The great thing about pay-cable television shows is that they can take chances that the networks won't. In some cases, these shows present ideas and themes which may be too obtuse or in-depth for the big four. In other cases, the shows are simply too bombastic for the networks to gamble on. However, it seems that most pay-cable shows only want to revel in the fact that they can get away with all of the profanity and nudity which they want. It seems that exploitation often wins out over intelligence. Episodes is a show which at least tries to take its comedy to another level.

Sean (Stephen Mangan) and Beverly Lincoln (Tamsin Greig) are two of the most successful television writers in Britain, having one multiple awards for their show Lymon's Boys. Following the latest BAFTA Awards ceremony, Sean and Beverly are approached by Hollywood TV executive Merc Lapidus (John Pankow), who invites the two to come to America to do a new version of their hit show. Sean and Beverly are reluctant at first, but decide that a change of scenery could be nice. The next thing they know, they are in Los Angeles, driving a Mustang convertible. After moving into a mansion in Beverly Hills, they go the network to begin meetings for the show. They had hoped to use the main actor from the British series, but Merc suggest that they go in a different direction and consider Matt LeBlanc (playing himself). Sean and Beverly are floored by the idea of Joey from Friends playing the headmaster of a school and their initial meeting with him doesn't help. But, Merc insists and the pair find themselves re-tooling the show for LeBlanc. As the production of the pilot begins, Sean and Matt hit it off, while Beverly finds herself hating the show more and more each day. As the taping goes on, Sean and Beverly find themselves confronting many obstacles with the script and with their marriage.

Episodes is the kind of show which critics would describe as "smart" and while I hate to parrot anyone else, that word is a very accurate description for the show. The show comes from Friends co-creator David Crane and long-time TV writer Jeffrey Klarik. They have used their long-time experience to create something which is an interesting hybrid that combines several elements. First of all, we have a (somewhat) basic "fish out of water" sitcom idea as Sean and Beverly attempt to adapt to life in Los Angeles. The couple also exhibits some classic sitcom marriage material. From there, things get a bit more risky. Added to these common sitcom elements are the ideas surrounding television production and the two-faced nature of Hollywood. Things are then taken further with the meta elements of the show. Matt LeBlanc is playing Matt LeBlanc, but he's playing a very heightened, cartoony version of himself. Finally, having two British actors in the lead means that some BBC-style humor slips in.

Getting all of these disparate elements to work together would be a challenge, even for someone as experienced as Crane, and Episodes shows its ups and downs. There's no denying that the show is funny at times and the humor comes from different places. There is some physical humor (mostly involving Sean), some broad jokes (mostly involving LeBlanc), and some very clever one-liners. (Of all places, the funniest joke in the show comes from Merc when describing an issue with his wife.) The mixture of comedy styles is refreshing at times, but it also makes the show feel very uneven. Going from a very clever throw-away line to a lowest-common denominator joke can be somewhat jarring, giving the feeling that the writer suddenly quit and a 12-year old boy was called in to finish the script. Although, in all fairness, Episodes does seem to be trying to avoid potty humor as much as possible. The show also offers a lot of jokes concerning the hoops through which one must jump to get a show off of the ground. Some of these jokes are clever, but one must have a knowledge of the industry to get the bulk of them.

There are also some issues with the character dynamics. From the outset, Beverly doesn't like Matt -- in fact, this is one of the main constants of the show. However, this casts Beverly in a very awkward light. We completely understand why she doesn't like Matt -- he's completely wrong for the show and he could blow her chance at success in Hollywood -- but this makes her come across as hateful at times. As Sean and Matt bond, Beverly grows more resentful. The issue is that this makes her unlikable. We should like the main characters of the show. We also get inconsistency with LeBlanc's character. Only the densest of viewers won't grasp that LeBlanc isn't playing himself, but, at times, it's difficult to tell who he is playing. The writers have attempted to make him multi-faceted, which is great. But sometimes he exhibits Joey-like vapidness and at other times, he's very regal and debonair...and apparently fluent in Spanish.

In the end, Episodes is entertaining, but it's a mixed bag. There are some laugh-out-loud moments, but there are also notable droughts with no great jokes. Despite the fact that the season is only seven episodes, the show drags at times and become redundant, as Sean and Beverly face the same obstacles over and over. Still, the cast is clearly game and everyone here is very good, even the supporting cast like Kathleen Rose Perkins, as Merc's put-upon assistant. I did like how the season ended, and perhaps Season 2 will be more focused.

Episodes: The First Season explains why Hawaii is so lush on DVD courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment and Showtime. The DVD contains all seven episodes of the show's first season. The show has been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. The image is sharp and clear, showing no intrusive grain and no defects from the source materials. The colors look good and the image is never overly dark or bright. The level of detail is good, but the picture can be soft at times. Overall, the picture rivals HD broadcast quality. The DVD carries a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track which provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The track delivers good stereo effects at times, and a few scenes deliver notable surround effects. The music sounds fine, but I didn't note any significant subwoofer effects.

The Episodes: The First Season DVD contains only two, rather dull, extras. First of all we get text biographies for the six lead actors. This is followed by a PHOTO GALLERY.