Inside No. 9 is one of the most underrated shows currently going. Don't get me wrong, it's fairly well known and has been positively received by critics and (as far as I can tell, audiences). But the show is of such high quality, that I believe it should be much more popular.
Created, written by and (usually) starring Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith (of The League of Gentlemen fame), Inside No. 9 is an anthology show where most (though not all) episodes have some sort of dark twist. Episodes are usually (though not always) dark and comedic, though can range from thriller, to horror, to grounded, to supernatural, to dark comedy, to full on drama. And that's just the (more) conventional 'twist in the tale' episodes: the show is willing to experiment with a wide variety of different styles, including period pieces, Shakespeare-style comedies and a slapstick episode with no dialogue (and these are just some of the examples). The experimental episodes are frequent enough to keep each series fresh, but never overpower a series.
I don't think there is a single bad episode. While some might have predictable twists or display some Fridge Logic, every episode at least has fantastic acting, great writing (that's funny, dark, dramatic and scary as and when it needs to be) and an engaging story. However, most of the twists are fantastic: they have good build up, are shocking and often re-contextualise the whole episode.
The acting, as stated before, is incredible. The guest stars are always amazing, but most impressive are Shearsmith and Pemberton. Across the show, they play dozens of different characters, and both display incredible range and the ability to act well in dramatic, comedic and terrifying scenes.
Most of the episodes are very dark and have downer endings, but there are a few that have happy endings. These are fairly rare, but the presence of them means that you truly don't know what will happen: it's entirely possible that everything will turn out ok (even if, most likely, it won't).
There is one episode, which I also won't mention, which is one of the best experiments ever done for television (not that something similar hadn't been done before, but the presentation of this and the attention to detail was extremely unique). I'm very disappointed that I will never be able to experience it in the way that would make it the most effective (elaborating would spoil it), but regardless it still provides an amazing experience to watch.
Watch this show. Seriously, go watch it, it's fantastic. I'd recommend trying a few episodes, because, as stated before, the show has a wide variety of different episodes and (though I love them all) it's understandable that not every episode would be everyone's cup of tea. However, I can almost guarantee that you'll enjoy the vast majority of this show.
This is one of my favourite shows and I can certainly recommend it.
Series It's a cliche to say this, but...
Inside No. 9 is one of the most underrated shows currently going. Don't get me wrong, it's fairly well known and has been positively received by critics and (as far as I can tell, audiences). But the show is of such high quality, that I believe it should be much more popular.
Created, written by and (usually) starring Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith (of The League of Gentlemen fame), Inside No. 9 is an anthology show where most (though not all) episodes have some sort of dark twist. Episodes are usually (though not always) dark and comedic, though can range from thriller, to horror, to grounded, to supernatural, to dark comedy, to full on drama. And that's just the (more) conventional 'twist in the tale' episodes: the show is willing to experiment with a wide variety of different styles, including period pieces, Shakespeare-style comedies and a slapstick episode with no dialogue (and these are just some of the examples). The experimental episodes are frequent enough to keep each series fresh, but never overpower a series.
I don't think there is a single bad episode. While some might have predictable twists or display some Fridge Logic, every episode at least has fantastic acting, great writing (that's funny, dark, dramatic and scary as and when it needs to be) and an engaging story. However, most of the twists are fantastic: they have good build up, are shocking and often re-contextualise the whole episode.
The acting, as stated before, is incredible. The guest stars are always amazing, but most impressive are Shearsmith and Pemberton. Across the show, they play dozens of different characters, and both display incredible range and the ability to act well in dramatic, comedic and terrifying scenes.
Most of the episodes are very dark and have downer endings, but there are a few that have happy endings. These are fairly rare, but the presence of them means that you truly don't know what will happen: it's entirely possible that everything will turn out ok (even if, most likely, it won't).
There is one episode, which I also won't mention, which is one of the best experiments ever done for television (not that something similar hadn't been done before, but the presentation of this and the attention to detail was extremely unique). I'm very disappointed that I will never be able to experience it in the way that would make it the most effective (elaborating would spoil it), but regardless it still provides an amazing experience to watch.
Watch this show. Seriously, go watch it, it's fantastic. I'd recommend trying a few episodes, because, as stated before, the show has a wide variety of different episodes and (though I love them all) it's understandable that not every episode would be everyone's cup of tea. However, I can almost guarantee that you'll enjoy the vast majority of this show.
This is one of my favourite shows and I can certainly recommend it.