Such Fun: The Slapstick Comedy of Miranda
Written by and starring a British comedian Miranda Hart, a 2009 sitcom Miranda was developed from her semi auto-biographical comedy Miranda Hart’s Joke Shop which aired on BBC Radio 2 the previous year. Since then it has managed to gain not only a small, yet loyal fan following, but also great critical acclaim — Hart won a Royal Television Society award and received several BAFTA TV Award nominations. All this recognition is well-deserved as this series is drastically different from anything you would see on TV right now with its straightforward and downright absurd humor.
Miranda stars a handful of famous British actors: Miranda Hart herself (Call the Midwife, Spy), Tom Ellis (Doctor Who, Lucifer), Sarah Hadland (Leap Year, Now is Good), Patricia Hodge (Agatha Christie’s Marple, Downton Abbey), Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones’s Diary trilogy, The Decoy Bride) and others. The actors all play an array of distinct but equally hilarious characters, be it a handsome, yet immature chef, a well-meaning, yet completely inappropriate mother, or our lovable, yet clumsy and socially awkward protagonist. Every situation and persona on this show is exaggerated to the extreme, but that’s exactly what lets the cast fully demonstrate their acting chops and makes the show so fun to watch.
Miranda is a tall and awkward 34-year old woman who often finds herself in the center of weird and uncomfortable situations. Or more specifically, most of the time she starts those crazy shenanigans herself. At the beginning of the series, for example, she buys a joke shop, but since she lacks any business capacity to run it, she hires her childhood friend Stevie to execute all business-related activities. Miranda is a disappointment to her mother, Penny, whose mission in life is to get her daughter a real job and a husband. Miranda also clearly struggles with her adult life, frequently displaying childish behavior like giving names and drawing faces on fruit and vegetables, and participating in silly competitions with Stevie. On top of it all, she’s secretly attracted to her friend from university, chef Gary, who just started working at the restaurant next to Miranda’s shop. Viewers are invited to follow Miranda’s very embarrassing misadventures and see her find her happy ending.
Miranda relies heavily on physical comedy (the lead character frequently trips and falls over), but it is the main source of humor on the show that occurs at the exact right moment. Another fascinating thing about this series is protagonist’s constant breaking of the fourth wall — Miranda opens every episode by greeting the audience and starting the “Previously in my life” segment where she talks about the events that recently happened to her off-camera. Finally, Miranda’s sort of vintage style of cinematography that is seen in the characters’ clothes, music choice, and tech-savviness gives it an undeniable charm and a cozy flavor.
I watched this show multiple times, and it never gets old. You understand that the humor Miranda offers is too extra, but you can’t help falling in love with the style of the show, the absurdity of the dialogs, and all the vibrant and unique characters. Because underneath the silliness lies a very reassuring (if a little cliche) message to be who you are and that everything is going to be great in the end. You just have to believe it.
Ultimately, Miranda is a slapstick, tongue-in-cheek sitcom that’s guaranteed to make you laugh from the very first episode. It’s also only twenty episodes long, so it’s perfect for binge-watching. Highly entertaining, this series is a perfect choice if you want to want to unwind after a long day at work or when you’re generally feeling down. Watch some Miranda, and your day will magically get better.
