The Odd Couple

A bump in salary here, a fake reference there… who hasn’t fibbed to snag a lease on a fab flat? In the cult British comedy series Spaced (on DVD July 22), struggling twenty-somethings Tim, a kid-at-heart cartoonist, and Daisy, a lazy aspiring journalist who falls asleep at her typewriter, take it a step further and pretend to be dating to score a cheap, couples-only apartment.

Their relationship may be sexless, but their comedic chemistry is on fire. As Tim and Daisy, Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and Jessica Hynes (they also co-wrote the 1999-2001 series) play off each other perfectly. ”Manage to rustle up any media types?” Tim asks about the guests coming to their sad-sack housewarming party (for which Daisy made a disco ball out of tinfoil). “The paper boy,” she replies.

The swift editing in Spaced — which counts Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino as fans (as a bonus, they both do commentary) — bolsters the silly humor. When Tim and Daisy get into an argument, busybody landlady Marsha (Julia Deakin) shows up at the door. “I couldn’t help overhearing you and Tim rowing,” she says to Daisy. Cut to her crouched on the floor with a glass to her ear. If we had neighbors this entertaining, we’d be eavesdropping, too.


Spaced: The Complete Series will available on DVD July 22 from BBC Video.