Coupling (2000–2004) User Reviews (155)

Excellent Show About Relationships

[Eumenides_0 · 10/10 · 26 June 2012]

The USA have made all my favourite TV dramas, but when it comes to humor, no one beats the UK. Every year I must watch one or two shows that make me think, "Wow, this is the greatest comedy show I've ever seen!" A couple of years ago it was The League of Gentlemen, then The Mighty Boosh, then The IT Crowd. Last year it was The Thick of It, and indeed it's very, very hard to top Malcolm Tucker's foul-mouthed tirades and the government's screw ups he has to solve. But for now I'll go with Coupling as the best comedy show ever.

Coupling is a deceptively simple show about relationships - between sexes, between friends, between husband and wife, between rivals - but it's made with quirkiness, a great cast and some of the most intelligent dialogue ever to grace TV. Steven Moffat, the writer, loads the dialogues with insightful and original observations about language, human behaviour, the different way men and women think about certain topics like sex, faithfulness, marriage, etc., that makes this show one of the sharpest modern treatises on human relationships of our times. I think male and female viewers, watching this show, will frequently nod, "He's absolutely right!," even when he's saying something very insolent about men and women.

He's also helped by an excellent cast - Jack Davenport, Richard Coyle (the real star of the show, who sadly left after season 3), Ben Miles, Kate Isitt, Gina Bellman, Sarah Alexander, and the under-appreciated Richard Mylan (who has the unenviable task of replacing Coyle as the crazy, wacky character); they worked well together and their friendship and occasional spats were convincing and emotional. Richard Coyle stole the show as the socially awkward, sex-crazy Jeff - any scene with him is unforgettable, as are the weird situations he gets himself into. He sadly left the show after three seasons. Although I missed him, I disagree with some who think the show took a nosedive in the last series - Mylan was quite good as the comic book store owner Oliver, an insecure but lovable geek.

In fact the last season has many of my favourite episodes. One of the things that made Coupling so good was that it also played with timelines and parallel stories, and sometimes told stories out of order. In episode 4.1 we have the same story told from three perspectives, and 4.2 has one of the highlights of the show, a phone conversation that starts with two people and ends with the five characters all getting in it. Moffat's scripts are brilliant at a sense of crescendo - they start small and turn into epic situations that completely distort the everyday world. And what of 4.5, when Jane visits Oliver's porn-filled apartment? As far as hilariously embarrassing moments, only Jeff stripping naked in front of his co-workers tops it.

Coupling is one of the few TV shows I'd call perfect. The writing, the acting, the jokes, the timing, everything is just right about it. It's a pity it didn't go on for more seasons, but then probably it wouldn't have been so good. Excellence can only be sustained for so long. So thanks to Moffat and the cast for four amazing seasons!

Possibly the best "sitcom" ever

[Kreme · 10/10 · 15 May 2003]

Every episode of Coupling (22 to date) has been a brilliant gem showing just what is possible when you start with the assumption that your audience has an IQ higher than paste and is comprised of adults. The show is wickedly funny, occasionally profane, and smartly written the writers (and their cast) never back down.

One can only hope that the intelligence of the show is not totally destroyed by NBC's remake, although home seems faint.

The best comedy TV series I've ever watched!

[biba_yu · 10/10 · 29 May 2008]

This is, by far, the best comedy with best lines I've ever watched, and maybe the best of all considering relationships between men and women. I simply couldn't stop laughing and it's hard to make some more describing comment for this big piece of comedy art. It's simply impressive how besides very open language and pretty open conversations about anything in this relationship and sex area, there is nothing offensive in the script, and how almost every sentence is hilariously funny. ALthough all main characters are really great, I am almost more impressed with female characters because in many series of this (or any) type, they tend to be cliché, plain boring or stupid, or just annoying, but not these girls. They are cool as much as male characters even though writer is a guy. And that's just wonderful! Total recommendation, a must see!

OMFG -- Brilliant!!

[welkum2moviefone · 15 July 2005]

I'm a Yank who is only now catching the show on local PBS, courtesy of BBC America. I never saw the (aborted) NBC attempt and, having seen about a half dozen episodes, I'm glad I *didn't* As someone old enough to remember "Monty Python" from it's original run, I must agree with other posters that I feared that truly hysterical "Brit wit" was a thing of the past. I never really cared much for "Fawlty Towers" (as much as I love Mr. Cleese), and only the medieval episodes of Black Adder really tickled me fancy.

