Creator: Chris Reddy
Starring: Scarlett Alice Johnson, Sean Michael Verey, Anna Chancellor, Angus Deayton, Dylan Edwards, Yasmin Paige
Finding BBC three's "Pramface" was a accidental blessing. I was watching the normal American shows on Hulu when a commercial for a show that the whole series had been released on Hulu and was intrigued from the first trailer. I don't know honestly what it was about "Pramface" that hooked me it could of been boredom that got me to flip Hulu over to it but once I started "Pramface" I watched the entire first 2 series (13 Episodes) in one day.
The premise of the show about two teenagers having a baby isn't an entirely original plot and especially here in America we've seen done it quiet a bit in many different formats but what makes it so different in "Pramface" is the treatment of characters and the show taking it self a lot more serious with its limited first series (6 Episodes). With this amount of episodes in the first series the show takes an approach by taking a look in 6 different times over the course of the two people's relationship during the pregnancy. This makes the writers chose what's important and not focus on unnecessary subplots to fill time.
Also the two leads on the show are not an actual couple was also something I found interesting. They spend a lot more time apart on-screen then you'd think with two people in this situation but it almost makes sense with their relationship being a drunken fling that they wouldn't automatically become a couple with a baby on the way. The show succeeds when it focuses on the two lead characters, the place I feel it gets bogged down the most is in its supporting cast.
The supporting cast is rounded out by the main character, Jamie's two parents and two best friends while we have the main girl, Laura's two parents and best friend on the other side. The supporting characters are best when they are interacting with the main characters. When they get their own completely separate storyline my interest sort of wanes. I believe this is a problem because Jamie and Laura are such interesting characters that everything else feels like time waster in an already short season. As the series progressed into its second series the side characters got handled better.
The creator of the show kept them all more intertwined with each other especially in the character of Jamie's best friend Mike. Mike is suppose to be the wild and crazy sex obsessed best friend and I felt in the first series that they tried to hard with the character to make him that type of character, especially in a certain scene in the 1st episode that I oppose everyone to skip. In the second series they took him down about ten notches and it was for the better as he was actually funny and was just better handled story wise especially in series 2 episode 4 when he believes to be high on mushrooms. The rest of the supporting cast in itself gets better but outside of the main two I'm just not invested in their stories as much. Series 2 focuses on the birth of the baby and these two people trying to raise it. It felt realistic in the two's handling of the situation taking care of the kid almost liked separated parents taking turns with the baby. Also the show deals on some other aspects of having a baby in the second series that I found as nice little side stories such as balancing life outside a baby, keeping your friends, raising your child in religion, and being there for each other without the baby. I do believe as Series 2 progresses you lose some of the focus off the baby and more on the relationship of Jamie and Laura which in itself is understandable because the second series is only 7 episodes so you have to cover a whole lot of character development in that short time that I understand. While the story in itself might get bogged down some times, the show as a whole is wildly good and a lot better than the comedic offering of a lot of today's television.
The cast of the show is incredible the two leads especially Scarlett Alice Johnson, who plays Laura, is absolutely incredibly. She is the best and most versatile actor of the entire show. She is cute, charming, and plays great in scenes that have her get out of her comfort zone. Sean Michael Verey who plays Jamie is just as good especially when he is with Laura. He also has the laid back character trait that makes him able to have a good scene with about any actor on the set. The two are good separate and are even better in the scenes they share together. The thing that makes the side characters the best is the acting on their behalf. All of the side actors are good and do best with their scenes even if you wish they were doing a little bit more in their scenes. Overall the cast is really good for this show especially with being cast of mostly unknowns.
Overall if you are looking for a show to watch over the summer I highly recommend "Primface" as it is a smart, funny, and charming underrated gem from the UK that it is available now on Hulu. Only the first ten of thirteen episodes are on Hulu but if you go to YouTube you can watch the other three episodes and any others in their entirety. Just for caution if you are turn off by mild raunchy humor or cussing you might not one of watch this show as it is their throughout, not extreme but it is there.
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