Good concept, poorly executed.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

I hadn't even heard of this show until I was perusing PBS this past Sunday night and watched the entire first season back to back. Being a single gay man myself , I found it hilarious and the catty back and forth was so much fun between McKellen and Jacobi. I disagree with the haters saying it's dated and painfully unfunny or plays on bad stereotypes. The men are both in their mid 70's and being gay back when they met in the 60's was very different and they grew up much differently then someone like myself who grew up in the 80's for the most part. Men can be catty and witty especially in England as I've seen and heard and lets face it , McKellen and Jacobi are old funny queens in real life too. I love them both and would watch them read a phone book together they are so wonderful. The only character I really don't like is Ash, a bit out of place and seems like he wants to be the male equivalent of a fag hag to our main characters. I just cant see him being this hottie they drool over and he spends so much time with them. I mean I wouldn't be hanging around two old lesbians all the time. He seems to have a secret agenda. He doesn't seem to have any chemistry with any of the girls he dates either, in one episode he is making out with every girl he meets and then in another he's in love and wants to get married. It's just unbelievable because his acting doesn't match his feelings.I can also only take so much of Violet, Sorry but the actress portraying her seems to only be a one note act, the drunk Mrs Roper of this show so to speak. The brother of McKellen's character and the empty headed Penelope are much more fun to watch. I hope they do another season. If not I'd love to catch either Sir Ian or Sir Derek in a theatre.

I am so very pleased with this excellently written and performed comedy. The dialog is sharp and witty, and the actors are predominantly over 70 (which showcases their amazing talents and experience). I don't think there's ever been a show about a gay couple that is actually played by two gay actors, much less two knighted actors of such high caliber. The scathing insults they throw at each other are reminiscent of classic shows ranging from The Honeymooners, The Jeffersons, or Married With Children (and many others). Even though the insults are constant, there's also a heartfelt sweetness and love between the two leads that is undeniable.I've read the many negative comments here, and I'm utterly appalled by the ignorant, puritanical, and completely humorless people that are out there. To say that the main characters are stereotypical is absurd. Remember, these characters were together in 1960's Britain; homosexuality was illegal and the culture was completely different from today's much more enlightened attitudes. Much of the humor is delivered from an older perspective, and most people lose their tolerance for BS and social niceties as they age. I've been with my partner for 25 years, and, although we don't openly insult each other, we both find this show to be hilarious and sweet. Don't let the trolls and haters influence you to see the show, just give it a chance.PS- The people upset by the "rape" joke are uptight idiots. The joke did not belittle rape, it was funny in context of who said it. Ask any comedian and they'll tell you any subject can be funny under the right circumstances or context.

I watched the first few episodes of this, and found it hysterical. Many here (and some others) have said this show is terrible because its main characters are caricatures/stereotypes of gays, and I think that's silly. I've met gay guys like the two depicted here, so it's not all a "stereotype". I would also like to point out that Ian McKellen is gay himself (and has been out for years), and if Sir Ian thought this was a terrible show about gays, he wouldn't have done it. It's not like he needs the money.Watch this show and laugh. Don't let the uptight PC crowd deprive you of laughs.

Sir Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi star in "Vicious," also starring Frances de la Tour.McKellen and Jacobi play, for want of a better term, two old queens, and de la Tour plays their upstairs neighbor Violet. McKellen's character, Freddie, was an actor with so-so success who talks about his fan mail ("You only had one fan," Stuart (Jacobi) reminds him. "Yes, but he wrote a lot of letters," Freddie says.) In the episode I saw, the two were mourning, if that's the right word, the death of an old friend who apparently had been the lover of Freddie at one time, though he also managed to have two wives and six children. "Wasn't there a wife?" Penelope (Marcia Warren) asks. "Oh, yes," Stuart says, "but that was only for 19 years." Basically, it's the two guys throwing insults at one another and having a bad reaction when someone opens the curtains and lets in the light. The one-liners for the most part are very funny, delivered by two great actors who are obviously enjoying themselves camping it up.I have to say I found it quite enjoyable, funny, and on a higher level than some of the comedies on TV today.