But "Coupling" -- hoo hah! Anyone who compares this to "Friends" has clearly never watched more than an episode. At the height of its mild amusement, "Friends" never equaled the least of this absolutely *brilliant* series. For all the stereotypes of Brits as dry, stuck-up and stodgy, I've found that, humour-wise, we across the pond can't hold a candle...

"Coupling" is the height of "cultured rudeness" in the vein of "Absolutely Fabulous" -- one of the most adult Brit-coms I've ever seen. Every episode is consistently ROTFLMAO funny. I couldn't even begin to pick a fave character.

Patrick plays the "stud" character in an amusingly original manner: he has his way with the chicks, and yet is dim enough to not *totally* emasculate us lesser males. The episode where one of the gals has him bring out the "big guns" in the loo, to intimidate a bloke, is something you'd NEVER see on American TV.

Jeff is.... well, the most creatively addled loon since Seinfeld's Kramer, albeit *nothing* like him. Almost a child-man, he reminds me of the Frasier line in "Cheers" - "What color is the sky in *your* world?" Jane is so annoyingly self-absorbed and yet, like Jeff, also such a waif that you don't totally despise her. It amazes how the series' creators walk the edge, crafting characters that *ought* to pluck your last nerve but, unlike George and Kramer from Seinfeld, could actually be tolerable in real life.

The other three characters are brilliantly crafted as well, but these three stand out after the limited viewing I've been exposed to. I have never even considered purchasing a TV series on DVD but, in addition to wanting to see at least the entire first three seasons (I have read here that Jeff is not in the fourth season, and I don't think I could warm up to a substitute), I really must turn on many of my close friends to this marvelous show.

For those of you Yanks out there who only know of this show from NBC's feeble attempt to import it, you *must* catch this on your local PBS station if and when it airs, or pester them incessantly until it does. You'll not only understand why the attempt at translation failed, but you'll finally get to see what the fuss was all about.

If *anything* on the American telly was this consistently funny, we wouldn't have to suffer the endless rot of "reality" TV, and the "dead in half a season" warmed over '70s-era situation (non)comedies. Twelve out of ten... a *MUST SEE*!!!

A masterpiece.

[johnakdogan · 10/10 · 10 January 2020]

Perfectly designed, written, directed and performed masterpiece, you can watch again and again. Especially season 2 can be used in writing schools as a reference. I wanna keep it short. If you've never seen this show, you're an extremely lucky person to discover this amazing piece of art.

hilarious

[LoneAssassin · 10/10 · 1 June 2006]

I don't like British shows (excluding Dr Who and Red Dwarf) and I find sex jokes vulgar. Coupling changed my mind and within a month of seeing one episode I bought the whole series. Yes there are many many sex jokes in this show but their delivery is not vulgar the way they are in American shows. I'm quite disappointed that there are only 4 seasons. Each show cracks me up totally. You cannot watch just one episode you must watch them all. The cast is perfectly suited to their roles and it is nice to see Jack Davenport dressed in something that is not comparable to a Mardi Gras float.

The Americans did try to make their own version and failed miserably as usual (see Dr Who and Red Dwarf US versions). Perhaps the Americans should stick to Pie and Scary movies and quit trying to copy the Brits.

some hilarious sex romp sitcom

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 28 June 2015]

On their first date, the woman flashes her breast (the right one) to her date, her ex, her best friend, his ex and his best friend.

Steve Taylor (Jack Davenport) is desperate to break up with the unflushable Jane Christie (Gina Bellman). His best friend is the strange and disturbing Jeff Murdock (Richard Coyle). Jeff works with Susan Walker (Sarah Alexander). Susan breaks up her casual relationship with the womanizing tripod Patrick Maitland (Ben Miles). Her best friend is the bitter, skin-elasticity-obsessed Sally Harper (Kate Isitt).

This is Friends with more explicit sex talk and it is hilarious. Jeff is probably the funniest characters. There are some gut busting laughs. The interconnected story telling is used exceptional well. Basically, it has 3 series or 22 good episodes before Richard Coyle didn't return for the fourth series. At its best, this is a hilarious sex romp comedy.

Dirty but funny

[preppy-3 · 10/10 · 3 September 2007]

The lives and loves of three Britsh men and women. Sort of like a British version of "Friends".

