9. The IT Crowd (2006-2010)
Channel Channel 4 Starring Chris ODowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, Chris Morris, Matt Berry, Noel Fielding. The press frequently likes to remind us that nerds rule the world these days. From Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey to those who achieve success on a smaller scale through the release of innovative Apps or Kickstarter projects. The IT Crowd centres on people at the other end of the spectrum, the socially inept IT support team of Roy (ODowd) and Moss (Ayoade), who are managed by Jen (Parkinson), a technophobe allocated to the IT department after lying about computer expertise on her CV. Their mundane lives and poor social skills allow for conventional comedy, which is mixed with extensive references to geek culture to give the show a unique edge. Having aired four series between 2006 and 2010, the show has never officially been cancelled, though a fifth series is currently unlikely due to the success of ODowd in America, Parkinsons motherhood and Ayoades burgeoning directorial career. Having won a BAFTA and an International Emmy during its run, it does deserve a nice tnettenba send-off at some point though.
8. The Hour (2011-12)
Channel BBC2 Starring Ben Whishaw, Dominic West, Romola Garai, Anton Lesser, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Joshua McGuire, Lisa Greenwood, Anna Chancellor, Burn Gorman, Peter Capaldi, Juliet Stevenson, Tim Pigott-Smith, Andrew Scott, Oona Chaplin. AMCs Mad Men, first aired in 2007, quickly became something of a cultural phenomenon, prompting a massive resurgence of interest in the culture of the 1950s and 60s, where hard drinking and smoking, sharp suits and womanising were the norm. The Hour was the BBCs attempt at a similar period show, set during the broadcasters own history, featuring a group of morally grey characters involved with a news magazine on the-then new medium of television. With a historical backdrop of events such as the Suez Crisis and the ever-growing fear of communism, the shows serial plotting, which allowed mysteries to unravel over time, was the shows strength, aided by stellar performances from the lead trio of Romola Garai, The Wires Dominic West and future Q Ben Whishaw. Strangely, the show was much better regarded by critics on the other side of the Atlantic than in the UK, where it attracted criticism for being too politically correct for the era of its setting. A vague argument, for sure, though one that may have influenced some viewers, who turned off in droves between seasons one and two, ensuring the shows cancellation It may turn out to be one of the BBCs poorer decisions of the last few years, as the underrated and sophisticated show, which might have benefited from an earlier showing on the more mainstream BBC1, ended on a cliffhanger that will now frustratingly never be resolved.