Fran - Irish Comedy

Fran Costello

Would like to hear your thoughts...


www.frantheseries.com


Thanks,



This is what the Sunday Indo thought of it...



Personally, I am uplifted by a series on Setanta Ireland depicting the extraordinarily depressing life and times of Fran, the assistant manager of a junior football club.
Done in the spoof docu-drama style of The Office, it was particularly harrowing to look at poor Fran straight after the Champions League Final, and to reflect on the lost generations of Frans, of poor demented football men who have given everything so that other men can play their football, and abuse them, and laugh at them.
Ultimately it is The Truth which lifts us up where we belong -- "where the eagles fly, on a mountain high".
You see, we're singing already.
- Declan Lynch

afatbollix

I think its pretty crap... could of been alot funnier I think... it just looks so scripted... and I think thats your problem... saying that you wont be getting a series 2 with setanta going under

Liam Byrne

afatbollix's signature is funnily apt......what's an "Epesode" ?

Morgans

saw a few episodes. The one where Fran missed the team bus was very good.

A fine effort all round. Comedy patchy enough in the Herald coming to profile the club, but all in all, thought it was well above average. Well done to those involved.

preddy

Anyone know where i can see the whole series only 1 ep on the site above?

hunter164

Fran is on TV3 at 10.30 tonight. They're showing the first series and if it goes well they might make a second series.

iguy

OMG that programme is no good...i saw it tonight on Tv3,and i thought that it was crap to be honest!Celebrity bainesteor on rte was way more funny and entertaining...also i'm an avid viewer me Tv3...it was i downer for me:(...

Bondvillain

Better than I was expecting to be honest. Some of the characters are written a bit panto-style, and some of the acting is a bit creaky, but there were some funny bits, and 'Fran' himself is gormlessly likeable; his rather sad just-wanting-to-be-one-of-the-lads routine is funny & realistic.

While obviously not of the same quality, it's certainly derivative in style and content from a certain office based BBC comedy from a few years ago, but it's a far better choice of show to broadcast than I expected from the channel that gave us School Run , Xpose and Play TV.

Highlights - The seriously unfit goalkeepers idea of training being a half-hearted jump in the air while repeatedly meekly shouting "keeper", and the strikers venomous response to Fran's on-pitch celebratory hug after he scored a vital penalty : "Get off me, ye thick ****"

Not bad at all.

Shane10

poor enough but worth another look i suppose. not really funny.

dartsfan

I thought it was terrible and not in any ways funny.

stan murray

Where did this come from?

I thought it was great. Really funny; i loved the bit when fran ran after the magpies and told them to 'get the f**k off the pitch' or confusing 'guff' with 'gruff'. For a while I thought it was a real documentary. The football scenes were very well done.

As for comparisons to the office well i thought it was quite different. obviously it's a mockumentary like the office but none of the characters were playing up to the cameras and the humour wasn't reliant on awkward looks to camera etc. The office itself was derivitive of Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman etc and i think there's room for more mockumentaries. Summer Heights High etc.

well done tv3. more please.

domcq

Wtached the first 15 mins. Found the gags a bit predictable - "keep your eye on the ball lads" and he gets hit in the head with a ball.

There were a few laughs in it though.

I am pie

I liked it, i guess it's not really aimed at the same audience as they reality TV junkies. Fine effort.

Crotchety

Don't thank TV3, thank Setanta...or are they the same?

cashback

Just caught this after the Champions lge and as I wasn't expecting anything i thought it was reasonable. I didn't laugh very much but there was a few amusing bits, "Is it to curry favour or to curry flavour? I think it's to curry flavour, cos curry has a flavour!"
It ended with Fran slipping on an orange peel which was fairly lame.
I might watch it again next week but won't be going out of my way.