I was surprised to see there's only a grand total of 28 episodes considering it ran 4 years! I caught this on BBC America. The insertion of commercials hurt the shows a little--it broke up the flow of dialogue and acting. Still it was always very funny. The shows have VERY explicit sexual talk (for USA viewers at least) and it shocked me a little...but I'd be lying if I said I didn't laugh. The cast were all attractive and young and were very good in their respective roles. Also there is some partial nudity (both male and female) in certain episodes. This isn't for everybody but if you would like a fun, sexually explicit (mostly in talk) British sitcom--it's right here! Well worth seeing.

easily 10/10 * stars on the laughometer

[disdressed12 · 10/10 · 17 April 2007]

this 'Brit Com' gets an easy 10/10 from me.the Brits really know how to make a great sitcom.the writing easily rivals that of any North American show of this genre or any genre.the show is more risqué than many shows we have here,though things have changed in the that regard in the last few years.this is due mainly to the proliferation of specially channels.anyway,back to "Coupling".the writing is superb as are the performances.i would probably say that this show is equal to "Friends" in quality writing and performances,but that is just my opinion.if you have fairly conservative tastes,this show is not for you,as it could be considered offensive or worse.everybody has their own opinions.for me,nothing beats "Coupling" for pure hysterics and misunderstandings.as i said,an easy 10/10 for me

Steven Moffat is a genius !

[french toast · 10/10 · 19 February 2003]

Steven Moffat has created the best TV show in history of television. I am a big fan of Seinfeld and Friends, but they're pale in comparison.

This is the story of 3 guys and 3 girls and their sex lives. Nothing really new you'll say. Well, you don't know Jeff, apparently ! All the situations are extremely funny, and the great lines delivered with such talent by an incredible cast. Thumbs up to Jane Davies for choosing these people. I've watched all the episodes aired (I've even bought the first and second seasons in DVD) and the show is still great, maybe even funnier after 3 seasons.

So, do whatever you can to watch it, buy the DVDs, catch a rerun, smash you TV against a wall (well, maybe this won't help) but you have to see it.

I read a review on this site that said that acting was 10 times better and dialogues were 100 times better than Friends, well it's not true, I think it's 1000 times better than Friends (I've watched all the Friends episodes to date, so I know what I'm saying).

I see that there's an American remake of Coupling, I just hope it won't be the end of the British show(I have no expectations about the U.S. version, they should have shown the original episodes to American audiences).

Avoid the last season

[izzypito · 6/10 · 7 January 2021]

The first 3 seasons were really good then the last season came and ruined it. The first 5 episodes were really weird and not funny. The last episode didn't wrap the story well enough. They really blew it. Also, not having Richard Coyle in the last season really ruined the chemistry between the actors.

Much funnier, sexier & more intelligent than Friends

[DavidYZ · 10/10 · 11 April 2017]

This is one of the best sitcoms of all time and is massively superior to Friends. Coupling has much stronger characters, is better-acted and better-written than Friends. Coupling is hilarious. I can't understand why Friends is beloved by many millions of people whilst most people haven't even heard of Coupling.

The US remake of Coupling is dreadful and bland. They took away the characters' personalities.

Ruined by laughtrack

[rjkelleher · 6/10 · 14 October 2019]

Raunchy, funny, edgy, but utterly ruined by the blasting laughtrack. Tragic.

Not clever, not funny.

[canireallywin · 1/10 · 15 August 2022]

'Coupling' tries very hard to be funny, but the subject is one-note and the lines themselves are both clumsily coined and delivered. The performances fall into that brand of American sitcom self-conscious that can only appeal to people with limited wattage upstairs, as it's an entirely ham-fisted way of doing things. 'Comedy' and 'ham-fisted' are by their very natures incompatible, as all comedy, even apparently gawkish slapstick, requires fine skill.

Don't expect to find that here.

It's also terribly dated. There is a brand of feminism included here, but it's of the early 2000s variety; openly and casually denigrating men on a constant basis. Another thing to thank the 80s for.

In short, 'Coupling' is aggressively mediocre like Friends. The only difference is the subject matter. It would be an insult to say this was even close to the best of British comedy - it would have to claw its way into the top 500.

