Hardy Bucks - THE TV SERIES

homerun_homer

Jeff_Lebowski wrote: »

What do you mean ripped off quotes from friends of yours?

Ripped off might be a more harsh term, I should have said borrowed phrases they'd never heard before that friends have said in their presence.

youcancallmeal

I thought it was pretty good, better than any comedy RTE have put out in a long time. Hopefully they learn whats working and whats not and it gets better as it goes on.

homerun_homer

youcancallme>al wrote: »

I thought it was pretty good, better than any comedy RTE have put out in a long time. Hopefully they learn whats working and whats not and it gets better as it goes on.

I think there's only 4 episodes and 2nd series is already commssioned.

super_furry

I wonder if there'd be so much hate for it if it was on Channel 4 or BBC2. I honestly thought it was great, had me in knots of laughter, especially when Eddie walked in on Buzz stuck upside down with the Final Countdown skipping.

Miguel_Sanchez

homerun_homer wrote: »

Ripped off might be a more harsh term, I should have said borrowed phrases they'd never heard before that friends have said in their presence.

Ah fair enough. Sure all writers do that!

homerun_homer wrote: »

I think there's only 4 episodes and 2nd series is already commssioned.

3 for this series.

Athos

I thought it was hilarious. I went looking for a thread on it because I found it a bit surreal.
Definitely agree its best when the boys are just hanging out talking.
The last scene was great. The bald fella is very funny but he's only in a couple of scenes.
The look-alike competition was terrible. Too forced.
The interaction with the documentary crew is also terrible.

That said, I'm really looking forward to another episode.

I'm from the West of Ireland so the characters resonate. If they don't resonate then it's probably be difficult to appreciate.
Its going to have a polarising effect.
Think of it like Ryan Tubridy. I can't bear him but maybe that's because I've never known anyone that says things like "beer o'clock". I'm presuming he has a large tv/radio audience though.

optogirl

homerun_homer wrote: »

Ripped off might be a more harsh term, I should have said borrowed phrases they'd never heard before that friends have said in their presence.

phrases they'd never heard before?? What are you on about?

ElChe32

Hmm anyway for us ex-pats to watch the tv series? Huge fan of the webstuff! Anyhelp would be great.

Dowdy20

If you watched all episodes on youtube you will enjoy the new series. simply reason is you know the characters already first time viewers won't.

watch the youtube stuff its better than the first episode. but the next 2 will be better and better again.

i thought the first one was good i enjoyed it. if you watch it with the "why are culchies on my tv" attitude that i've seen on the thread then its no wonder you think its ****e!!

littleirish

ElChe32 wrote: »

Hmm anyway for us ex-pats to watch the tv series? Huge fan of the webstuff! Anyhelp would be great.

Ive just seen on the Facebook page that RTE are working on removing the international bar on the website so everybody can watch! :-)

Dempsey

Loved the earlier web episodes but the later stuff and the episode last night werent that good. I suppose its asking too much for the RTE production team to give the guys ideas and direction that would help the show.

It had a few funny moments but it was going over old material abit probably just to bring in as many people as possible that didnt see storyland or the web episodes. Hopefully, its just a slow start.

Wonder if they could draft in Arthur Mathews & Graham Linehan to write an episode for them, that would help them loads.

Again, congrats to the lads for getting this far, keep up the good work

Basq

Dempsey wrote: »

Wonder if they could draft in Arthur Mathews & Graham Lineham to write an episode for them, that would help them loads.

Have you seen what Arthur Mathews have written recently? I wouldn't count on it!

Dempsey

basquille wrote: »

Have you seen what Arthur Mathews have written recently? I wouldn't count on it!

They just need something inspirational :pac:

My god what a pile of absolute shi*e this program is!!! Embarrassing that it was made here

wow sierra

Not as good as the YOU tube stuff - I was afraid it wouldn't make the transition but it was still funny. It passed a half hour. Some of it was a bit forced but some of it was great - really funny.

On TV - with huge audiences - we have stuff like XFactor, Strictly come dancing, Big Brother, I'm a celebrity, Come dine with me, cookery programmes, programmes about doing up your house, selling it, buying one in the sun, wife swapping, losing weight etc etc etc. God give me strength. I am getting pissed off just typing the list:rolleyes::rolleyes:.

Basically most TV is ****e - as TV goes this was good. If the next episode is half as good as the Web stuff it will be very good. And if you don't like it - by all means watch something else.

