BBC America Is OUTNUMBERED (VOD Hidden Gem)August 26, 2011
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OUTNUMBERED (VOD Hidden Gem)
By T. Tara Turk
I’m a sucker for improv - I mean when it goes okay. When it doesn’t go okay, I get the cringes and wanted to wrap the comedian(s) in my invisible maternal cloak (Harry Potter is not the only one who has one, so there!) and take them to the unemployment office safely.
I suppose the solution to avoiding the cringes is to do semi-improv which is what I’ve discovered the BBC America show “Outnumbered” does. Part of BBC America’s Ministry of Laughs line up, the show centers on the Brockmans, a middle class West London family - parents and their three precocious children. Quirky seems to be an inherited gene in this family. The father is a mopish sort of guy, a high school history teacher. The mom is a part time assistant. The oldest kid, Jake, is a lost treasure chest of sarcasm, the middle boy, Ben is an odd pathological liar and the youngest daughter, Karen, though very cute, repeats uncomfortable things from people and television.
The episode I saw involved the Brockman parents attempting to have an early evening with the kids so they can have an adult date night at home. Of course with three kids, that never goes as planned. Mom has to get rid of Karen’s little friend who’s parents are caught in a nasty divorce. Ben tells his soccer buddies that his dad is in SAS training and is friends with Gordon Brown, making soccer practice particularly interesting. And Jake’s revelation about his friend’s parents divorcing sets an unusual tone for date night.
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T. Tara Turk is a novelist/playwright/screenwriter, living in LA with her boyfriend and dog - all three successful TV addicts. You can find her at www.ttaraturk.com or follow her on Twitter @ttaraturk.
