Hello Ladies: A Lonely Englishman Awkwardly Looks for Love

Stephen Merchant is the lesser-known genius behind the hugely successful British series, The Office. Together with Ricky Gervais, he helped change the TV comedy landscape with shows like Extras and Life's Too Short. Now, Merchant has struck out on his own, starring in an HBO show adapted from his stand-up show, Hello Ladies.

Merchant plays Stuart Pritchard, a single British web designer who lives in Los Angeles and longs to date a model. Unfortunately, he's 6 foot 7 and socially awkward, traits that do not work in his favor when he's out in clubs trying to pick up the "ladies." His best friends are Wade (Nate Torrence), a lovable man whose world is crashing around him because his wife wants a divorce, and Kives (Kevin Weisman), a wheelchair-bound, filthy-minded ladies' man who never seems to strike out. Christine Woods plays Jessica Vanderhoff, an actress who rents Stuart's guesthouse, and the series spends equal time on her struggles to get acting roles now that she's too old to play ingenues and has yet to find her big break. She and Stuart use each others contacts - she to get a job, he to get a girlfriend - but these attempts always fail spectacularly and they wind up where they started, lonely and unemployed.

Hello Ladies is filled with cringe-inducing comedy that often elicits more groans than laughs. Stuart is a sweet guy but his sights are always set on unattainable and uninterested women who either ignore him completely or take advantage of his niceness. The show has almost wrapped up its first season and Stuart is no closer to finding a girlfriend, although Jessica appears to be making some career strides. However, I'm hopeful that the season will end on a positive note, because I cannot help but root for the kind and gawky Englishman.

Hello Ladies isn't the best comedy of the fall but it certainly has its moments. Apart from Stuart and Jessica, none of the characters feel fully fleshed out, and the show certainly needs to find some new storylines rather than focusing on Stuart's Sisyphean task of getting a date. But if you're a fan of Stephen Merchant's comic sensibility and enjoy a comedy with relatable characters in painfully awkward situations, Hello Ladies is an excellent addition to your Sunday night line-up.