TV Show First Look #5

Sally4Ever (2018)

I was recently pootling around on the Rotten Tomatoes site and saw a list they had made of the best HBO shows. Despite being a British show, it was the first time I'd even heard of Sally4Ever, but I have generally liked the HBO shows I've seen before so that was enough for me to try it out. It's the brainchild of Julia Davis, apparently a well-known and regarded comedian here in the UK, and features Sally (Catherine Shepherd) who has lived a dull suburban life for ten years with her nebbish boyfriend David (Alex Macqueen). Clearly bored and unhappy in life, she finds herself drawn into a relationship with Emma (Davis), a charismatic women she first meets on the train. Before long they are living together, with David having been given the boot, and Emma is running riot over pretty much all aspects of Sally's life.

Despite this possibly-good premise, however, it didn't take long for me to realise this show isn't for me, to put it mildly. I've always been a bit picky regarding comedy, I admit, but the style they're gone for here is largely of the gross-out, cringe-inducing kind. Even this lowbrow humour can be funny on occasion, but here it's all happening to and around what are probably three of the most unlikeable characters I've ever seen on a TV show. David is just a wet rag of a boyfriend who spends more time sobbing than anything else. Emma is an awful person who doesn't even try to hide the fact that she's clearly and blatantly using Sally for her own ends. And Sally isn't strong enough to stop her and seems happy to allow herself to be manipulated despite being obviously unhappy all the time and understandably uncomfortable with all the changes Emma is forcing upon her.

I assume the unappealing traits of all three main characters have been exaggerated for 'comedic' effect (the lesser characters are also annoying, by the way) but it doesn't even begin to work for me I'm afraid. I know I'm in the minority, the critics love this show and many viewers do too, but not only do I not see the appeal - it's actually painful to watch. I know Julia Davis is highly regarded and I'm sure she's talented and has many fans, but this show is the extreme opposite of enjoyable for me. If the NSA ever wants to torture me, just leave me in a room with this playing on loop at full volume! I confess I didn't watch the whole season, I just couldn't stomach any more of it as it's desperately unfunny and impossible to identify with or have sympathy for any of the characters. Urghh! I need a shower.

RKS Score: 0/5