NO FUNNY BUSINESS IN BBC COMEDIES.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic BBC America BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, which was launched on March 29, 1998, available on both cable and satellite. It is one of two BBC branded channels broadcast in the United States, the other being global news channel, BBC World. tonight premieres two new British comedies that probably should have remained on their side of the Atlantic. First up is ``Hyperdrive hy·per·drive n. 1. A fictional device allowing a spaceship to travel faster than the speed of light, especially by passing through hyperspace. 2. Informal A state of heightened activity or concentration. ,'' a futuristic comedy covering the exploits of a starship crew dispatched throughout the galaxy to convince other planets to build up ``new enterprise zones'' in England. It's followed by ``Feel the Force,'' about two spectacularly inept cops. The characters on both shows are roundly incompetent, as is the execution of both series. ``Hyperdrive'' stars Nick Frost Nicholas John Frost (born March 28 1972 in Romford, London) is an English actor and comedian famous for his work with Simon Pegg. Early life Born in Romford, East London, England, something that he takes pride in reminding people of—notably on a recent DVD release as Cmdr. Henderson, whose crew participates in such activities as ``Bring Your Clone to Work Day.'' Tonight, they need to coax one planet into outsourcing their services to England or they'll be tasked with an even lousier assignment. When they offend grotesque aliens whose rituals involve awfully touchy-feely behavior, the aliens leave a beast on the ship, telling it, ``Kill them all!'' Which becomes an awful inconvenience when the ambassador from an isolationist i·so·la·tion·ism n. A national policy of abstaining from political or economic relations with other countries. i planet comes on board. Though there's an occasional amusing gag about technology run amok Amok (ā`mŏk), in the Bible, post-Exilic Jewish family. , ``Hyperdrive'' is more droll droll adj. droll·er, droll·est Amusingly odd or whimsically comical. n. Archaic A buffoon. [French drôle, buffoon, droll, from Old French drolle than funny and awfully cheesy cheesy (che´ze) caseous. , to boot. Weapons look like -- look like? heck, they are -- plastic sticks. Performances are uniformly broad; everyone seems to come from the ``Benny Hill'' school of acting. Which is actually an improvement on the principal turns on ``Feel the Force,'' which stars Michelle Gomez and Rose Cavaliero as Sally Bobbins and Sally Frank, respectively, Edinburgh policewomen singularly unqualified for their positions. Bobbins has rage issues -- she tasers witnesses -- while Frank is, simply put, so spectacularly clueless clue·less adj. Lacking understanding or knowledge. clueless Adjective Slang helpless or stupid Adj. 1. her mittens are still attached to her coat by string. They get as scared as schoolgirls in the pathology lab and on night assignments. There's none of that dry British wit BBC America usually imports for our amusement. Why their long-suffering boss (Leigh Zimmerman) hasn't sacked them is anyone's guess. She'd be putting herself -- and us -- out of our misery. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com HYPERDRIVE - Two stars What: Sci-fi sitcom about a starship crew trying to convince other planets in the galaxy to outsource services to England. Where: BBC America. When: 10 tonight (time may differ for satellite subscribers). In a nutshell: More droll than funny. FEEL THE FORCE - Two stars What: Incompetent cops bumble through cases. Where: BBC America. When: 10:40 tonight (time may differ for satellite subscribers). In a nutshell: Not even all that droll. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: A starship crew travels the galaxy to convince other planets to outsource their services to England in the sci-fi sitcom ``Hyperdrive,'' tonight on BBC America. |
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