Review of British Men Behaving Badly

I started watching this show because I like the actors in it from other stuff and I thought it would be fun to see their earlier work. Well, sadly, the enjoyment pretty much ended there. ITV cancelled the show after two series for good reason. These aren't men behaving badly, they're just stupid. And it's the same stupid in every single episode. Why the BBC picked this up I'll never know. Supposedly the first series was to be a showcase for Harry Enfield, but the writing doesn't really bear that out. Enfield left after the first series because he felt he was the weakest link in the cast. He was. His performance was so low energy and so distracted that I began to wonder if he was on sedatives the entire time. In series two, Neil Morrissey joins the cast and he is a burst of energy that was sorely needed. However, the show never develops or evolves into anything. It's just the same tired premise in slightly different clothes. The men are stupid, and the women are stupid. Why does Deborah keep coming downstairs and interacting with these guys when all they ever do is make crude sexual jokes and try to get her into bed? Why does Dorothy stay with Gary when he constantly flirts with Deborah right in front of her? I gave up halfway through series three when the fun of seeing Clunes, Quentin, and Morrissey younger had completely worn off and the scripts were just tired and contrived. Simon Nye did a better job with "Wild West". This show is certainly a time capsule of a different era. The most interesting part of this show would be to have it discussed in a university film class on gender stereotypes. It's a good example of why the "Me, too" movement came about and a clear example of white male heterosexual privilege. Tony is constantly harassing Deborah and she just takes it. Gary is a horrible boss to his employees and they just take it. Tony and Gary are total buffoons and idiots, yet they are at the top of the heap. They know they can get away with behaving badly.