Upstart Crow (2016–2020)
10/10
Elton's territory, alas/hurrah!
15 September 2017
Why hath it took so long for a sitcomedy about our beloved bard to be born? Watch this and wonder why, as there are opportunities galore exploited for comedy gold and silver. Elton's forte is plundering easy mines like history or the police for sitcoms or modern world maladies like traffic congestion and slavish consumerism for his novels. And here it's the same jamboree for the former motormouth. And he doth fill his booties, verily.

Well enough researched as always for a broad statement making punchline grabbing comedy, hinting at a depth of understanding beneath that won't fool true authorities on the subject. Though he's learned the key points well enough as ever and been fairly true to history, or the disputed history and chronology of Shakespeare's works and the bits within passed off as his. The result is a pretty successful comic rendering of the lofty man of literature and his works.

Watchable, cleverish and funny especially for English lit and lang lovers. It suffers from Elton's usual excesses and limitations but lack of dialogue and plot and comedy targets have never been Eltonian flaws. If you like your sitcoms verbally busy, punchline heavy and narratively waspish then you will doubtless find 'infinite riches in a small room' watching this most excellent comedy.
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