BUY FROM AMAZON: CLICK HERE!STUDIO: BBC Warner
MSRP: $129.98
RATED: Not Rated
RUNNING TIME: 1475 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Episode Commentaries
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurette
• Interview
• Photo Gallery
The Pitch
Steve Coogan as a roadie.
The Humans
Steve Coogan, Morweena Banks, Darren Boyd and others
The Nutshell
Steve Coogan’s last major television series was pretty amazing. Time spent in North America coupled with age has allowed for Coogan’s humor to mature. When Tommy Saxondale appears onscreen for the first time, it’s pretty easy to write the character off. But, Coogan does fall into his loveable loser traps. Saxondale’s glory days have long since left him. But, he’s got a degree of pride still left in his bones.
The Lowdown
When we first meet Saxondale, we get the rundown of his current life. A former roadie who just got divorced, Tommy runs a pest control business. His new girlfriend Mags runs a t-shirt shop at the mall. Most of the momentos from his past are kept in the garage, save for the kickass Mustang that he drives everywhere. Paired with a young assistant, Saxondale tries to show the world that he’s still relevant. But, it’s not like it’s his goal in life.
Saxondale is so laid-back that most longtime Coogan fans don’t really dig it. Honestly, I don’t understand. Over the course of the two seasons, you see Coogan take what he’s learned from various media venues and combined it into one personality. A gentler show about an older man trying his best to remain cool can offer up just as much awkward comedy as an Alan Partridge. But, you don’t always have to play the guy as a prick. Sometimes, nice people can be giant morons as well.
What’s so charming about Saxondale is how he takes umbrage with the nanny state that the United Kingdom has become. Whether he’s in anger management or dealing with trade disputes involving the t-shirt business, Tommy knows where he stands. Confident but not stable personalities offer up a view of Coogan that we’ve never seen. Bordering on the dramedy level, Coogan actually gets to act and bridge his work over the years. We’re seeing the start of something new and I love it.
Saxondale won’t be remembered as one of Coogan’s fan favorites. But, you get to see those important lessons being learned and incorporated into an artist’s technique. A comedian has to age and change, even if it means that the audience rejects him/her. What Coogan develops here is a sense of control. The easy jokes are nailed and everyone gets their moment. But, we’re seeing a comedian literally try to hand-create a new era for himself.
The Package
The
DVD
package comes with an interview, photo gallery, commentaries, featurette and deleted scenes. Saxondale actually has commentaries that explain what Coogan was doing with this series. After several hours of this material, we finally get to hear the creator talk about the craft and show the audience what he was thinking. The deleted scenes don’t really add a lot of material to the show. But, it doesn’t matter. This series stands out as the strongest since the Alan Partridge trilogy.