The Inbetweeners: The Complete Series

This BBC-aired high school comedy of misfit boys is a coming-of-age series as only the British would do it: full of sex-obsessed teens who never censor their thoughts or impulses, with foul language and raunchy humor pushed to levels not heard on American network television. Simon Bird stars as Will McKenzie, an awkward private school kid suddenly forced to attend public school, where he has no concept of the social norms. So he finds a trio of equally outcast mates to hang out with: Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley), and Neil (Blake Harrison), whom he describes as “three friends that almost make someone like me look normal.” Well, almost. The episodes revolve around the quartet's fumbling attempts to act cool, attract girls, get beer, or just do the things that regular guys do—activities that inevitably spiral into disaster. Thanks to well-drawn characters whose unthinking actions consistently sabotage their own goals, it's often clever and usually very funny. Compiling all 18 episodes originally aired in 2008–2010, extras include episode commentaries, video diaries, production featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)