Episodes, BBC Two, 10pm
After a so-so first series, some doubted Episodes would get as far as season two far less seasons three and four - and this despite the presence of Matt LeBlanc (playing himself) and the guiding pen of Friends creator David Crane. But season four is where we're at, and so the American sitcom about married British writing team Sean and Beverly Lincoln trying to recreate their hit British sitcom for US television begins its UK broadcast this evening after having already aired on its US partner station, Showtime.
Its continued survival is due in large part to its warm reception in the US, where it was nominated for an Emmy three years running, and to LeBlanc's larger-than-life portrayal of his own larger-than-life life: he won a Golden Globe for his efforts in 2011 and was nominated again the next year. And, in truth, he's pretty good.
Series four picks up the action the day after Sean (Stephen Mangan) and Beverly (Tamsin Greig) have returned to London thinking they've finally seen the back of Hollywood after their sitcom, re-christened Pucks!, was cancelled by the network. But the first thing we see is them climbing into a taxi and heading back to the airport.
"Reason for entering the country?" asks a customs officer when they land at Los Angeles.
"Matt LeBlanc," says Beverly through gritted teeth.
That's not quite true, because LeBlanc doesn't want a new series of Pucks! any more than Sean and Beverly do. His mood darkens considerably when he has to go to the funeral of Larry, his "money guy", who has has hung himself. Even worse, what Matt doesn't realise until he gets to the funeral and sees there's nobody else there is that his "money guy" is under investigation by the FBI for stealing money from his clients, Matt included. He's lost $32 million, though Sean and Beverly's sympathy dissipates slightly when they learn that's only actually half of his nest egg. Still, half of a nest egg gone is enough to make Matt try to drown his sorrows in a couple of bottles of Jim Beam, with catastrophic results when it comes time to film his first scenes. The nightmare isn't over yet for Sean and Beverly, it seems.
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