(2002-2019)
Created and Written by Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill
Starring Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill, Paul Riley, Mark Cox, Jane McCarry, Sanjeev Kohli, Gavin Mitchell
IMDB Entry
TV (and especially US TV) is youth oriented, showing featuring characters under 40. But sometimes you come across a show that focuses on older characters, and Still Game is both charming and very funny.
It follows the life of Jack Jarvis (Ford Kiernan) and Victor McDade (Greg Hemphill), two old-age pensioners in Scotland. The two have been friends since they were boys and retirement is not very fulfilling for them – spending days at the local pub, and having to fend off the lack of respect from the younger generation. Jack and Victor try to liven it up with schemes and plans, both on their own and with other friends, including Winston Ingram (Paul Riley) who is more of a schemer than the two of them (and more inept), the gossipy Isa Drennan (Jane McCarry), and a pack of recurring characters from the bar, all overseen by the put upon barman Boabby (Gavin Mitchell). Navid Harrid (Sanjeev Kohli), the owner of the local convenience story often comments on their attempts.
The show is filled with laugh-out-loud moments. Despite their liking for bending the rules for their advantage, Jack and Victor avoid cruelty unless the victim deserves it. All the character are more than just comic stereotypes, too. There is a genuine affection for everyone, and the show is not afraid to show a person’s vulnerable side.
Still Game came out of a stage play Kiernan and Hemphill, which was quite successful in Scotland, with the characters reused as a series of skits in a couple of BBC Scotland sketch chows. It became a series on its own, starting in Scotland before moving to the main BBC. It continued sporadically over the years as new one-offs and seasons were produced.
The show doesn’t hide its Scottish roots. The accents are strong,* but I think that adds a lot to the show. Another thing is the look of the characters. American TV tries to put attractive people in all roles, even ones where the character would not be that good looking in real life. UK shows have no problem casting characters with unusual, but lived-in looks.** I also love the jaunty theme song.
It’s currently on Netflix. Check it out.***
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*I’m afraid I have to use subtitles to get it all. Sigh. What a drag is is getting old.
**French shows take it even further, with memorable faces that are hardly movie-star looks.
***And don’t skip the credits. The post credit sequences are hilarious.
1 comment:
It's nice to read an appreciation of this wonderful series. We discovered it on Netflix and watched it from the beginning to its rather wistful end. The first few seasons aired only on BBC Scotland and to my mind were more, I don't know, gentle than the later episodes produced to air on the main BBC. There must have been a push to make it a bit edgier for a wider audience, and invariably that means more jokes about bodily functions and the like. Still, it was a good watch, and you really do develop a liking and empathy for these characters. I loved the heavy Scottish accents and subtitles are a necessity.
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