One of the best

[karl-devos · 16 December 2004]

Just simply amazing how Steve Moffat and his wife are getting away with it: words that would be censored in most series, fly about in this one and you don't feel offended. Every episode is different and the build-up (flash forwards, split screens, themes that run through various episodes) is amazing for a comedy series. British humor at it's very best and very recognizable for every modern day couple. Don't hesitate to go out and buy the four series, you will not regret it and they will put a smile on your face over and over again.

One of the greatest comedy show out there!!

[yash_jain1991 · 10/10 · 1 October 2019]

It does not get boring no matter how many times you watch it!!

Excellent

[SanteeFats · 9/10 · 23 February 2014]

Six Brits, three men and three women are in a kind of circular, sex fueled relationship. Some have slept with each other, some have slept with several of the others. This leads to some very funny and interesting scenarios. This series plays off of the sexual tensions and mores of the single, sexual obsessions and insecurities of both sexes. Women thinking one way about the men and the men thinking not the same way but hoping for a happy ending. Jeff is the odd man out in more ways than one. He is generally a loser with women and he has some very strange ideas about the interactions between men and women, very strange indeed. Jeff is absent for some reason for the last six episodes and I miss his character. He is replaced by a man named Oliver and he is not a good replacement for Jeff. All six actors do admirable jobs in portraying their characters. This is an extremely well written and acted series and I love it.

Best Sit-com

[tanmay10 · 10/10 · 21 September 2016]

It surpasses the comedy bar which US sit-com have set for us , easily. Genius comedy , magnificent acting, interesting plot , weird but likable characters , this show has it all. The speeches given by Jack in the show , has to be the best speeches on those topics.There was a speech on why Male loves Vagina , and the speech was delivered with such splendid performance , gosh - one of the best speeches I have heard. The characters are weird , everyone with varying characters , interesting personalities, and on that a unique one. People compare this to friends , but the only thing common between the shows are both have 3 male leads and 3 female leads. This show is legit funny , its definitely worth a shot.

This is an utterly hilarious comedy that'll keep you coming back

[Homer_Ate2 · 9/10 · 4 November 2019]

With the exception of the laughter track, this show is excellent! Every character is stereotyped to perfection.

Oh, Gawd. . . This sitcom may have redefined funny... especially sexy funny

[Steviereno · 10/10 · 1 August 2014]

THIS show is absolutely the funniest show ever. The first three seasons, anyway.

Some years ago I arrived at the conclusion that humor is at its core, simply absurdity - the absurdity of the unexpected punch line. You have a set-up - called a straight man in the past - and then you deliver a line out of left field, and then everyone blurts out (laughs) their reaction to the absurdity. And the more absurd, the funnier. If the unexpected isn't part of it - if any of it can be seen a mile away - then it won't have the impact.

Well, this show has the most absurdity you will find anywhere, any when. The impact of the humor is just amazing. At any moment, a line out of nowhere. And topping the charts even within this Top O' The Charts ensemble, is Jeff. Bumbling Jeff. Absurd Jeff. Ohmygod Jeff. I am not sure they ever wrote a line for Jeff that wasn't off the wall, over- the-top absurd. If they did, I must have missed it while tending to my aching abdomen muscles and wiping the tears. You name it, and Jeff put his foot in his mouth over it - and the greatest thing about it is that he (the character) never even knows he's stepped in it. Well, actually, not quite true - but his efforts to extricated himself are even more absurd than his initial blurts. Jeff the Burter. Jeff the abysmally horrible self-extricator.

Situational comedy is, then, setting up absurd situations and letting fly with all the silly absurdities that will arise. Well, welcome to the capitol of all absurd situation comedies. They don't miss a punch line - and often slip in 3 or 4 even before the one you might expect.

So MANY times you the audience just want to let your head sag, as Jeff digs himself deeper and deeper.

And yet, Jeff is not the star, though he steals the show so often. Steve bumbles his way out of the arms of one and into the arms of another, and does such a cuddly Jeff-imitation in the process that even the one left behind can't hate him. Susan, even while being the "straight man" for so many situations, manages her full share of "yowch" lines and physical humor. (Episode #1 has a doozy.) Jane is the dizziest woman since Gracie Allen, 50 years earlier - but 10,000 times hotter. And yet, as hot as Jane is, Susan is more so. Wow, one of the all-time beautiful blonds. Even if she is a bit "perky"...LOL Über oblivious, womanizer Patrick and his manhood are the object of many a scene (mostly unseen scenes, except in the imagination), and the audience is the beneficiary of the great writing that exposes them to his prowess. Cosmetologist Sally is the most normal of the ensemble, and yet her aging "vanity" (and its situations) still outdoes anything on "Sex and the City."

