Friday Night Dinner

''Friday Night Dinner'' is a British sitcom created by Robert Popper that aired on Channel 4 from 25 February 2011 to 1 May 2020. Starring Tamsin Greig, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird, Tom Rosenthal, and Mark Heap, it follows the regular Friday night dinner experience of the Jewish middle-class Goodman family in Mill Hill, a north London suburb. Following the conclusion of the sixth series and Ritter's death in 2021, it was announced that the show would not return. The show is filmed using a single-camera setup.

The show received two BAFTA nominations in 2012. The first series was nominated for Best Situation Comedy, while Greig was nominated for Best Female Comedy Performance. In 2021, for his performance in the final series of the show, Ritter received a posthumous BAFTA nomination for Best Male Comedy Performance.

Premise

''Friday Night Dinner'' depicts Shabbat dinner in the middle-class secular Jewish Goodman family, reflecting series creator Popper's own secular Jewish upbringing. It is set and filmed in suburban North London, with filming taking place in Mill Hill.

The family consists of mother Jackie, father Martin, elder son Adam, and younger son Jonny. The episodes follow the family as the sons arrive at the family home and proceed to their dinner, which is often interrupted by numerous things. Although some episodes are centred around Jackie's eccentricities, she is usually the straight character who tries to run a normal household but is disrupted by the rest of the family. Dinner is usually disrupted by Adam and Jonny pranking each other (for example, putting salt in each other's drinking glasses) or Martin's strange habits, such as walking around the house shirtless or eating out-of-date food. When something goes wrong, Martin is often heard shouting his catchphrase "shit on it". They are frequently interrupted by their strange but good-hearted neighbour Jim Bell, who is attracted to Jackie and visits them due to his loneliness; he is usually accompanied by his dog, Wilson, of whom he is afraid. After Wilson's death in series 5, Jim adopts a new dog, whom he names Milson in the first episode of series 6.

Jackie's neurotic best friend Valerie Lewis, known as "Auntie Val" to Adam and Jonny, is a frequent visitor; Jackie's mother Nellie "Grandma" Buller also visits. Occasional guest appearances were made by Martin's mother Cynthia Goodman, nicknamed "Horrible Grandma" by the boys due to her cruel and condescending treatment of the family. Other guest appearances featured Nellie's suitor Mr. Morris, who appeared in three episodes while Val's husband Larry briefly appears in two episodes.

Cast

Main

* Tamsin Greig as Jackie Goodman
* Paul Ritter as Martin Goodman
* Simon Bird as Adam Goodman
* Tom Rosenthal as Jonny Goodman
* Mark Heap as Jim Bell

Recurring

* Frances Cuka as Nellie Buller ("Grandma"), Jackie's mother.
* Tracy-Ann Oberman as Valerie Lewis ("Auntie Val"), Jackie's best friend.
* Harry Landis as Lou Morris ("Mr Morris"), Grandma's boyfriend.
* Rosalind Knight as Cynthia Goodman ("Horrible Grandma"), Martin's mother.
* Steve Furst as Larry, Val's ex-husband.

Episode list

Reception

Critical reception

''Friday Night Dinner'' received a range of responses from television critics. On the review aggregate ''Metacritic'', the first season is rated with a score of 72, which is labeled as "Generally Favorable"

The show was praised for its unique blend of familial chaos and comedic timing, though some critics pointed out its over reliance on repetitive slapstick humor. Micheal Hogan of '' The Telegraph'' commended the series for its consistent delevery of "warm, daft escapism". Throughout its time on air, ''Friday Night Dinner'' maintained a dedicated fan base and became a staple of British comedy television, with its portrayal of family dynamics resonating with many viewers.

Ratings

The first season premiered on February 25, 2011 in which it received 2.31 million views in its debut week. According to the ''Digital Spy'' the third episode of the first season received 1.06 million views. The fourth episode saw a rise in viewership, pulling in 1.5 million viewers.

While exact numbers of viewership through seasons 2-5 are not readily available, the program would continue to see a rise in viewership over the course of its run, culminating with substantial viewer growth by the last season. In the sixth and final season, its debut episode pulled in 4.29 million views in its first week.

Awards

''Friday Night Dinner'' has nine nominations and two awards. ''Friday Night Dinner'' received four nominations at the British Comedy Awards, three nominations from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, one nomination from the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, one award from the Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival, and one nomination and one award from the Royal Television Society.

* Nomination for Best TV Comedy Actress, (Tamsin Greig), British Comedy Awards 2011
* Nomination for Best TV Sitcom, British Comedy Awards 2011
* Nomination for Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist, (Tom Rosenthal), British Comedy Awards 2011
* Nomination for Best New Comedy Programme, (Robert Popper), British Comedy Awards 2011
* Winner for Best Tape and Film Editing: Entertainment and Situation Comedy, (Lucien Clayton), Royal Television Society 2011
* Nomination for Best Writer - Comedy, (Robert Popper), Royal Television Society 2011
* Winner for Best Sitcom, (Robert Popper), Rose d'Or 2012
* Nomination for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme, (Tamsin Greig), BAFTA Awards 2012
* Nomination for Best Situation Comedy, (Robert Popper, Steve Bendelack, Kenton Allen, Caroline Leddy), BAFTA Awards 2012
* Nomination for Best Comedy, Broadcasting Press Guild Awards 2021
* Nomination for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme, (Paul Ritter) , BAFTA Awards 2021

Legacy

For the 10th anniversary of the show, a special 90-minute documentary episode aired on Channel 4 on 28 May 2021, entitled ''Friday Night Dinner: Ten Years and A Lovely Bit of Squirrel''. The documentary was dedicated to Paul Ritter, who had died of a brain tumour seven weeks earlier.

American version

In September 2011, ''Deadline Hollywood'' announced that Greg Daniels, who had adapted '' The Office'' for American television, would spearhead an American remake of the series for the broadcast network NBC. The remake was picked up for a pilot, written by Daniels and directed by Ken Kwapis and starring Allison Janney, Tony Shalhoub as the parents and Gary Anthony Williams as Jim (now renamed Mark). The pilot did not go to series.

In 2014, CBS bought an adaptation of the British show for the American market, as a " put pilot".

In 2016, a third attempt at an American remake was under development by CBS, with the title ''Sunday Night Dinner''.

In July 2022, Amazon Freevee ordered an American remake of the sitcom, with the title ''Dinner with The Parents''. The series premiered on 18 April 2024, received poor to mixed reviews and was canceled in December 2024.

See also

* List of ''Friday Night Dinner'' episodes

References

External links

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2010s British black comedy television series
2010s British sitcoms
2011 British television series debuts
2020 British television series endings
2020s British black comedy television series
2020s British sitcoms
Channel 4 sitcoms
British English-language television shows
Jewish comedy and humor
Television series about brothers
Television series about dysfunctional families
Television series about Jews and Judaism
Television series about marriage
Television series by Big Talk Productions
Television shows set in London