(L-R) Vasos, Stath, Sophie
Stath Lets Flats is a Channel 4 Brit Com created and written by Jamie Demetriou, who also stars at Stath, a comically inept English-Cypriot agent who works at Michael and Eagle, a London flat letting company – that's apartment leasing, for you Yanks – owned and operated by his father, Vasos. Stath's co-workers include his airhead sister Sophie, the soft-spoken, friendly Al and the career-oriented Carole.
The episodes revolve around Stath's ham-fisted, dogged attempts to become the manager at Michael and Eagle, as he alienates potential clients during viewings, accidentally wrecks the flats – which aren't in great shape to begin with – and feuds with Smethwick's, the rival letting agency next door.
Stath Lets Flats premiered on Channel 4 on June 27, 2018, and Seasons 1-3 are available to stream on HBO Max. On December 15, 2020, Fox announced it was developing an American adaptation, Bren Rents.
This show provides examples of:
- Beware the Nice Ones: The genuinely kind Al often tries to contain his mounting irritation and frustration, which makes it all the more shocking when he does erupt in a brief, angry outburst.
- Blunt Metaphors Trauma: Vasos emigrated from Cyprus to the UK, and Stath admitted he didn't learn English until he was 14, which leads them both to frequently mangle metaphors:
- "You're going to tell me who I give my shits to now, Carole?"
- "He thinks he's the greatest thing since life's bread!"
- British Brevity: The first three seasons consist of only six episodes each.
- Brother–Sister Team: Stath and Sophie seem to spend most of their time together – they both work for their father, frequently hang out and even go out on double dates.
- The Ditz: Sophie demonstrates an alarming lack of common sense – for example, she thinks "bubbly" is a slang term for chocolate and mistook a building for a hospital "because [it was] big" – and writes and performs songs with nonsensical lyrics: "So raise a glass of beer / And set fire to the beer / But make sure it's safe / Keep all the women safe".
- Drives Like Crazy: Stath constantly parks his car haphazardly (leaving it partially on the curb, blocking other cars from leaving their parking space, etc.). In one episode, he even falls asleep in the middle of the road.
- Establishing Character Moment: The pilot opens with two prospective customers, waiting for Stath to arrive to show them a flat. When he arrives, he parks awkwardly on the curb, runs right by them – even though they're standing right next to a sign advertising his family business – only to circle back and introduce himself with, "Uh, 14-B Needham Road? Sorry I'm late. (jerks thumb behind him) I just ran over there." Right away, the show makes it abundantly clear that Stath isn't very bright, says things that don't make any sense and is woefully bad at his job.
- House Squatting: Ironically, in Season 2 Stath squats in the company's uninhabited flats after his father kicks him out of the house.
- Malaproper: Stath's Poirot Speak is often demonstrated by his misuse of common words and phrases:
- "I peg your garden?"
- "He's going to make my life a hiving lell".
- "On her own? Alastair, think, man! She gotta go with a parknor!"
- Nepotism: Michael and Eagle is owned and managed by Vasos, who keeps his children, Stath and Sophie, on the payroll despite their incompetence.
- Nice Guy: Al is a legitimately considerate, good-natured person who patiently tolerates Stath's boorish behavior, playfully jokes around with Sophie, and consistently cheers them up and praises them when they're upset.
- One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: In the Season 2 finale, Carole admits to Stath that he impregnated her during their fling in Season 1.
- Poirot Speak: Played for Laughs. The title of each episode features incorrect syntax, mirroring the usage errors frequently made by Stath, Sophie and Vasos ("A Completely Football", "Where Can I Flat?" "A Stressfully Date", etc.)
- Privileged Rival: Smethwick's is the upscale letting agency next door to Michael and Eagle, who employ posh agents, let nicer flats and continually show them up at industry competitions.
- The Reason You Suck: After Stath prevented Carole from getting a job at Smethwick's, she berates him for only having a job at Michael and Eagle because his father owns the business, criticizes him for being useless and tells him about her common daydream: "I push you really hard into a spike, and then you burst! It's heaven!"
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: After Carole gives Stath The Reason You Suck speech, she grabs him by the shoulders, as if to throttle him...but then kisses him and drags him out the door.
- Straight Gay: There are very few signs that Vasos is gay until we see him in bed with Steven.
