Chickens is a British sitcom created by Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, and Jonny Sweet. A pilot episode appeared on the Comedy Showcase in 2011 before it was picked up and aired in the Fall of 2013. The show details the exploits of three men who are deemed social outcasts for not fighting in the First World War.
Chickens shows examples of:
- All of the Other Reindeer: All three of the main characters are ostracised for not going to war. In Cecil's case, he wanted to go, but was medically ineligible due to flat feet.
- Big Sister Bully: Cecil's sister, Agnes. She tends to be the ringleader of the women and tries to make things harder for Cecil and the other two.
- Cringe Comedy: Much of the humor on the show is derived from putting characters in even worse situations.
- The Ditz: Bert. He is hardly aware that the war is going on concurrently despite having it repeatedly pointed out to him.
- Dogged Nice Guy: George towards Winky. While they both like each other, she is often reluctant to be seen around him.
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Typecasting / Meta Casting: Cecil and George are both rather similar to Will and Simon on their previous show. Cecil is a pompous but relatively reasonable person who is plagued by bad luck and unfortunate circumstances(unable to participate due to his medical condition, ostracized by the community). George is characterized by his troubles in romance. - Freudian Trio:
- George is the most level-headed and principled of the three. He genuinely opposes the war out of a sense of pacifism.
- Cecil is fairly level-headed, but also has a desire to be liked by the townsfolk. Thus, he tends to be a bit more Hot-Blooded than George.
- Bert is the most hedonistic of the three, defined primarily by his womanizing.
- Jerkass: The townsfolk treat the main characters with rather over-the-top disdain.
- The So-Called Coward: All three of the main characters, but especially George. None of them are cowards, but they're all not participating in the war for various reasons.