Or check out Hardy Bucks on YouTube to get the real thing.

cornbb

Just watched it now. Expected to be left down judging by this thread, but I liked it a lot. Its no Trailer Park Boys, which is obviously what they were going for, but its far better than the usual comedy that RTE goes for. I laughed out loud at the Garda in Africa. That was unexpected

It misses some of the spontaneity of the youtube/storyland episodes but its a bit more cohesive and looks like it could be pretty good going forward.

Well done lads.

Henno30

Found a good review of the Hardy Bucks web series:

Hardy Bucks

There's a well-known, if apocryphal, story that frequently does the rounds in Ireland stating that the show Father Ted was turned down by RTE (the main Irish TV channel), and was then snapped up by the British Channel 4. Of course, following this, Father Ted went on to become not only one of the all-time classic comedies, but a part of the Irish cultural landscape for years to come. It's difficult to underestimate the impact this show had on our little country. Finally, we had a show which lovingly parodied our own culture without patronizing, and it was actually funny to boot! All the great Irish writers and comedians of the time were finally put to good work, and only English capitol could make it happen! We could watch it and recognize aspects of our culture, regardless of how ridiculously they were being exaggerated.

Coming out at the same time as the first major Church scandals, Father Ted also allowed people to laugh at the Church perhaps for the first time. We were able to see (and reassess) the Church's position in our society. In a very real way, Father Ted chronicles a period in Irish life which it itself helped bring to an end. Truly great comedy is capable of such feats.

This (untrue) story reinforces the common notion that RTE are insanely conservative, and wouldn't know good comedy if it slapped them in the face with a wet fish. Now they may be about to do it again. And again, it has taken an outsiders' perspective to make the definitive statement about Irish life. I'm talking, of course, about Hardy Bucks.

Hardy Bucks is an internet series that crams more truisms, laughs and memorable lines into its 10-15 minute no-budget episodes than an entire series of Killnascully (which wouldn't be hard, anyway). It chronicles the lives of four young lads living in Castletown, County Mayo, and their ongoing feud with local smartass The Viper. They live in a tiny rented cottage. They drink, they smoke, they fight, and they dream of making it to the 'big smoke'- Galway. Underneath their bravado however, they occasionally appear smart and sensitive. The unspoken theme is that they're not idiots, and that they recognise how they're trapped in their small-town situation . A state of affairs I'm sure many will identify with.

Two of the shows' creators, Chris Tordoff and Martin Maloney, are English but spent their teens growing up in Mayo. Moloney in particular, who is in actuality a Scouser, pulls off a flawless West-Ireland accent. Perhaps it's because of their background that they have been able to parody the Irish small-town scene accurately and affectionately.

Of course, this would all be so much pretentious nonsense if the show wasn't funny. But damn is it funny. It gives the impression of being very lightly (if at all) scripted, with most of the lines being ad-libbed by the talented and likeable cast. Special mentions must go to the incredible wit and voice talents of the Viper (imitating his ridiculous sneer will become a national passtime), though Hardy Bucks is definitely an ensemble project, with all involved spouting memorable lines. And almost every line is immensely quotable. They're just lads that you'd find in any town in the country. They're lads you'd know yourself. Perhaps the shows' true point of reference is not Father Ted but the Canadian Trailer Park Boys- there are few 'jokes', the humour coming instead from knowing and liking the characters. It's a show that rewards rewatching.

Hardy Bucks is rapidly becoming an underground cult hit. Their catchphrases are heard everywhere in Ireland, and even their 'deleted scenes' videos get more hits that their peers' full projects. All episodes are available on Youtube, and the lads also have Bebo and Facebook pages. Check them out.

Captures a lot of what made the youtube clips so popular. It does resonate on numerous levels. The best thing about the YouTube episodes was the unspoken intelligence of it. The love/hate relationship with one's own place a powerful theme to a lot of us, especially if you are from the West of Ireland, but if you are from a rural place in general.

It made this point quietly though. There's no mawkish sentimentality or in your face drama. It's mainly just funny and the other stuff reveals itself in the background. I hope RTE recognise this, rather than focus on the manufacture of 'wacky' situations and borrow heavily from tired, cliched sit-coms. The lookalike competition was too close for comfort. Hopefully that's the end of it.

connacht100

Does anyone know what the name of the song that was playing in the Viper's car was? It's doing my head in trying to think of it?

basquille

basquille wrote: »

Have you seen what Arthur Mathews have written recently? I wouldn't count on it!

