Not Safe for Work (2015) User Reviews (11)

A public office adrift, like its characters

[danybur · 7/10 · 16 December 2021]

Summary

This miniseries is a British office drama that offers a nuanced look at English public employment, the target of adjustment policies, without limiting itself to defending or attacking it, or painting private activity as its opposite and panacea. The same can be said about the immigration policies he outlines. And it offers that ability to go from sharp British verbal humor to drama, discomfort and even misery nonstop, hand in hand with a group of endearing, contradictory or toxic characters led by Zawe Ashton, a kind of brunette Jennifer Aniston.

Review

Katherine (Zawe Ashton) is a burgeoning manager of a newly divorced London public immigration policy office who is transferred to an obscure Northampton borough whose continuity is hanging by a thread.

This miniseries is an office drama that could be seen as the other side of Industry, with well-delineated characters. In this case, the public department (also in charge of immigration policies) is adrift, directed on automatic pilot by a drug-abused subject named Daniel (Sacha Dhawan), who is joined by a gallery of broken or devastated characters, in some toxic or naive cases, including a hiring manager, Jeffries (an excellent Anastasia Hille), Daniel's tremendous assistant and friend, Angela (notably Jo Hartley), two rather silly and endearing employees, and a former love interest of Katherine. Added to her personal dramas is the ghost of the dismissal hovering over her heads.

Not Safe for Work offers a nuanced look at British public employment, not limited to defending or attaking it, but as a target of adjustment policies, with the anguish of losing one's job as a permanent backdrop. Nor does it portray private activity as its opposite and panacea and offers the same broad, non-schematic view of immigration policies that it outlines.

The series works very well with its British verbal humor that quickly turns to depression, discomfort and the sufferings of its characters (or with the combination of all this), transits the romantic comedy, although it may not be as effective on the plane of physical humor (fortunately little). The dialogues, in all cases and climates, look welcome conciseness.

Beyond its choral elements, the axis of the series is Katherine, a quite damaged character, rich in contradictions, lights and shadows who is carried forward with charisma by a Zawe Ashton who is a kind of brunette version of Jennifer Aniston.

Stay with it: it is brilliant.

[hotmailmob · 9/10 · 29 July 2015]

This is definitely a slow-burner but, wow, does it get good! I wasn't sure whether I'd stick with this after episode 1, but I did and I'm really glad. It is not what it initially seems to be. As the series goes on you get to know every character really well and find out why they are as they are. Each person is so realistically developed as it progresses. They actually speak and act like real people. That is so rare, and you start to really care about all of them. There are no villains or heroes, just like in true life, only people struggling to survive and to make sense of what sometimes seems like a pointless and ridiculous world. It is hysterically funny in places and genuinely moving too. The acting, writing and direction are second to none.

Well written, and very well acted drama.

[Peter_Jerome · 9/10 · 3 August 2015]

I have really enjoyed the first five episodes of this series, so much so that I have watched them all again, back to back.

I largely agree with Andrew White's appraisal. I started watching because it was funny, but as the series has gone on, more and more unfunny, but deeply moving, things have happened. Characters who appeared to be quite flimsy at first become, when we know more about them, very credible people, damaged, perhaps, by what life has thrown at them, but doing their best to cope with the circumstances in which they find themselves. At the end of episode Five I am desperately keen to see the last episode - if only because there are at least two characters whose 'back stories' have not yet been disclosed.

The writing both of the plot, and the dialogue, is first rate, and the timing and acting skills generally are wonderful. I would like to list my favourite characters and actors, but I cannot. This is ensemble work of the highest order - they are all excellent, and a very well balanced team.

Great

[alistairc_2000 · 10/10 · 1 July 2015]

Well as a civil servant of 23 years I can tell you this is just what it is like. The blind leading the sighted. The great idea of decentralising to odd locations and filling them with clueless dullards.

Pilot Episode plot. A woman is being divorced by her husband. She thinks life cannot get any worse. Then she finds she is being moved out into the sticks (Apologies to people from Northampton). She get there and nothing works. He ex junior is now running things. He spends his time getting drunk and playing games. Can she work out what is going on and save the day? Well I am sure we shall find out in future episodes.

This is a dystopian version of the future which brings to mind Philip K Dicks Flow my tears. As we are all now trapped in this nightmare future of normalcy where nothing is normal any more.

I was laughing all the way through it. It is well worth a watch.

Such an underated show

[mandy-jane-scott · 10/10 · 21 August 2019]

Sacha Dhawan and and Zawe Ashton do their best best work to date, It is so so dark,so dry it will leave you sucking cat litter for a bit of moisture and hilarious. But also quite deep and moving. W1A fans will love.

Don't expect to laugh; expect to hurt.

[morley-s · 5/10 · 17 September 2015]

Look, it's decent enough. It's interesting--it's cutting--but it's not funny. And isn't that the litmus test for a comedy?

