The only less than positive review I've read about TSG said - I'm paraphrasing, of course - that it's too crammed, too fast moving. To me, the reviewer came across as disconnected from the whole subject anyway, but on that point I could see what she - and our Didi above - are getting at.
In part, it might be a deliberate ploy to keep people who wouldn't normally watch something about a family including a severely disabled kiddo engaged and entertained.
I think though that it must be incredibly difficult to fit essentially 9 years of family life in to two and a half hours of television. I like the pace because it reflects life here - eventful, at times chaotic and unsettling, hard to keep up. Yet there's still time, in their life and ours, bafflingly, to fit in some love, some laughs, some joy, and some absolutely mind-numbing boredom - and let's not forget the drinking and mini cheddars.
Yes, I wish each episode was an hour long, yes, I wish it was on at 9pm on BBC1 - but it's a great start. And I really hope it is a start. 'Rosie' is 12 now in real life, I think, so that's another 3 years Shaun and his family might want to share a part of with us. As I know with WB, the pre and early teen years are as much of a roller-coaster as before, so I'm watching this space.