3 out of 5

Created by: Simon Blackwell

covers season 1

I really couldn’t get into the in-your-face visual style of Peep Show, David Mitchell and Robert Webb’s previous show, despite finding it conceptually funny.  Thankfully, Back reconciles this by having the reigns guided by creator Simon Blackwell and director Ben Palmer, who dust this new outing with the drier form of Brit cringe humor.  Combined with our main actors’ abilities to play roles just on the verge of something – annoying in Mitchell’s case, endearing in Webb’s – Back strikes an odd but enjoyable tone, kept trucking, interestingly, by a minor mystery.

Stephen’s (Mitchell) father runs a respected local tavern in Stroud.  …Now that he’s passed on, Stephen is primed to take over, armed with many-an idea for profit that he’d maybe been unable to voice around his somewhat domineering old Da.  This aspect of Back – introducing us to the past – nibs some of Peep Show’s reality-warping style, as Stephen will often transplant his current surroundings into his past, seeing himself as a child.  It’s also sort of tossed in as a lark; they use it often in the opening episode and then sort of forget about it later, just sort of reminding us that the quirk exists now and again.  This is one of those tonally odd bits.

Regardless, Stephen is very much a sad sack, and though accepted.by his jovial mum amd bar regulars with a smile, they’re all too glad to accept the guidance of the charming Andrew (Webb) when he suddenly pops up, claiming to be a foster son from way back when.  The struggle between these two for dominance over the tavern – Stephen clumsy and overt, Andrew slick and subtle – produces Back’s comedy, with a begrudging friendship kicking around somewhere ‘neath it all.  And much cringe occurs as a result, some of it pretty outlandishly funny.  But that use of the word ‘claiming’ above is the mystery:  Is Andrew who he says he is?  There are a lot of gaps in his story – though Jr always has a quick explanation, delivered with sincerity – but there’s undeniably something off, and because these guys play their roles with humanity, despite being annoying and sneaky, you’re interested.

Although Back undercuts its own mystery by having Andrew have those flashback sequences as well.

It’s odd.

But funny, and entertaining.  And I hope we have it, eh, back for a second season.