Reviews

I live in the UK and have watched this sitcom in bits and bobs when it has been on The Disney Channel. And I really enjoy it, its a bit like an old-school family sitcom but updated and not afraid to cross a few boundaries.

When it first started it had it's full title 8 Simple Rules for dating my teenage daughter. It all focused around the dad's insecurity about trying to raise his two teenager daughters who were growing daily and how he couldn't connect with them in the way he did with his son. In these first episodes John Ritter's character dominated the show (and rightly so) but was pumped up so much that Katey Segal, who is one of my favourite actresses, was pushed to the sidelines until they decided to focus on the relationship between husband and wife as well as father and daughters.

After the untimely death of John Ritter I thought this series may have been cancelled but they carried on and I'm glad they did. Now Katey Segal's been given more to do and they've introduced two new characters one played by James Garner and the other by one of my favourite comedy actors David Spade (who I'm glad's back on TV now Just Shoot Me's finished). These two new male characters fill the gap in the parental hole for the dad. Where James Garner's grandad character is the strict oldie who wants to discpline the kids, Spade's character is the chilled out cousin who wants to be down with the kids and tell them how to be cool but also is looking out for them. These two characters demonstrate both sides of the dad but at the same time are conflicting views on how the mother should raise her children.

A great sitcom and long may it continue

Located somewhere between The Royle Family and The Office, The Smoking Room has it all. Although many of the characters are stereotyped the jokes come thick and fast. As in The Royle Family the episode usually starts with a joke and ends in the punchline. For example in the first episode the characters were trying to remember the theme from Little House on the Prarie and in the end someone remembered it and in the most recent one everyone was looking for a light and in the end they found one. Robert Webb seems to be proving himself as a breakout sitcom star after starring in the underrated Peep Show. While veteran actors such as Paula Wilcox and Leslie Schofield are joined by lesser known actors who are just as funny. In the end this isn't as good as The Royle Family or The Office but better than most of the sitcom dirge that is churned out at the moment.

Well done BBC!!!

Just finished watching series one of this show in the UK and its one of the best US shows I've watched in a while. While this can be considered family viewing as its warm and inviting it also includes snappy lines, original characters and brilliant acting.

It deals with real people and doesn't treat its audience like idiots. The characters have hang-ups but I care much more about them than I do the characters of Dawson's Creek, 7th Heaven or other such shows.

The show aired on Nickelodeon in Great Britain and they show one episode four times every weekend. A kids channel won't attract the right kind of audience for this great show and I probably won't get to watch Series Two which is a damn, damn shame.