daniellouthain The title says it all. The humor is spot on and very much so in the vein of Merchant's past work. If you can handle cringe humor like Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office (UK), Peep Show, Todd Margaret, etc. you'l enjoy this. Merchant's character is barely likable for most of the series, but he brings a charm to the role and an earnest naivety that reflects the struggle of a British man from small towns trying to adapt to LA life. The arching plot is very formulaic unfortunately. He chases stunning yet vapid women with whom he has nothing in common while there's the perfect woman for him right under his nose. There are plenty of subplots that make up for this, and there's a nice theme that ties these plot lines together. There were a couple recurring characters that could have been explored more in the first series. Overall it's worth your time if you have it. Don't move it to the top of your list, however.

omart94 I never expected that Stephen Merchant was going to be that good an actor! I've always enjoyed the Stephen Merchant, Ricky Gervias, and Karl Pilkington partnership, yet of the three, the spot light was always on Karl and Ricky. Through watching the Ricky Gervias Show, I came to love the three of them. Ricky the bold, immature yet eerily sophisticated man, Karl the simple bloke who liked to question every thing, and finally Stephen, Ricky's right hand man. There was never much depth into Stephens character. I (being the curious person that I am) couldn't wait to see Stephen make his own show (away from the stand up comedy genre). At the beginning I was a bit skeptical, but then I saw how well Stephen Merchant handled his character. Pritchet is a selfish, arrogant and socially awkward middle aged man who always tries too hard; basically one of the worst people you can ever meet, however somewhere along the series you begin to feel sympathy for him, you see beyond the selfish douche-bag wannabe persona, you see a struggling man who has ambition. You feel sorry for him, but you know he deserves it. You admire him, you loath him. You think you are better than him, and because of that he inspires you. He is in many ways an anti-hero.

Jack Donaghy Brilliant mate! (In Merchant voice)The second I saw a promotion for this show and watched Stephen Merchant on Fallon discussing this I was filled with anticipation. Both Gervais and Merchant have revolutionized on-screen comedy in a way never seen before. This sort of mundane, yet gut wrenchingly-awkward comedy that gave birth to The Office is something so desperately needed on TV in a time where viewers are bombarded with horrible writing injected with the steroids of laugh-tracks. And given the immense success of this Gervais/Merchant style of comedy I'm very pleased that Merchant has decided to give'er another go. If you have ever seen Merchant's stand-up...rest assured you will be pleased. For those of us craving more than cheap TBBT-esque laughs, this is your show. This show is definitely promising. My only dearest hope is that they refrain from heading down the road of predictability and romantic clichés.

Eric-d-hendricks1 I'm having serious trouble with believing anyone can be as big of a tool and as clueless as the main character Stewart. Is the show meant to be complete hyperbole or are we supposed to think that someone out there in the world can truly act as pathetic and exude such blind confidence as Stewart? Or is the show just a brand of British humor that I'll never understand because I'm American? I am familiar with many comedy series on BBC so I hope I have some inkling of the British brand humor across the pond. For as much hype as HBO used in promoting Hello Ladies, I have to say I'm disappointed and annoyed 75% of each episode. I tend to use the fast forward option often in the middle of the episode when the story begins to drag. After reading the article above I'm a tad more educated on the overall approach in the show's writing. Maybe Merchant is as awkward in real life as Stewart in on the show. I would just think that he would have had a friend at one point in his life sit him down and explain a more correct successful way of picking up woman and how to treat people. Everyone has either that nerdy girl in the friend zone that secretly likes you and always points out your flaws or an annoying sibling that just enjoys correcting your behavior so you are not an embarrassment. Hang me out to dry, but I enjoyed the show Luck with Dennis Hoffman and that show was canceled in it's first season and I wasn't the least bit surprised because that show lacked a pace to the progression of the story line as well. HBO viewers have come to expect a certain level of shock and awe in HBO comedy series that fuel the success of Bored to Death and Eastbound and Down. Unfortunately, Hello Ladies just hasn't struck my funny bone yet and I'm no longer making it a point to watch the show. I think I mainly tune in just to see if Stewart has gotten any closer to hooking up with the lousy but sexy actress that lives in his pool house. If it was an underdog story filled with dating faux paus where Stewart is progressing in attempts of landing the hot actress then I would be more entertained. If that plot is actually happening then boy did I miss it!