Television series

Men Behaving Badly

Name: Men Behaving Badly
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1992
Cast: Caroline Quentin, Leslie Ash, Martin Clunes, Neil Morrissey, Harry Enfield

Comedy
Light-hearted

A sitcom about flatmates Gary and Tony navigating their twenties with spectacular incompetence: bad jobs, worse romantic decisions, and the kind of messy living situation that feels both deeply relatable and utterly chaotic. It's warm-hearted comedy that finds humour in everyday failure without ever being mean-spirited. For anyone who's lived with friends and survived to laugh about it.

TVMaze rating

4.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy sitcoms where the flatmates are hopelessly selfish yet still lovable, and the humour comes from sharp, awkward dialogue between people who never quite grow up.

Skip it if you want a fast-moving show with big set pieces, since it runs on conversation, small domestic squabbles and characters who keep repeating the same bad habits.

What it asks of you: Each episode is about half an hour and needs little setup, so it rewards steady attention to a lot of talk rather than close tracking of a plot.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Game of Thrones2011

Epic storytelling with ensemble casts where every character's plotline matters. If you loved how MBB juggled multiple perspectives and relationships, this expands that formula across continents and seasons with genuine stakes.

But Becomes increasingly dark and violent. The later seasons disappoint many fans. Much heavier commitment than half-hour comedy.

Peep Show2003

Intimate comedy about two flatmates failing at life in London, told through their unreliable perspectives. Shares MBB's blend of cringe, warmth, and the specific loneliness of living alongside people you're not quite connecting with.

But Shot in first-person POV throughout, which becomes claustrophobic. Humour is meaner and more uncomfortable. Less cosy than MBB.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia2005

A group of terrible people repeatedly sabotage their lives in increasingly elaborate ways. Like MBB but with the moral compass smashed and the ambitions lowered. Absurdist, surprisingly clever, endlessly inventive.

But Deliberately unlikeable characters doing genuinely awful things. Offensive humour. Feels cynical compared to MBB's good nature.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Men Behaving Badly

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

This Is England2007

Both see British working-class men with clarity and affection rather than judgment. Neither patronises its characters or asks you to. They let people be stupid and likeable simultaneously.

A twelve-year-old boy joins a skinhead gang in 1980s England. It sounds grim but it's actually a film about friendship, belonging, and how you survive adolescence. Finds the same emotional truth in lives that look nothing like drama at first.

But Begins as a coming-of-age comedy then shifts into something much darker. Violence is sudden and upsetting. Heavy in a way MBB deliberately isn't.

Coupling2000

Relationship comedy about three couples navigating modern dating and cohabitation. Sharp writing, genuine chemistry between cast members, and that same balance of relationship comedy with broader sitcom chaos.

But The show's treatment of women feels dated now. Later seasons lose focus. Some find the sex-obsessed humour one-note.

Black Books2000

Misanthropic bookshop owner with his long-suffering employee and their chaotic friend. Character-driven absurdism with warmth underneath. Like MBB, it's about people who shouldn't work together but somehow do.

But Only three seasons and it ends abruptly. Humour is weirder and less grounded. Some episodes feel more sketch than narrative.

Cold Feet1998

Three couples in Manchester dealing with relationships, commitment, and growing up. Balances comedy with genuine emotion. Shares MBB's focus on how people actually behave in relationships versus how they pretend to.

But Shifts tone between comedy and drama unpredictably. Some storylines are genuinely dark. Less consistent than MBB.

Absolutely Fabulous1992

Two women utterly failing at being adults, surrounded by bemused family. Character-driven farce with rapid-fire jokes. Proven that 90s British sitcom could be both silly and clever, just like MBB.

But Very broad physical comedy. Hinges almost entirely on two performances. Feels dated in places.

Frasier1993

A man and his father navigate living together with competing worldviews. Like MBB, it's about people in the same space continually frustrated and amused by each other. Warm, clever, very funny.

But Leans heavily on wordplay and cultural references. Can feel theatrical. Comfort-food TV rather than surprising comedy.

Spaced1999

Strangers become flatmates in North London and forge genuine friendship amid chaos. Fast, inventive, generous-hearted. Similar energy to MBB but updated to the late 90s and filtered through pop culture obsession.

But Reference-heavy. Moves very quickly and expects you to keep up. Ends after two seasons, leaving some threads loose.

Withnail & I1987

Same DNA: men sharing space, getting nowhere, finding humour in their own uselessness. MBB is Withnail and I stretched across 25 episodes. One showed you could make a film from this; the other proved you could make a series.

Two unemployed actors in 1960s London spend a day spectacularly failing at everything. A single film with the narrative density of a sitcom season. Quotable, absurd, and genuinely moving about male friendship and disappointment.

But Very slowly paced. The humour is dry and requires patience. Almost no plot. Feels more like a mood than a story.

Detective1985

Structurally identical to MBB: a closed space, multiple characters with overlapping desires, comedy emerging from the gap between intention and reality. A reminder that this kind of sitcom is timeless, not tied to 90s Britain.

A French comedy where a private detective checks into a hotel and observes the tangled relationships of the other guests. Episodic, character-driven, built on misunderstandings and romantic chaos. Proves the same comedy formula works across languages and decades.

But French New Wave sensibility means it's more interested in mood than plot. Very slow. Subtitles required. Almost no laugh track to guide you.