Critic Reviews

It feels terribly dated, with endless toilet humour (vomit, clay dildos, fart gags and a deeply tiresome running joke about "number twos") and a mock-doc approach that could only be described as Gervaisian.

I have to point out here that the series does get better as it goes along - characters are fleshed out, the plot advances and the comedy takes somewhat of a welcome backseat to the drama. But those early episodes are a tough watch, with every joke being heavily signposted and then mined to oblivion for all its worth. At times this become cringe comedy, minus the comedy.

Tate might be a veteran character comedian but Hard Cell is her first attempt at a sitcom – and thanks to a lacklustre narrative and an abundance of one-dimensional characters, it really shows.

Between the tired format and the idea that Tate is playing most of the featured characters, Hard Cell becomes a lot to take, even after the first 30 minutes. We can’t imagine it getting much better during its first season.