''Get Real!'' is a 1998 British sitcom. It starred Lindsay Duncan, Simon Godley, Lloyd Owen and Lesley Vickerage. It was made by Tandem Television and

Carlton Television Carlton Television (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties from 9.25am every Monday to 5.15pm every Friday. The company is now managed with London Weekend Televi ...

(developed in association with Red Rooster Film & Television Entertainment) for the ITV network.

Plot

Louise (Duncan), Adam (Owen), Lestor (Godley) and Francine (Vickerage) are four Londoners in their late 20s or early 30s (although Duncan was 48 at the time of filming), all living in Ladbroke Grove. They are constantly meeting up in each other's flats or in a nearby coffee bar to drink and discuss life, love and sex (possibly due to some of the subject matter being dealt with, the series was broadcast in a post-'' News at Ten'' slot). Adam was the smart, cool one; Louise his glamorous friend and landlady; Lestor, his nerdish best friend; and Francine his latest girlfriend, a newcomer to the bunch who – lacking confidence with new people – was finding it hard to fit in. Furthermore, Adam and Louise had enjoyed a brief fling in the past and there was still an attraction between them. Due to the status of the characters as young, metropolitan singles, as well as the nature of the characters themselves and the contemporary urban setting in which they are set, the show could be seen as an attempt to be a British equivalent to the more famous American sitcoms from around the same time that followed this trend, such as ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

'' or ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

''. Unfortunately, one of the reasons that it was not deemed a big success was that many television critics who watched it could not help comparing them with the like of ''Friends'', '' Frasier'' or ''Seinfeld'', particularly in the first few episodes. They condemned it as a poor attempt to imitate that type of American sitcom, and hence ITV cancelled it after its only series of seven episodes. However, according to Mark Lewisohn in the ''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy'':

Episodes

*1. Part of the Furniture (6 July 1998) *2. Secrets (13 July 1998) *3. Patches (20 July 1998) *4. Parking (27 July 1998) *5. Funny Guy (3 August 1998) *6. Leg (10 August 1998) *7. Hero (17 August 1998)

References

* Mark Lewisohn, ''BBC Online Comedy Guide''/''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy''. *British TV Online Resources.

External links

Real!'' at the British TV Online Resources.
* {{IMDb title, 0166433, Get Real! 1998 British television series debuts 1998 British television series endings 1990s British sitcoms ITV sitcoms Television series by ITV Studios Carlton Television Television series by All3Media English-language television shows