Tim This is a marvelous British comedy, written beautifully with a plot whose twists and turns can't possibly be predicted. The interplay between the characters -- none of whom is much like any other -- is priceless. Even the music is nice. The first series is better than the others, and the Oliver (a late addition) isn't quite as funny as Jeff, whom he in effect replaces. But it's ALL worth watching.I'll wager any male who watches 'Coupling' prays he's never been perceived as similar to either Jeff or Oliver, neither of whom has any common sense or confidence with women. Susan is the most intelligent and steady of the seven regulars -- 'apparently'. Jane is the most self-centred of the women; Patrick is an unashamed sex addict; while Steve is also nervous but has very definite and funny opinions. But Sally seems the funniest of all, constantly worrying about her looks, particularly her bottom, which she's sure 'flirts with men behind her back'.And nothing seems off-limits -- the discussion features talk of the sizes of male AND female genitalia. The length of Patrick's manhood seems to be a topic in every episode. Women's bottoms are also a recurring theme, particularly among the women, who discuss not only Sally's but Susan's and those of other women as well.Due to the constant stream of sex talk, 'Coupling' is not for children. But it's certainly for anyone who wants a steady stream of laughs!

SnoopyStyle On their first date, the woman flashes her breast (the right one) to her date, her ex, her best friend, his ex and his best friend.Steve Taylor (Jack Davenport) is desperate to break up with the unflushable Jane Christie (Gina Bellman). His best friend is the strange and disturbing Jeff Murdock (Richard Coyle). Jeff works with Susan Walker (Sarah Alexander). Susan breaks up her casual relationship with the womanizing tripod Patrick Maitland (Ben Miles). Her best friend is the bitter, skin-elasticity-obsessed Sally Harper (Kate Isitt).This is Friends with more explicit sex talk and it is hilarious. Jeff is probably the funniest characters. There are some gut busting laughs. The interconnected story telling is used exceptional well. Basically, it has 3 series or 22 good episodes before Richard Coyle didn't return for the fourth series. At its best, this is a hilarious sex romp comedy.

Steviereno THIS show is absolutely the funniest show ever. The first three seasons, anyway.Some years ago I arrived at the conclusion that humor is at its core, simply absurdity - the absurdity of the unexpected punch line. You have a set-up - called a straight man in the past - and then you deliver a line out of left field, and then everyone blurts out (laughs) their reaction to the absurdity. And the more absurd, the funnier. If the unexpected isn't part of it - if any of it can be seen a mile away - then it won't have the impact. Well, this show has the most absurdity you will find anywhere, any when. The impact of the humor is just amazing. At any moment, a line out of nowhere. And topping the charts even within this Top O' The Charts ensemble, is Jeff. Bumbling Jeff. Absurd Jeff. Ohmygod Jeff. I am not sure they ever wrote a line for Jeff that wasn't off the wall, over- the-top absurd. If they did, I must have missed it while tending to my aching abdomen muscles and wiping the tears. You name it, and Jeff put his foot in his mouth over it - and the greatest thing about it is that he (the character) never even knows he's stepped in it. Well, actually, not quite true - but his efforts to extricated himself are even more absurd than his initial blurts. Jeff the Burter. Jeff the abysmally horrible self-extricator.Situational comedy is, then, setting up absurd situations and letting fly with all the silly absurdities that will arise. Well, welcome to the capitol of all absurd situation comedies. They don't miss a punch line - and often slip in 3 or 4 even before the one you might expect.So MANY times you the audience just want to let your head sag, as Jeff digs himself deeper and deeper.And yet, Jeff is not the star, though he steals the show so often. Steve bumbles his way out of the arms of one and into the arms of another, and does such a cuddly Jeff-imitation in the process that even the one left behind can't hate him. Susan, even while being the "straight man" for so many situations, manages her full share of "yowch" lines and physical humor. (Episode #1 has a doozy.) Jane is the dizziest woman since Gracie Allen, 50 years earlier - but 10,000 times hotter. And yet, as hot as Jane is, Susan is more so. Wow, one of the all-time beautiful blonds. Even if she is a bit "perky"...LOL Über oblivious, womanizer Patrick and his manhood are the object of many a scene (mostly unseen scenes, except in the imagination), and the audience is the beneficiary of the great writing that exposes them to his prowess. Cosmetologist Sally is the most normal of the ensemble, and yet her aging "vanity" (and its situations) still outdoes anything on "Sex and the City."A gem of gems, Coupling is to die for, to laugh out loud at, and to watch again every year or two, just to wallow in the absurdity of it all.If I could give it as many as 20 stars, I would. Alas! 10 is all they allow, so 10 it is...p.s. In Season 4, when Jeff no longer is on the show, the replacement character is simply 7 notches down from Richard Coyle and his characterizations. For that season, the show drops to about 6. What a loss Coyle was to the ensemble. . .

alarmeh Of the English comedies I've seen, this is my favorite. The name and tag line are perhaps a bit misleading; the shows' humor is often insightful and goes beyond the amusing display of mating rituals, it exposes the differences between men and women and here and there provokes philosophical questions. Of course, at the same time, it's completely hilarious and technically brilliant, to a degree that you can't wait to watch an episode again right when you're still seeing it the first time. Actually, I've watched most episodes at least 5 times and only occasionally got tired of certain scenes. This is largely because many of the jokes derive both from the situation and from the characters, so that you need to get to know the individuals' peculiarities first to "get" certain lines' full hilarity. The show also uses a lot of modern techniques like split screen or anachronical narration which really make the scenes dynamic and effective. The humor comes along incredibly well-timed this way, especially when switching between different perspectives of one situation. Actually, this change between viewpoints (usually male and female) is done so well and with such almost unmatched routine that it seriously restored my faith in the TV series as an art form in general. It's also remarkable that the characters work very well within this concept, and work well together. The original cast was perhaps some kind of once-in-a-lifetime chance, especially the chemistry between Kate Isitt and Ben Miles is amazing. Many viewers may say that Richard Coyle as Jeff steals the show, but I don't feel like he's even the most amusing character, Gina Bellman impresses as the naively mad Jane, and Ben Miles as Patrick, the (on the surface) self-assured macho, those two pretty much naturally utter one incredible line after another. The roles however also lead me to the negative points. Steve and Susan, although performed well, don't have the built-in hilarity Jeff or Jane have, perhaps because they're based on real-life figures and therefore the most "normal" characters. Sally Harper's role gets repetitive as she continuously rants about her fear of getting old and the impact of that process on her body. And obviously, it was completely impossible for Oliver Morris to "replace" Jeff. Even with all prejudice aside, Richard Coyle just doesn't convince, which may not only be his fault. The Oliver character is just flat and is doomed to annoy rather than amuse, because his clumsiness is pretty much the only feat he has. Also, here and there the characters seem to get sold for a plot twist, and certain joke formulas are repeated too often, prime example the cases when one of the male characters refers to a woman's looks and gets in a muddle by making absurd comparisons. Still, those are rarely occurring faults of an almost perfect series that, even in dramatic or romantic moments, always manages to come up with a laugh, and which may stun you with its well-pointed plots.