Every story is tragic, every character is tragic, every personality, quirk and inflection is tragic. Even the one-liners are laced with insecurity. The flimsy comedic packaging only serves to detract from what is otherwise a truly impactive tragedy. For that, I'd still give it an 8.

But these are incredibly accomplished actors, capable of intensely gut-wrenching drama and seemingly effortless wit alike, yet the scenes in which they are high are no better performed than a particularly bad preteen's attempt in drama class. They are as convincing as the press release for a metal condom on the 1st of April. When portrayed well, drugs can be as everyday as a torn carrier bag or as frighteningly intense as the very best thrillers. If you're sucked out of the moment to ponder whether the actors have ever spent time with someone on drugs, or have been so wrecked themselves they only remember the glaringly obvious, it's just not done well. It's 'high' at the basest level. That's a point off.

Another is removed for how blatantly political it is. The writer is painting a very clear picture of someone shouting "You ruined us! You ruined us!" with none of the accommodation of fallibility. She's right. They did ruin us, and it's a crying shame, but writing stories around an issue that all have the exact same moral doesn't give the issue any more depth. It actually does the opposite.

Finally, I can't even remember smiling, much less actually laughing. Even Broadchurch gave us a couple of grins. If it's just going to make you depressed, can you really call it a comedy?

Not your typical office comedy

[Nephelith · 10/10 · 5 February 2020]

I opened my IMDB account to review this. Not Safe For Work is, I believe, my most favourite mini-series of all time.

This is not your typical office comedy. This is the story of a group of people failing at life, but in a realistic way. It's both very funny and very dark, and while at first it may seem cringy and over-the-top, you quickly get into these weird people's weird lives and personalities - as Morticia Addams says, 'normal is an illusion'.

At first you start with archetypes, such as the junkie, the awkward chatterbox or the guy with anger issues, but the characters unravel and become absolutely attaching (especially the Danny-Angela duo, as far as I'm concerned).

In the end, these people and their stories are really touching and I simply didn't want to let go of this lot.

My only complaint is that it's way too short!

I didn't get it at first

[jsimon050-194-194987 · 9/10 · 29 November 2020]

Then I got it. Given the heavy backstory, I expected it to be rather depressing. I was pleasantly surprised that the acting and, in no small part, the score made it light and humorous. The writers clearly prepped for a second season in the storyline. I hope they get it.

EXCELLENT

[daftrancenergy · 9/10 · 19 March 2023]

I JUST STARTED WATCHING AND COULDN'T STOP. EVERY MEMBER OF THE CAST IS EXCELLENT AND ENGAGING. THE GREAT TALENT IS THE REASON TO WATCH THIS. I LOVE THAT THE SOUNDTRACK IS OFTER SILENT SO THERE'S NO CANNED LAUGHTER OR ANNOYING POP MUSIC MOST OF THE TIME SO YOU CAN FOCUS ON THE DRAMA OR COMEDY.

IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN JUST EXACTLY WHAT THE SHOW IS ABOUT BUT THAT'S ALSO WHAT MAKES IT ENGAGING. WONDERFULLY DIRECT DIALOGUE BUT FOCUSES ON THE PAIN MORE THAT SHOCK VALUE.

WHILE GENEARLLY NOT A FAN OF FLASHBACKS THEY WERE USED BRILLIANTLY HERE.

THE VISUAL BONUS TO THE TALENT HERE IS A VERY YOUNG ATTRACTIVE CAST THAT MAKES THIS EASY TO WATCH AND YOU FORGET THAT MOST OF IT TAKES PLACE IN AN OFFICE. DEFINITELY AN ATYPICAL OFFICE SERIES. ONE OF THE BEST CONTEMPORARY SHOWS ON BRITBOX. THE BLURB OF WHAT IT IS ABOUT ONLY SCRATCHES THE SURFACE OF THE STORYLINE. BRILLIANT. I'M DEPRESSED THEY ONLY MADE ONE SEASON AND IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO FIND THIS. I NEVER EVER REMEMBER SEEING THE TITLE UNTIL THE LAST WEEK VEN THOUGHT IT WAS MADE ABOUT 8 YEARS AGO.

Perfect

[musickrev · 10/10 · 6 March 2023]

While covering much of the same ground as the deservedly celebrated "The Office", this flawless comedy augments the cringe facter with an affecting drama that ups the pathos as the story works its way to its inevitable conclusion. I do not think I have ever seen a better comedy show of any nature and it deserves the types of accolades given to "The Office" and indeed any renowned show of the past. That it was not renewed is bittersweet, as it is it remains perfect in its construction but a chance to see the characters developed further would have been great. All of the cast give their best and the satire is spot on. This is a show that reminds you that all those other semi-successful series with intermittent laughs need not be so bad - so why are they? Here, everything gels. Magnificent.

No surprise that there is only one season

[Poster-Boy · 5/10 · 10 September 2021]

Acting fine, premise ok, anything close to reality not so much. Nothing terribly funny or entertaining around the characters. In fact they are all sad and depressing. I'm being generous with my rating because they all seem to have tried so hard.