Binge Watch – The Thick of It

I’ve been told by a friend or two that I am fairly skilled in the art of profanity. Upon watching The Thick of It, I’ve learned I’m really just a piker when compared to the talents in the writer’s room of this little British Gem mostly undiscovered here in the States.

The story is largely the saga of the inept Ministers of the lower-level fictitious British Cabinet Department, the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship (“DoSAC”). While DoSAC offers the setting, the breakout star of the show is Peter Capaldi, the “hatchet man,” or political enforcer for the Prime Minister, who terrorizes and abuses absolutely everyone with whom he comes into contact. Capaldi’s Malcolm Tucker is so viciously funny, there are legions of Youtube videos paying tribute to his mastery of salty language.

If one has seen HBO’s Veep, the seeds for that show were sown in The Thick of It – the same writers developing stories of inept politicians and the true wielders of power behind the thrones. Fortunately, the difference between both the politics and the humor of the British and the Americans mean that, unlike the office, the first few episodes aren’t merely reshoots of the original British scripts. Rather, each show takes the time to tell its own tales, and shine a mirror on the ugly parts of each society’s ruling classes.

The show aired for only four seasons, with a total of 24 episodes. Therefore, it is not a significant time commitment, but the returns on the investment are well worth the time it takes to watch.