Customer Reviews

Coupling - The Complete Seasons 1-4

5 star:		(161)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Serious Coupling fans will NOT be disappointed with this attractively packaged box set, which includes all four seasons of the show, as well as hilarious outtakes, interviews with writer Steven Moffat, his wife, producer Sue Vertue (on whose relationship the characters of Steve and Susan are loosely based); an in-depth behind the scenes look at the making of the show; and commentaries on selected episodes with Moffat joined by various members of the cast (you have the option on several episodes to either view the show as it aired or watch it with commentaries taped over it).

I was only expecting four DVDs containing all the shows, and was utterly delighted with the seven discs holding all these extras. The sturdy & attractively designed pastel cases in which each DVD is contained are a cut above lots of cheap DVD packaging out there, which is a nice touch too.

When I first happened upon an episode of Coupling a few years ago courtesy of my local PBS station, I was surprised that such a poorly written and produced show could make it to the airwaves. I failed to realize at the time that Mr. Moffat was a brilliantly funny writer and the plots were supposed to be absurd. At this point I consider myself a hard core fan.

In the fourth series, the writing and overall production of the show feels so polished it bears very little resemble to the slapped-together quality of the first season, for lack of a better term. The character of Jane (aka the 'stupid one') has made the most noticeable transformation in the fourth series. Her 'dumb brunette' act has been toned down to the point of being almost unrecognizable, which works better anyway and is far less grating. I have to wonder if this was Gina Bellman's idea?

The fourth series does suffer a little from the loss of Jeff (Richard Coyle) especially in light of the fact that the character of Oliver (Richard Mylan) was clearly modeled after Jeff Murdoch. Like Jeff, Oliver is an easily-flustered, tongue-tied dork around women. He's likeable enough though, but as a new character I felt he should have had a completely different role to add another dimension to the show. Watching him you only wind up making comparisons to the inimitable Jeff. However the chemistry between goofy Oliver and dim-witted Jane has the effect of balancing their respective exaggerated personality traits out and makes scenes between these two characters especially engrossing.

All of the characters have really grown on me over the seasons, particularly Ben Miles (The Forsyte Saga) an amazing actor who effortlessly manages to make the womanizing character he portrays (Patrick Maitland) loveable and utterly realistic.

I am anxiously awaiting a fifth season!

NBC found out very quickly that you can't recreate that which was put together so well. The original British sitcom "Coupling", itself an attempt to reinvent "Friends", introduces us to Steve and Susan. They're just starting to date. Along the way, we find that their friends have been somewhat more than that on occasion.

There's Patrick, the womanizer, he's been with Sally and Susan.
There's Sally, the insecure one, she's been with Patrick and worries too much about growing old.
There's Jeff, who's been with every woman... in his mind. In the real world, he's slightly less successful.
Then there's Jane, she thinks she's everything that she wants to be. She's been with Steve and had one particularly memorable moment with Susan.

The show suffered a bit in the final season with the loss of Richard Coyle. Jeff was more than just the wacky friend, he gave the show some of it's greatest moments. Also, the producers focused too much on fantasy sequences to mirror the episode events.

One of the amazing things about this show, especially in the early seasons, was how well they could tell a story from various perspectives and have it all mesh together. Blending phone calls from the perspective of both callers. Using split screen. And was there really a third woman standing there?

Overall, a very fun show. Well worth your time.

I came across 'Coupling' on the local PBS channel late Saturday nights. It was on after 'The Office', which was the show I wanted to see. But after a few weeks, I skipped 'The Office' and got hooked on 'Coupling'. After the series run, I wanted to see it again, but not have to wait once a week. So, I scored a great deal on the entire series.
'Coupling' is one of the most satisfying series I have seen in many a year. At first, I'd watch and think, "I can't believe they just said that!" But as the series went along the characters became more developed, and I really cared about them, especially Sally Harper. This surprised me, because, at first, I could not stand her. She was this one note age obssessed stereotype. But Kate Isitt really brought a lot to making Sally a real person. Her standout, and I think, brave performances are in the episodes "Remember This", "The Girl with One Heart" (absolutley heartbreaking at the end), "Bed Time", and "9 1/2 Months".
Gina Bellman was note perfect as the "mad" Jane Christie, a good time gal up for anything. However, Jane never became really believable until the penultimate episode "The Naked Living Room". But it's worth the wait.
Susan Walker, played by Sarah Alexander, is the most elusive of the women. She's smart, organized, sexually voracious, a "happy trotting elf", to quote an episode. Yet, there's a distance to her, probably because she's so busy keeping everything together. Maybe having a boyfriend like Steve Taylor has something to do with that.
Steve, played by Jack Davenport, is the most normal of the guys. He does tend to complain a lot, especially during series 4 "the baby season", but he also gets to make great speeches about why men are like we are; "Inferno" is a great example. Steve also gets the last line of the series, and after he says it, you know why it ended when it did. It's perfect.
Patrick Matiland, played by Ben Miles, is the "tripod" womanizer. But, in a twist, he's very upfront about it. There's no guile to him at all. When he gets involved with Sally, it's very confronting to him, and he breaks out of being the stud, although not willingly.
And Jeff... ah, Jeff. The reason to watch the show. Richard Coyle will always be identified with Jeff Murdock no matter what. I saw a video of 'Lorna Doone' with Mr. Coyle on the box as the romantic lead and just burst out laughing. Jeff gets the best lines and observations; the "sock gap" is so true! And he always manages to get naked at least one a season with hilarious and squirm inducing results.
Richard Mylan, as Oliver Morris, had the thankless job of replacing Jeff after Richard Coyle left after series 3. He acquits himself admirably; he's not Jeff under another name, and he gives Oliver gravity in "The Naked Living Room" when he dares confront Jane... something none of the other characters ever did.
Steven Moffatt wrote all 29 episodes and as he went along he put twists on presenting the stories, such as "The Girl with Two Breasts", "The End of the Line", "Split", "Remember This", "9 1/2 Minutes", "Nightlines" and "Bed Time." Great, great imagination.
So, yes, it IS a comedy about sex, sex, and more sex. But if you watch closely it's also a about lot more.

