Coupling

I loved Friends, but thought Coupling was an unfunny imitation. 

I agree

I agree

Oooh, tiny 6 point text! You must be even more embarrassed to admit it than I am! 

I love both!!! 

Yes, I'm loud and proud about it! 

I love both!!! 

Yes, I'm loud and proud about it! 

What she said.

Every once in a while they show it on bbc america.

It's always on BBC America and on the PBS channel here in California several times during the week.  I watched it about four times this week but I've had Season 1 for a few years and have seen every episode several times.  I laugh everytime I watch it.  There was a US version but I only got through about half of an episode and it's nowhere near as funny.  I just like that kind of humor. Plus, Jack Davenport is so hot!

I liked both.  In fact I just recently rewatched the entire fourth series of Coupling as now that I'm pregnant I'd "get" the jokes from that series on a whole new level.

I watched the PAINFUL first episode of the US version and man was it ever awful!

oh my god, I LOVE that show.   I own all 4 seasons and just introduced it to my boyfriend who I have had to make promise that he won't skip ahead without me (eventhough I have seen the series many times).  I also got my old roommate addicted and her boyfriend.  One of the funniest shows ever produced!

So let's expand on this thread.  What is/are your fav. moments/scene? 

I love the episode where Jane has a sock puppet and makes fun everyone.  I nearly pissed myself I was laughing so hard.   

There are so many great Jeff moments, and I generally prefer him to Oliver, but one of my favorite moments is when Oliver first has Jane over and he is cleaning up his girlie mags and he asks if there is anything in the apartment that could possibly make him look more like the loneliest serial masturbator in the whole world...

Coupling is one of my favourite shows (and I watched it in the UK) and although I'm a Friends fan too, to be honest, the only thing the two shows really have in common is the fact that there are 3 male characters and 3 female characters. The show is actually based on the life/relationship of the writer (Steven Moffat) and his wife (Sue Bertue) and was influence more by Seinfeld than by Friends. The Friends comparisons came about because the show was billed as 'Britain's answer to Friends' (note: not Britain's version of Friends), but it's not like the storylines are the same.

I get the impression that this is one of those programmes that failed miserably in the UK, so they gave it to BBC America.   I'd never even heard of it until it was mentioned on UKY.  It seems the only people who've watched it are people in America!

If this was the case (that it failed miserably in the UK) then it would have only lasted one series (6 episodes) - in fact, it was fairly popular in the UK, spanning 4 years/4 series, with ratings increasing with each series. I've heard that the BBC wanted to make a 5th series, but the cast had moved on to other commitments and it wasn't possible.

There are so many great Jeff moments

I pretty much love any scene with Jeff in it .

There are so many fantastic moments really.  I didn't mind Oliver (well apart from the "crazyness" catchphrase) but preferred Jeff.  The whole first episode of the fourth series is brilliant.

I love Jeff's theories... am tempted to apply the terms in real life.

If you watch How I Met Your Mother (adorable "indie" comedy, great music), Barney's little rules are kind of the same - odd but intriguing behavioural concepts. 

Oh, no! 

I just watched the 4th series, episodes 1 and 2 and thought they were both really bad (well, 2 was worse than 1). What happened? Were there different writers? It actually felt like a completely different show!

Oh, no! 

I just watched the 4th series, episodes 1 and 2 and thought they were both really bad (well, 2 was worse than 1). What happened? Were there different writers? It actually felt like a completely different show!

What a coincidence, I watched those two episodes on Netflix last night . Although the fourth series is definitely not as good as the others, I did find myself laughing in several places (at least, I was in the first episode,  but you're right, the 2nd was worse than the 1st) - it's been almost 4 years since I saw the 4th series (when it first aired in the UK), but I thought it was a little funnier this time than I remembered.

Not a Friends fan, but I mind the sock-gap...

Some of the best characters ever in comedy; they all started as basically cardboard stereotypes and evolved as time went on (even Oliver in his one season), one of the rare sitcoms to feature that level of character development.  Insanely sharp writing...

I often fear that I'm far more Jeff/Oliver than Patrick...

I really like ellipses...

My favorite episode is the one where Patrick's girlfriend thinks Sally is hitting on her and then ends up with Sally blurting out her feelings for Patrick.  They're all really funny but I think the funniest one is where Steve and Jeff go to the porn shop to buy  "Junior Patrick" and ends up being given to Susan's mother.