Motherland

[greenr]

What are people's thoughts on the British sitcom Motherland? Just wondering if people thought it was relatable/funny/comforting/progressive for women in any way. There seem to be a lot of new sitcoms about mothers lately!

Didn’t like it as much as I was hoping, mainly because of the main character (Anna Maxwell Martin) who really overdid the gurning and wasn’t a very sympathetic character. I get that she wasn’t meant to be perfect but think the series would have been more enjoyable to watch if she was just a bit nicer. Also hated the SAHD character, surely there could be plenty of jokes about the unusual position of a SAHD without having to make him a wet doormat.

Loved Catastrophe.

I agree @minipie. AMM’s character was SO unlikeable it ruined the series for me. Being the main character I felt she needed to be a tiny bit likeable, instead of the two faced user that she turned out to be.

For me they never got the balance right when it came to making the characters real. Diane Morgan was fantastic. Lucy Punch was great too. The rest were just cartoonish - the drippy SAHD, Ann the meek doormat, the hard working/hard partying mum (her only good line was during the sports day).

I did enjoy it and some of the scenarios were totally real and plausible, I just felt that the hammy characters were too much.

I thought that was the point - she just disappeared as this hustler trying to juggle it all - there’s nothing likeable there just stress and hassle

Agree, the main character seemingly had no likeable qualities and loads of unappealing ones (even allowing for the usual WoH mum with a shit DH being shown as harried/stretched). So it seemed unrealistic for the other characters to be friendly with her.

I absolutely loved the character of Anna MM's mother, fed up of being used as childcare. She's hilarious.

Brilliant series, loved it, all the cast were great.

I much preferred the Australian series The Letdown (written by and starring Alison Bell). Sure, there are a few cliches in this too, but it has a heart - it really got me at times.

I've been watching the first series on Netflix and it really strikes a chord with me.

I love Motherland.

It captures perfectly the pressure put on women (including grandmothers) WRT childcare and party organising/school shoe buying/attending parties are put under whilst he men fuck off on stag DP's and work training courses.

And little things like the school ringing her and it her husband about a missing swimming kit, it's eerily true.