'Glue'
Since the end of 'Skins' last year there have been no real British dramas on E4 to bring us sex, drugs and murder. Until 'Glue' came along, that is - a 'Broadchurch' but for the younger generation.
Set in a small rural village where nothing really happens, the town is shaken up by the murder of Cal. With everyone around him a prime suspect, friends turn into foes, childhood friends turn into lovers and many secrets to be exposed as this eight part drama gets underway. 'Glue' provides us with an all-star cast of the future, some you may recognize from other hit shows and one from Rizzle Kicks...yes, they act now!
Our David Tennant is Ruth Rosen (Yasmin Paige) a young, ambitious, career driven policewoman who is determined to find out who murdered Cal. Ruth used to be friends with Cal and his entourage but knows not to trust any of them. One of the prime suspects of Cal’s murder is actually his own brother Eli (Callum Turner), who seems to care deeply for Cal yet seems to be hiding a lot of secrets which come out as the series goes on.
The death of Cal also appears to have brought Eli closer to Tina (Charlotte Spencer) who was one of the last people with Cal before he died. Tina is an up and coming horse rider who dreams of winning the Grand National one day. Ruth and Tina bump heads throughout the series over Cal and his death - they do not trust each other but they both agree that they want to find out who killed Cal.
Another suspect is Rob (Jordan Stephens), Tina’s boyfriend who was never really keen on Cal. Rob is the guy in your group of friends who you invite out even though you would rather him not come. Rob has every motive to kill Cal, who was loved by Tina and the whole gang. Rob seems to have a secret each episode - by the end of this series his name will probably be Rizzle Kicks. Finally, we have James (Billy Howie) a reserved, slightly shy farmers boy wanting to better himself.
James is the one that finds Cal’s body and naturally is considered a prime suspect. I honestly don’t believe James did kill Cal due to recent events that unfolded in the series. I will not lie there are parts of 'Glue' that do drag on and you do at times stare into space however there is a lot of promise with 'Glue'. People might be talking about 'Eastenders' and who killed Lucy Beale but the only thing on my mind is who killed Cal. I would be interested on how would 'Glue' would develop if a second series was commissioned. I will go on record by stating that I believe the murderer is Tina but we will all have to wait until the murderer is revealed.
Catch 'Glue' every Monday at 10pm on E4, or catch up on 4oD.
'Workaholics'
From Monday to Friday, I consider myself a bit of a workaholic but Comedy Central’s show 'Workaholics' offers characters that are a lot different to me. 'Workaholics' stars Blake Henderson (Blake Anderson), Adam DeMamp (Adam DeVine) and Anders Holmvik (Anders Holm). Three friends, who are coasting through life but always, make time to get high, party and have a great time. They spend every day together from working together and living together. This US comedy series has now started series three in the UK.
Anders is probably the brains out of three (not that hard to achieve) although you do wonder what at times with the situations Anders gets himself into. He tries to climb up the telemarketing ladder - pitching to his boss Alice (Maribeth Monroe) a range of ideas, some lucky and some not so. The problem with Anders is that he is easily led by Adam and Blake, and after a bit of acid Anders is the wild party man who ends up being late for work and previously even finding himself trying to dodge a drugs test.
Next we have Adam, our man’s man! He is all about "banging" women, drinking and doing drugs. He claims to be a ladies man, but will silently admit to only sleeping with five women. Adam provides me with most of the laughs in the show, the way he randomly comes out with stories and sayings have me in stitches. Deep down though Adam is sensitive, and during the rare episode we see Adam show some emotion but if you blink, you would miss it.
Finally we have Blake, the most random out of the three. Blake looks like your typical slacker with his fuzzy hair and laid-back attitude. Blake is not as competitive as Anders and Adam can be when competing in their silly games, that could be due to his clueless or he is on some drug. Blake also has some questionable fashion sense, coming into work in costumes - if that was any other worker they would have been fired ages ago.
'Workaholics' will not be for everyone, it’s very dumb humour that in this day and age does not appeal to all. It can also be crude and a lot of drugs talk but as long as you can look past that I believe you would find 'Workaholics' enjoyable. With a fourth series currently starting and a fifth series commissioned in the US it looks like Comedy Central will be having these boys for a long while.
Catch 'Workaholics' every Wednesday at 11pm on Comedy Central.
Read previous Telly Text columns here and find more from Jordan at @jrory.
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