time. And yet, Jeff is just part of a whole, where all the acting, the writing, and the direction come together to form a TV show that is a masterpiece. It's a shame there are only 22 episodes broadcast so far, but I could happily watch them over and over for years to come. As far as the DVDs themselves go, there are pros and cons. I like the menu design and interviews with the cast and staff. The bad news is that there are no subtitles, and commentaries are only on episodes three through nine in the second season. And the "Play All" option is only on the second season DVD. Nevertheless, this whole series is well worth owning on DVD. I think the fourth season will be broadcast on BBC America next month, and I can't wait!

Get This Now!:
Truly the most consistently funny half-hour of television today, miles and away better than any American situation comedy on air. I've yet to see an episode of either of the first two series that didn't make me laugh aloud several times. A man, his new girlfriend, his best friend, her best friend, his ex, and her ex--all the elements are ripe for endless complications and plots, and the writers take full advantage of the characters' intricate relationships, placing them in ever increasingly absurd situations that nonetheless are perfectly believable. The humor is veddy, veddy British, which, as the atrocious NBC version illustrated, does not translate well into American, but that's okay. The actors' comedic talents shine through in every scene. Of particular merit is Richard Coyle's portrayal of the hapless Jeff, cursed with inappropriate speech in the presence of the opposite sex. Watch the opening episode to Series Two, and you'll laugh yourself silly at his antics, culminating with his pathetic realization that he's "got too many legs."

Funniest series I have ever watched on tv:
This is by far the funniest tv series I have ever seen. The first episode had me laughing so hard that I missed most of what happened. If you are looking for a good comedy about what real relationships are about, then this is definitely a must see. No matter what gender you are, I am sure you can relate to something in these episodes. I do not normally purchase DVDs because there are so few movies I wish to see over again. This is the exception to the rule. I am sure I will watch these episodes over and over again. Just pure hilarious fun.

Better humor than American could ever do...:
I think alot of Americans are turning to Britian for comedy these days. Between the advent of "reality tv"(If you'd like to call that load of bollocks reality) and censorship at an all time high, England's hysterical BBC has become a haven for SMART and INTELLIGENT Americans in search of witty and yet sometimes raunchy humor. Coupling has become my all-new favourite since ABFAB. So well written and performed by all concerned. Brilliant (Jeff's most commonly used word)jokes and the most unreal sex farces you'll ever see!! All 3 seasons are so very worthy indeed!