Val Falvey was awful but this is brutal beyond belief.

EDIT: ok so, his girlfriend is a bit of a ride..... 1/10 for that

Elmo

Deleted User wrote: »

Val Falvey was awful but this is brutal beyond belief.

EDIT: ok so, his girlfriend is a bit of a ride..... 1/10 for that

I have to say I have only just warmed to Hardy Bucks, some of their stuff is excellent. I thought the First Episode was well done and different, The guy in the taxi, the taxi and the Garda made the episode for me.

evolving_doors

Just a re-hash of Trailer Park boys ... waiting for a bubbles...and a plan to steal Patrick Swayze's truck

5 years Too late lads

vinny_963

thought it was excellent, the scene with the garda on an exchange programme was freakin brilliant

ronnie3585

Armelodie wrote: »

Just a re-hash of Trailer Park boys ... waiting for a bubbles...and a plan to steal Patrick Swayze's truck

It was the Swayze Express.

Watched it last night and found it pretty poor. The only laugh came from the guard in Africa scene, bar that it was a painful, badly acted mess which tried far too hard to be an Irish version of Trailer Park Boys only minus the humour.

AnonoBoy

If anyone says this is the worst thing they've ever seen on RTE then the only logical thing I can conclude is that they've never seen.....

......Leave It To Mrs. O'Brien, Extra Extra, The Roaring Twenties, Upwardly Mobile etc. etc.


Not as good as the original episodes but still delivered some good solid laughs. Perhaps not to everyone's taste but then again nothing is.

G'wan the Bucks I say!

Saint_Mel

homerun_homer wrote: »

Ripped off might be a more harsh term, I should have said borrowed phrases they'd never heard before that friends have said in their presence.

Which phrases?

humanji

Right, I watched some of the web episodes and thought they were really good. So lord knows how they made this piece of ****. It's all well and good pointing out shows you thought were worse, but that's like comparing STD's.

Not fully sure if I'll tune in for next weeks one. It might pick up now that they got the intros out of the way and can focus on the comedy, but I'm wondering if it's going to be worth it. They may be better off sticking to the webisodes.

youcancallmeal

This thread needs a poll! Opinion seems to be down the middle with possibly slightly more lovers than haters!

Sirsok

fair play to the bucks....enjoyed the show alot, had a smile on my face the whole time....had to laugh at the garda exchange and salmon.....french toast and stateside should get more time, there hilarious....lookin forward to next week.....inbetweeners to

SHREDDER

Well love it or hate it they've cuased some stir. It's interesting to see just how many people have slated hardy bucks. Some are calling it "worse than Katherine Lynch". It seems though your a gang of jealous begrudgers. Writing from your "Aul Whans bedroom".

Any time I read a thread on any Show RTE produces, the same Cyber geeks hide behind a fond nostalgic avitar from a popular childhood cartoon. An accolade of they're childhood, (Ie shredder). They Sit and scribe relentlessly into the heat of the night, slagging off anything and everything, that isn't like two and a half men, or mock the ****in week. These people more than likely masturbate to dylan morans black books, and spout on about Bill bailey and Frankie Boyle and that dick head Lee Evans.

Had it been made on BBC2 or channel 4, you would have hailed it as a national treasure. Never Have I read such a load of thickle trash. Look at Glee for gods sake or ****e like X factor. At least this is Bold enough to take a chance.

I followed Hardy Bucks through storyland, and they were rough around the edges and often devoid of structure. Fair play to them I say. They beat stiff competition in storyland, had a good time doing what they do at nobodys expense.
You may say oh, the tax payers paid for this. The tax payer also paid for legal bills for souless corporate lawyers and tribunals, and all of the rubbish squandered away during the boom Useless vast empty shopping centres on the outskirts of our cities, with vacant units selling goods from stores that have been liquidated.

I really do believe that these guys have genuine intentions to enetertain and bring some bit of happiness into peoples lives. So give them a break. Home boy homer your a **** stirrer, to El diablo and those who provided real time analysis and running commentary, how in gods name are you expected to pay full attenetion to a comedy when your typing bemoaning jibes into your PC?

Fair paly to the lads, I heard them on news talk and they seem like nice guys. Give them a break. And maybe next time wait till it's over till you pass judgement.

It was a bit stilted in places and the look a like competition dragged on, but sure you'll have that With RTE. God knows what kind of politics went on there.