Morgans

Are people really expecting Curb Your Enthusiasm or Arrested Development from a small independent irish production with clearly a very limited budget. People have different tastes and all, but I know plenty who found it good, not gold, but good. You look back at things like Seinfeld's first series and you wonder what people were saying about it. If anyone involved is looking in, well done lads. You created an enjoyable program can here in Ireland about a very universal topic with unknown cast on a limited budget, and who knows what you could do with more experience. Keep it up.

scotchy

I caught a few episodes of Fran when it was on Setanta and finally saw the first episode last night on TV3. I thought it was one the funniest Irish comedies I’ve ever seen.

I’m surprised by some of the negative responses its got on this thread. Some people just spouting “Gruff” I Suppose.







.

scotchy

Judge for yourself..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04hi3d2ymmQ





.

Shane10

Morgans wrote: »

Are people really expecting Curb Your Enthusiasm or Arrested Development from a small independent irish production with clearly a very limited budget. People have different tastes and all, but I know plenty who found it good, not gold, but good. You look back at things like Seinfeld's first series and you wonder what people were saying about it. If anyone involved is looking in, well done lads. You created an enjoyable program can here in Ireland about a very universal topic with unknown cast on a limited budget, and who knows what you could do with more experience. Keep it up.

just because you have a small budget dosent mean it cant be a brilliant programme.

In_tuition

I Sky + it last night and just after watching it for the 1st time, have to say I quite enjoyed it, was in fits a few times, all a bit of craic and definitely worth a tv slot considering some of the sh*te that's on tv at present.

Morgans

Shane10 wrote: »

just because you have a small budget dosent mean it cant be a brilliant programme.

Of course not, but with a small budget the chances are increased that the production will be a failure. Dylan Moran or any another high profile successul comedian with proven TV comic abilities isn't going to turn up. Having a small budget isnt a help. People just seem to be in a rush to knock it because it wasnt a comic masterpiece.

lostexpectation

yeah how much does it cost to be funny?

Max Headroom

lostexpectation wrote: »

yeah how much does it cost to be funny?

Ask Jason Byrne and RTE..but thats another thread...;)

Fran is a very good attempt at comedy , certainaly made me laugh , and i loved Paths to Freedom ......think its because everyone knows a Fran or Rats....

Raskolnikov

It was ok, but could never compare to it's predeccesor, The Rod Squad!

Now that was a footballing mockumentary!

Ciaran B

I really liked it. I’ve a softspot for mockumentry comedy and found this to be really well done.

Fran stopping for a final spoonful of cereal when he realises he’s in the wrong house was great.

Shane10

predicatble gags but its ok i suppose. liked the bit where they were eating breakfast in yer mans house.

ma fran wants more tea.
i do not
go on then

Morpheus

This stuff is legendary, its even funnier as ive actually played football with "fran" and he's a decent player as well as a comedian! I can also think of a few people who may have inspired his character in some small aspects rounding up a team on a saturday morning and your man answering the door in some girls dressing gown was great - typical reality too!

billymortansack

I got the DVD the other day. I was gonna start a thread about it then i saw this one.

I thought it was deadly.Watchin it again i though there were some hysterically funny bits that you dont see the first time u watch it.
-In the episode with the young kid playin on the team, the very first scene opens with fran sayin "ahh yeah i got kicked out of his woodwork class loads of times" and then he goes into serious mode when he sees the camera. gas!
-the sketch with fran playin the linesman, is classic.
-the fundraising with the old man "ah keep your bleedin tenner!" and when you look in the background theres a bunch of old people watchin everthing with horrified looks on their faces.
those bits had me in fits.and some of the players reactions are hilarious!

and the foreign players outtake is flippin gas, dont know how that didnt make it into the final cut!
Fran is a great character. He's up there with some of the father ted characters.

DangerMouse27

Yeah Fran is good, not bad tv3...considering rte have tried to destroy Irish comedy this year with the Panel,Republic of Telly,Sarah and Steve,Jason Byrne...who commisioned all of them?
My advice though..throw money at DaveMcSavage because his show might just rescue rte comedy