The good news is that The Full Monty TV series of 2023 is just as warm, witty and enjoyable as the phenomenally successful 1997 film with all of the original cast members returning 25 years later. Writer and creator Simon Beaufort continues the adventures of his much loved characters from the movie and carries them over into this 6 part TV show.
I was skeptical at first whether this would work but once we see Mark Addy, Robert Carlisle, Paul Barber and the rest of the gang on screen any fears are immediately dispelled by the familiar humour, witty banter and socio-economic observations of life in current day Sheffield. The only depressing thing is that not a lot has changed for the area in all that time, in fact some things have gotten worse due to broken promises and lack of funding in deprived areas of the UK by a string of successive British Governments and Prime Ministers.
Apart from that sad fact the other significant change from the film is that there isn't the same pre-occupation with forming a Chippendales style dance troupe to make ends meet, a plot device that served well for the film and gave it some notoriety but wouldn't work 25 years later. It is referred to in one episode as a nice homage to the original but this isn't what The Full Monty in 2023 is all about, after all getting your kit off again being 25 years older is a big ask and I'm not sure we would want to see that. However the central theme of friendships, relationships and coming together as a community to overcome adversity remains intact.
This show has a big heart, warmth and depth and it feels rather like meeting up with old friends. My only criticism is that Tom Wilkinson isn't given much to do here despite being front and center of things in the movie. New characters are introduced, particularly the younger generation, which makes it feel like Waterloo Road (2006) at times but once you get used to this mix of young and old then you can settle in and enjoy the welcome return of this comedy drama.
I was skeptical at first whether this would work but once we see Mark Addy, Robert Carlisle, Paul Barber and the rest of the gang on screen any fears are immediately dispelled by the familiar humour, witty banter and socio-economic observations of life in current day Sheffield. The only depressing thing is that not a lot has changed for the area in all that time, in fact some things have gotten worse due to broken promises and lack of funding in deprived areas of the UK by a string of successive British Governments and Prime Ministers.
Apart from that sad fact the other significant change from the film is that there isn't the same pre-occupation with forming a Chippendales style dance troupe to make ends meet, a plot device that served well for the film and gave it some notoriety but wouldn't work 25 years later. It is referred to in one episode as a nice homage to the original but this isn't what The Full Monty in 2023 is all about, after all getting your kit off again being 25 years older is a big ask and I'm not sure we would want to see that. However the central theme of friendships, relationships and coming together as a community to overcome adversity remains intact.
This show has a big heart, warmth and depth and it feels rather like meeting up with old friends. My only criticism is that Tom Wilkinson isn't given much to do here despite being front and center of things in the movie. New characters are introduced, particularly the younger generation, which makes it feel like Waterloo Road (2006) at times but once you get used to this mix of young and old then you can settle in and enjoy the welcome return of this comedy drama.