# Is Black Books worth watching? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 19, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260 "2012-10-19T19:02:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/1 "2012-10-19T19:02:56Z")
This is a Britcom about an Irish guy who owns a London bookshop. He drinks, he smokes, and he sits around reading all day. In fact, he seems to regard the bookshop as his own private collection and resents the customers who come in expecting to be able to trade money for books. It stars an Irish comedian-actor-writer guy whom I understand is very popular over there but who is unknown to me (yes, I know he was in _Shaun of the Dead_). I’m kind of fascinated with the drinking-and-smoking-to-scientifically-impossible-degrees thing a la _Ab Fab_, but is there any more to it? Is it funny? Does it hold your interest? Is it worth checking out? (Netflix seems to think I’ll enjoy it.) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/2 "2012-10-19T19:04:49Z")
It’s kind of absurdist humor, but I enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/3 "2012-10-19T19:26:23Z")
I tried to watch it. It has some promise and I like the humor style. However, I think The Snuff Box (available on Netflix) is much better and has the same general style (plenty of smoking and drinking in that one too). ---
**Author:** ![Grrlbrarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrlbrarian/32/4048_2.png) [@Grrlbrarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrlbrarian)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/4 "2012-10-19T19:26:26Z")
It’s made our way through the whole family, and we all loved it. I’d say definitely absurdist, often slapstick as well, but it’s often laugh-out-loud funny. Just to give you a bead on our humor, we love Monty Python and Little Britain too. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/5 "2012-10-19T19:46:46Z")
I liked Black books a lot. The first episode is very good. If you don’t like the first episode you probably won’t like any of the others. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/6 "2012-10-19T19:50:51Z")
Yes, it’s very good, especially the first series which was co-written by one of the creators of _Father Ted_. It has Dylan Moran and QI regular [Bill](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5xJW-jHI24) [Bailey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98xNx87hRbU&feature=related) in it, which is a recommendation in itself. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/7 "2012-10-19T19:51:19Z")
It’s a good show. A touch of absurdism, a touch of misanthropic venom. Not as good as, say, _The IT Crowd,_ but good. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/8 "2012-10-19T20:26:59Z")
Absolutely top-tier comedy. One of the best British comedies of the last few decades. Definitely in my top 5. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/9 "2012-10-19T20:37:50Z")
> [@Grrlbrarian](#): > > It’s made our way through the whole family, and we all loved it. I’d say definitely absurdist, often slapstick as well, but it’s often laugh-out-loud funny. > > Just to give you a bead on our humor, we love Monty Python and Little Britain too. What is _Little Britain_ about? Is that the one with all the sex and swearing? Maybe that’s _Coupling_. I love _MPFC_. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/10 "2012-10-19T20:41:36Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > What is _Little Britain_ about? Is that the one with all the sex and swearing? Maybe that’s _Coupling_. > > I love _MPFC_. _Little Britain_ is a sketch show with essentially two people, Matt Lucas and David Walliams, playing a variety of recurring characters. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/11 "2012-10-19T20:44:01Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > This is a Britcom about an Irish guy who owns a London bookshop. He drinks, he smokes, and he sits around reading all day. In fact, he seems to regard the bookshop as his own private collection and resents the customers who come in expecting to be able to trade money for books. > > It stars an Irish comedian-actor-writer guy whom I understand is very popular over there but who is unknown to me (yes, I know he was in _Shaun of the Dead_). I’m kind of fascinated with the drinking-and-smoking-to-scientifically-impossible-degrees thing a la _Ab Fab_, but is there any more to it? Is it funny? Does it hold your interest? Is it worth checking out? (Netflix seems to think I’ll enjoy it.) The closest comparison I would make would be _Fawlty Towers_. You’ve got a character who doesn’t like people but is forced to deal with them on a constant basis because he runs a business. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/12 "2012-10-19T20:53:48Z")
I saw one episode (a guy was trying to write a children’s book and a woman went for a girl’s getaway with her friends) and it didn’t knock my socks off. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/13 "2012-10-19T21:01:18Z")
I loved the first two series. Found the third okay. Didn’t like the direction the fourth took. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/14 "2012-10-19T21:36:12Z")
I loved it. I hate the laugh track though- or I did at first. I became immune to British television laugh track at some point. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/15 "2012-10-19T21:38:40Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > This is a Britcom about an Irish guy who owns a London bookshop. He drinks, he smokes, and he sits around reading all day. In fact, he seems to regard the bookshop as his own private collection and resents the customers who come in expecting to be able to trade money for books. > > It stars an Irish comedian-actor-writer guy whom I understand is very popular over there but who is unknown to me (yes, I know he was in _Shaun of the Dead_). I’m kind of fascinated with the drinking-and-smoking-to-scientifically-impossible-degrees thing a la _Ab Fab_, but is there any more to it? Is it funny? Does it hold your interest? Is it worth checking out? (Netflix seems to think I’ll enjoy it.) I did not particularly like it. I didn’t hate it but did not find it funny. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/16 "2012-10-19T21:56:04Z")
I’ve watched several episodes but only endured them thanks to Tamsin Greig. The other two characters are worthless. Tamsin has been in some really crappy britcoms (e.g., _Friday Night Dinner_) but finally is in something worth watching, _Episodes_ on Showtime. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/17 "2012-10-19T22:15:36Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Tamsin has been in some really crappy britcoms (e.g., _Friday Night Dinner_) but finally is in something worth watching, _Episodes_ on Showtime. Matt Leblanc as Matt LeBlanc? I am skeptical. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/18 "2012-10-19T22:16:41Z")
Black Books is awesome. Opinions differ, of course, but it’ll take all of 25 minutes to sit through an episode and decide for yourself whether or not you think it’s funny and if those minutes were wasted or worth it. ---
**Author:** ![rhythmonly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rhythmonly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhythmonly)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/19 "2012-10-19T22:42:02Z")
I found Black Books to be hilarious. Check out the episode where Manny’s a natural-born piano player. You might also enjoy Green Wing. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260/20 "2012-10-20T01:36:49Z")
> [@Zjestika](#): > > Matt Leblanc as Matt LeBlanc? I am skeptical. I have to chime in (although haven’t seen the show in the OP) but \*Episodes \* is one of the best comedies I’ve seen in a long time and Matt Leblanc is actually funny (who knew?) I am not a _Friends_ fan, so I feel I have a true objective opinion :). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-books-worth-watching/638260.md?page=2)