Every once in a while, a BBC show will make its way over the pond and become a hit in the States. A few happen to be written by Ricky Gervais such as The Office, Extras and The Ricky Gervais Show.
BBC America is taking a chance on the Goodmans, a Jewish family from England. The show revolves around this oddball family and their attempts at a Sabbath meal every friday night.
The kids are all grown up but still behave childish in every way, pouring salt into each others water while the other isn't looking, to stealing their mothers cellphone and prank texting another that they were a mistake. Tamsin Greig (Episodes) does a spot on portrayal of a Jewish mother who has just stopped caring. The father, played by Paul Ritter (Quantum of Solace) is not your ordinary Jewish father, or at least one expected to be written about for a television show, but that just adds another level of unpredictability. The father is losing his hearing and also sadly/hilarious depending on how you look at it, his sense of embarrassment. The opening scene for American viewers is the two sons watching their father, through the front window of the house, looking at his penis with a magnifying glass.
Every friday night they are bothered by their creepy neighbor who seemingly stands at the front door all night with his dog waiting for an invitation, never forgetting to mention how good the food smells.
For any of you who have been to a friday night meal, throw all your preconceived notions out the window. Don't worry though, this is not a slapstick humor show or overly raunchy for that matter. Its just some good old British humor.