I have to say, after having seen almost every episode of the North American counterpart 'Friends' and then witnessing 'Coupling' seasons 1 through 3, I am flabbergasted. The Brits are spot on with every joke. Every delivery is perfection. The characters are fantastically constructed and each episode is a delight to watch, My personal favourite character is Jeff Murdock, played by Richard Coyle, and I was devastated to learn that Coyle decided to leave the show after the 3rd series. He was a phenomenally funny guy on the show and really brought a great deal of unpolished charm to the cast. The other characters (Steve, Patrick, Sally, Susan and Jane) are all hilarious, though, so the show shou;dn't miss a beat in Coyle's absence. This is a dvd set worth owning, as you can watch the episodes countless times. I spent a good chunk of my holiday watching them and I don't regret it for a second. Definitely pick this up for yourself or a friend.

Those who compare this British series to the American "Friends" do it a disservice. That's saying a lot since the American sitcom was one of the shining moments of US comedy in the last ten years. Coupling writer/director Steven Moffat and producer and wife Sue Vertue are models for the series' primary couple, Steve and Susan. The dialogue is crisp and hysterical and the acting first-rate. Each of the seven actors [main cast of six with one change for series 4] is superb. The women are incredibly sexy and funny at the same time. Richard Coyle's "Jeff" is one of televisions best characters and Richard's work is unbelievable. However, the rest of the cast and the script are always so sharp that even when "Jeff" was replaced for series 4 with "Oliver" the show had no drop off in humor or story. I'm a proud American, but have always found British humor much more clever and this series is in my book up there with Python, Fawlty Towers, Young Ones, Absolutely Fabulous, The Office and dozens of other shows that were ahead of their American counterparts at the time. Even after viewing each episode dozens upon dozens of times I still find Coupling fresh and very, very funny.

Don't even compare the BBC original series to the short-lived American remake. Coupling is side-splittingly funny with dead-on observations of the daily interaction between men and women leading to absurdities you'd never imagine. If you've never seen the show, or know anyone who's missed it, Get This DVD!

The main casualty of the "Reality TV" boom has been the well-written situation comedy. This has never been more evident in my quest for quality TV finally leading me (and many others) across the pond for quality British sit-coms that are no longer in production.

This true gem of a series combines the previously unparalleled wit of Seinfeld/David writing, with a comedic ensemble in the tradition of Friends, and the boundless humor of sexuality a la Sex in the City. Imagine if the cast of Friends did the "Master of Your Domain" sketch every episode, and you get an idea of the at-home spit-takes you will perform with your viewing. Do yourself a favor and catch a BBC replay, or order this DVD set. Perfect for viewing with your significant other after the kids are in bed.

I actually saw the American version. My wife and I were apparently the only people who actually enjoyed it. In any event, the British version seems to work much better for almost everyone who watches it. These shows are hilarious. We are laughing so hard that we miss lines and have to go back to hear them again.

Another reviewer referred to these shows as sophisticated. I am not sure I would agree. They are basically immature sexual comedies. However, for some reason they work wonderfully. The best of them stand up to repeated viewings. When we have had a rough day and need a laugh, these are the shows we put on.

I happened to watch these DVDs during the worst time in my life. I was caring for a terminally ill parent, and far from home, and -- looking back -- it seems amazing that anything could make me laugh.

So, when I tell you that I laughed, loudly and hard, several times per episode, know that this was no small miracle.

I understand the comparisons to Friends and Sex and The City, but this show beats them, hands down. The writing is clever and intelligent and the characters only become more likable as their quirks are revealed.

Of interest are the characters of Sally and Patrick. She's youth-obsessed and vain. He's a serial womanizer with a closet, AKA The Cupboard of Patrick's Love, to prove it. And they end up, both of them, being touching in a way that Ross and Rachel -- hype aside -- never managed.

Several episodes are either framed in a non-linear manner or are revisited from multiple points of view. I know this has been done before, but rarely to such wonderful effect.

The last season is weakest due to the loss of the character of Jeff, but the overall quality of the whole series makes it impossible for me not to give it the highest allowed rating.

This is what television comedy can and should be and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this whole-heartedly to friends.

"Coupling" is a hilarious British comedy. Even Americans can find the show entertaining in most parts. This collection takes you through all 4 seasons of the show, and is worth every penny. For those who like comedies with innuendoes, this is the show for you!