The Young Ones: Extra Stoopid Edition

The image looks its age and the sound is resolutely mono, but this 1982-84 BBC sitcom broke such important ground on both sides of the Atlantic that it should be considered essential viewing for anyone who wants to understand the changes TV underwent during the 1980s (and it's still funny as hell). Created by Blackadder's Ben Elton, star Rik Mayall, and Lise Mayer, this chaotic freeform riff on the traditional sitcom incorporated non-sequitur asides from puppet commentators, cartoon slapstick, musical guests, and surreal plots revolving around, for instance, an unexploded nuclear bomb landing in the kitchen and the discovery of oil in the basement (two of the more coherent stories). The Young Ones are four university students living in council housing: Neil (Nigel Planer), a hippie so depressed he can't even kill himself properly; Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson), a dumb and excessively violent punk; Rick (Mayall), a clueless New Wave anarchist; and Mike (Christopher Ryan), the “cool one,” who couldn't be less cool. We never saw them actually attend class or study, but their antics brought Britain's then-burgeoning alternative comedy scene to the fore—the show was among the first non-music series aired on MTV—and introduced us to guest stars including Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane, Jennifer Saunders, Stephen Fry, Dawn French, and other familiar names. Compiling all 12 episodes, DVD extras here include audio commentaries, a “making-of” featurette, a look at the beginning of Britain's alternative comedy scene, and a segment on the show's guest stars. Highly recommended. (M. Johanson)