A gem of gems, Coupling is to die for, to laugh out loud at, and to watch again every year or two, just to wallow in the absurdity of it all.

If I could give it as many as 20 stars, I would. Alas! 10 is all they allow, so 10 it is...

p.s. In Season 4, when Jeff no longer is on the show, the replacement character is simply 7 notches down from Richard Coyle and his characterizations. For that season, the show drops to about 6. What a loss Coyle was to the ensemble. . .

The smartest comedy writing of all time!

[realdavidberry · 10/10 · 25 December 2021]

This comedy is adult/late teenage humor. This show is not vulgar, but not for kids. Profanity occurs once in the entire series, a lot of innuendo occurs in every episode.

Numerous episodes in the series are the best comedy sketches ever written because it exposes the true life events that we are all aware of, and are in someway embarrassed about.

Many episodes use the technique of misunderstandings between people to create hilarious situations, you can see them coming, which makes it all the more funnier.

It you don't find the original British version of Coupling funny, intelligent, clever, and brilliantly portrayed you should give up on watching comedies.

The quintessential sex sitcom

[tinytots2 · 6/10 · 18 December 2021]

An adult British sitcom, Coupling is a show about 6 friends, their relationships and their sex-themed conversations. The characters range from the definition of insecurity and unconfidence (Jeff and Sally) to the epitome of vanity and overconfidence (Patrick and Jane), with more balanced personalities (Steve and Susan) thrown into the mix. Their interactions give rise to hilarious gags - "sock gap", "nudity buffer", "giggle loop" - and there are numerous mix-ups and messy situations they get involved in, often of their own doing. The writing is very creative with many euphemisms, and the technique of using multiple perspectives to replay the same piece of dialogue viewed from different contexts is nicely executed.

Where Coupling suffers is however in its lack of character development and the near total absence of non-sex related humour through the whole duration of the show. The protagonists do not mature but remain the same awkward one-note caricatures despite getting into long-term relationships or experiencing major events in their lives. While not uncommon for sitcoms, this leads to the content feeling repetitive and losing any emotional weight. Also, Jeff's absence and replacement with Oliver in Season 4 is clearly felt; a lot of the memorable lines of the show are said by Jeff.

If you love adult comedy, both overt and between the lines, you will love Coupling. Especially if you have a penchant for British humour, typified by its nuanced and subtle elements as well as its crass and crude aspects. I might rate it lower than other sitcoms simply because of the large and liberal dose of sex jokes in its episodes which get tiresome to me but that is more of a personal preference; when watched in small doses, I can better appreciate and enjoy the show's brilliance.

Season 4 without Jeff dropped my 10/10 rating to 9

[naumanmadridista · 9/10 · 28 January 2020]

Season so hilarious that I'm grieving about only 4 seasons but Jeff absence affected my rating tbvh. Super hilarious btw!

Funny but lacks storytelling

[interestingstuff · 7/10 · 23 November 2021]

There are some funny jokes and observations in this show but it's extremely repetitive to the point where if you watched one episodes, you've watched them all. Literally every episode is the same as the one before and the one after.

There is no story really, it's just 30 minutes of one sex joke after another which gets old pretty quickly. In the first 10 minutes, 3 guys sit in a bar making sex jokes, in the next 10 minutes, 3 girls sit in a different location making the same sex jokes from a different angle and in the last 10 minutes, they get together and make some more sex jokes. You get some laughs here and there but that's about it.

Perhaps the greatest television comedy. Ever.

[jabraltaweel · 5 December 2004]

I've just spent the weekend watching seasons 1 and 3, and this is about the funniest show that I've ever seen. People compare it to Friends (the only real similarity is that there are 6 people involved, Coupling, however, is actually really funny instead of kinda funny.) but I'd say the show reminds me of Seinfeld, or Arrested Development in the sense that a variety of completely separate plots come together in an unexpected way in the end. It's flawless in its execution. Jeff really steals the show for me. I'd give a list of suggested episodes, but that list would essentially be a list of the entire running.

My sides are still sore from laughing so hard. If you live in America, you can either get it on BBC America or get the DVD's. And you should. Seriously.