Customer Reviews

The Kumars at No. 42

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I came upon the Kumars totally by accident, and now I'm an addict. Part chat show, part comedy improv, it is uproarious, especially when the guests "play along". The format is simple. A talk show hosted by a vain, somewhat self-indulgent British-Indian guy and his stereotype of a family: The over-nurturing mom (she always prepares food for the guests), the money obsessed dad, and the horny grandmother. There's a studio audience that the "Kumars" play off of. The guests are real celebrities- Donny Osmond, Tom Jones, Helena Bonham Carter- but the interviews are controlled by the members of "The Kumar Family" with riotous results. American improv comedians could learn well from these actors who you might have seen on other BBC comedies. It is silly, irreverent, and incredibly clever. I can rarely make it through an episode without having to replay a section because I was laughing so hard that I missed something. Unlike other BBC comedies, this one does not rely on sight gags and outrageous plotlines to get laughs. It is the interaction of the ensemble with the guests that keeps it fresh and funny.

Stumbled upon this wonderful BBC program and quickly fell in love with the family. Sanjeev, Mom, Dad and Gran are fantastic at heaping parental support and insults at one another, while "supposedly" living the asian stereotyical dream in London, this is very funny stuff. Check it out.

Five stars for the show, two stars for the BBC. The Kumars at No. 42 is one of the best shows on British television -- very funny with a talented cast, but I think the compilation was a bad idea. With so few episodes to a season, it shouldn't have been too much to ask for the complete program (especially after waiting so long for the DVDs to be released). As it is, some of my favorite guests are absent from this collection and some less interesting ones have been included. C'mon BBC -- give us the full seasons in their hilarious entirety!

You will laugh and you will cringe when you watch this. The Kumars at No 42 is one of the best talk show out, refreshingly different, and based on an Asian family giving their spoilt son his own TV studio in his back garden, we are treated to a laugh a minute as celebrities line up to be interviewed by the family, including a mother who wants to feed everyone, a father who wants to know why "everyone isn't a Doctor or a Lawyer" and a rude, but hysterically funny Grandmother played by the sublime Meera Syal who could get a laugh out of an audience of cardboard cut outs.

Very British but also very Indian, this talk show is great fun, and there is never a dull moment in the mad cap Kumar household, especially when Sanjeev, who is the talk show host tries to bring some culture and refinement to the table only to be thwarted by his well meaning but totally inappropriate family.

Well worth watching if you like British comedies with a ethnic slant.

HatTrick is the BBC arm that also produced Father Ted. The video contains 6 episodes, from over 2-3 years. Most guests would be unfamiliar to American viewers (Donny Osmond and Helena Bonham-Carter mentioned elsewhere are not on the video) excepting Minnie Driver, Steve Fry, and Richard E Grant. Humor referring specifically to their UK shows will be lost, but other than that it makes no difference who these guests are. They come in cold on the day of the show, having little or no warning what will transpire, and the interviews are a riot. Like Father Ted, when I just want a laugh, this will do it.

I have a bone to pick w/ the one star review here. This show is one of the funniest shows from the BBC stables. Letterman and his staff writers would be lucky to come up w/ something remotely this funny on the subject.

Oh, and I am an Indian.

I adore this show. I would absolutely kill to see the other episodes not available on DVD. The cast is delightful and funny, not to mention great at improv as well as the scripted bits. They really should release more on DVD!

This is fabulous. I haven't laughed so hard in years. This is very well done, but question?????
How many episode were shot?
Where are the others?
Don't tell me there was only one season of this gem!
If anyone know how we can get more episodes PLEASE PLEASE let us all know!

It's hard to tell who has more fun with this amazing talk show - the guests or the audience. The "family" is superb and totally crazy!

The other reviewers have said it all, except perhaps that this is a series that grows on you. As you get to know the characters the humor gets richer.
Anyhow, we watched the series for years while abroad but are disappointed that our cable does not carry BBC America and that only one (half-hearted?) DVD has been issued. Why not the whole series???