When I started writing How You Queuin’ I made the declaration, “I know I’m wearing blinders here, but British TV is perfect.” Well, I have been proven wrong as I finally found a British show I wasn’t absolutely in love with.
Whites, which just wrapped up its six episode run on Hulu, is about the behind the scenes of a kinda classy restaurant with its not-that-classy head chef Roland and staff. Alan Davies, who plays Roland, is good in a role and plays a good dick and if I didn’t know he was a comic actor, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was some random chef. Of course the show has the will they/won’t they relationship between Roland and his restaurant manager, playing by the very talented Katherine Parkinson (who you might know from The IT Crowd). I had really high hope for Whites, thinking it might be on par with the dry, fantastic humor of The Office. After six episodes, I can see why it was cancelled.
Whites is classified as a comedy, but it’s more like the Nurse Jackie and Hung “comedies.”
Don’t get me wrong, there are some funny moments and two great episodes, but overall it didn’t hold up as a comedy series for me. The episodes have moments here I liked, like spaced-out waitress Kiki or manboy Skoose (best name ever) and his quest to torture his boss, but overall the show never added up for me. It was never a solid half hour of laughter like I get from a Parks and Recreation or Modern Family. It was just OK.
I won’t completely crap on the series though because I had two episodes I’d definitely recommend watching. Episode 3 focuses on sous chef Bib’s inability to conceive and having to get his sperm to a fertility clinic, which ends up in a LOLZ moment when they take a fancy-schmancy car to drop said sperm off. Episode 4 has Roland planning to bribe the restaurant inspector who, of course, was fired for taking bribes. To get his restaurant the inspection approval, Roland pretends to be an advocate for Parkinson’s. The episode is dark yet hilarious, which is why I was disappointed in the show when the rest of the episodes were just “meh.” It has two really good episodes and then coasts on mediocrity again.
But don’t let me sway your entire opinion. Head on over to Hulu and watch Whites (it got cancelled in the U.K. so no need to worry about squeezing in time for next season).