We loved the pilot, now there's a series : Motherland

[Optimist1]

Remember Anna Maxwell-Martin playing the heroine who's trying to negotiate her way through motherhood, school gate cliques etc? Diane Morgan playing her plucky new friend, and SAHD Paul Ready? Written by Graham and Helen Linehan, Sharon Horgan and Holly Walsh?

The pilot is being shown again on BBC2 on Monday at 10:00pm with the series to start next week, according to Radio Times.

[Midge1978]

I don’t think we are meant to sympathise with Julia. She’s a Basil Fawlty type character - we cringe at her and watch her go to extremes and be rude to impress others and fail miserably. Her desperation and the way she constantly loses the plot is where the humour is.

I think she lied about her daughter being ill because she didn’t want them all freaking out about catching something.

[CountessofGrantham]

Loved the pilot and waited with baited breath for this. It wasn’t as funny as the pilot, it never could be. But I really enjoyed it and Liz is definitely the star. Julia is super annoying but if you watch all six new eps that might be addressed... 🤐

[BMW6]

I thought the funniest line was when Julia said to her husband "I want my children to be brought up like I was - by my mother".........

[HidingBehindTheWallpaper]

I loved it.

Of course some of the characters are cliched or slightly unrealistic, that is how sitcoms work. It wouldn't be funny if everything was OK. Also, the program is only 30 minutes long, the characters have to be painted with a broad brush so they they don't have to spend an age giving you a back story.

[TeachesOfPeaches]

I wanted to like it and thought it was ok. Where is Julia's husband the entire series? Makes no sense that he isn't in the house even once.

Why can't she sort out childcare?

[HaHaHmm]

But teaches, that’s the joke!

[TeachesOfPeaches]

It's just not that difficult to organise! She clearly isn't strapped for cash so it's difficult to sympathise with her situation.

[HidingBehindTheWallpaper]

And why did Basil Fawlty bother running a hotel when he’s shit at it?
Why did the Goods not just sell the house in Surbiton and buy a small holding?

It’s a comedy.

[JenniferYellowHat1980]

It really is. The other thing is I’ve had it with Unmumsy Mum and Peter and Jane type bloggers that essentially seem to dislike their kids. I’m really no Mary Poppins but I don’t air my frustrations about my kids for all and sundry to regale them with in future. Anna reminds me of them - she seems really ambivalent towards her kid(s?) I know I’m taking this too easily. It just isn’t funny.

Agree re Catastrophe. I couldn’t watch past episode 2.

[JenniferYellowHat1980]

Taking this too seriously, not easily!

[BuzzKillington]

We loved it - but then we also completely loved Catastrophe so it is our sort of humour.

[TeachesOfPeaches]

I related much more to the single mum character who just gets on with it.

My boss (also single parent working full time) thinks it's brilliant but she is highly disorganised so maybe more of the show rang true for her.

[Midge1978]

I think it’s great that we finally have something on tv that shows a less than idyllic view of parenting. Here we have someone who actually finds it hard for once! The children barely feature in it - it’s all about the struggle of the adults.

As for childcare - I don’t know anyone who has it all sorted except for those who can justify committing to the cost of a nanny or child minder every day. Most of the parents I know have a complicated week of asking and returning favours. Amanda’s childcare system was a comically exaggerated version of that! I don’t think Julia is meant to be particularly well off.

[TeachesOfPeaches]

She lives in massive house in Queen's Park which is an affluent area of London so I believe they are supposed to be well off. She (and husband?) can afford a nanny which is why she has one in the end.

[HaHaHmm]

Argh, that’s a pretty big spoiler for the whole series!!!

[Dulra]

I enjoyed it, not laugh out loud funny but chuckling every now and then. I haven't seen the pilot (live in Ireland so can't get bbc player) but a friend had heard Sharon Horgan being interviewed about it so recommended it as a watch. As others have said all the characters are massively exaggerated but most of us can relate to pieces of them and have met people like them in a less then obvious way so that's what adds to the comedy

The way the grandmother is portrayed as selfish for having her own life really isn’t and Julia’s behaviour towards her is abusive.
I don't think the Grandmother is portrayed as selfish at all I think it is Julia we are meant to see as selfish in this way because she is expecting the grandmother to constantly drop everything to help her, we are meant to side with the Grandmother in this scenario and not Julia. Yes the abuse is exaggerated but I have seen my sil treat our mil pretty terribly ordering her about getting her to this that and the other for her and her kids and I wish my mil would stand up to her for once like Julia's mum. Maybe I will recommend this show to her and she might get a light bulb moment

[2014newme]

Pilot was the best
They all have lovely homes (except Liz)

[Walnutwhiplash]

Great cast, great writers, terrible comedy. The last ep where things between Julia and her mum came to a head was well done but I didn't find the series funny at all. I think Philippa Dunne (Anne) was the brilliant and slightly terrifying mum in The Walshes, a much funnier Graham Linehan 'family' comedy.

[HidingBehindTheWallpaper]

Woah talking about the full series.

[ElizabethLemon]

I had high hopes for this as I love Sharon Horgan but didn't rate it to be honest. It didn't have the subtleties of Catastrophe and the characters were no where near as endearing. To be fair though I adore Catastrophe, it had me sobbing at one moment then screaming with laughter at the next.

I do like Liz though, she's definitely the most layered character.

[ZoyaTheDestroyer]

Was that a spoiler for the resolution of the whole bloody series? I’m not on ep 3. FFS.

[MrsLogicFromViz]

S1Ep1 was excellent. I particularly loved the Animal Man.

[Mominatrix]

I wanted to like this show, but I just could not warm to it. I actively disliked all the characters except for the single mum one. I found them all to be selfish, nasty characters and I just could not believe that Julia could be a successful event planner and be such a disaster in planning her own life. I did not get the feeling that anyone even liked each other except Liz, and I was seriously irritated at Julia's more than useless husband. There is writing for comedic effect, but I think that good comedy does not require preposterous groupings - does Julia even have a relationship with her husband? I thought they were separated the way they related to each other.

[Ulysses]

I agree with you ElizabethLemon about it lacking the subtley of Catastrophe. I don't know if it's because she's not a natural comedic actress but found AMM way overdoing it for the most part. Diane Morgan's Liz was terrific though and I'd hope other series would follow her storyline more closely. Couldn't care for Kevin but did like Amanda's acidic PA slights and glad that we got to see more of Anne.

I totally get about the husband though living the life through all these other commitments he couldn't possibly get out of though.

[QueenOfTheAndals]

S1Ep1 was excellent. I particularly loved the Animal Man.

I like that actor, he pops up in everything from this to Game of Thrones!