I watched Press Gang for the first time as an adult and during quarantine, so know that I am unbiased by nostalgia when I say that it may be the greatest show I've ever seen. If you can put aside prejudices based on cheesy music from the late 80's and the concept of family television, you will have the privilege of finding your new TV family.
First of all, the idea that this is family television is deeply misleading. By the end of the first season, we are knee-deep in issues like drug addiction and suicide, and it only gets darker from there. Not to say that this is a purely dark show. Press Gang's balance of comedy and drama is always surprising, placing humor and tragedy exactly where you don't expect either. I guess you could call that the Steven Moffat touch, something we're all very familiar with from that same, instantly recognizable style of writing in Sherlock. It is an intrinsically British style of writing, yet it redefines the literary tradition from which it originates.
Second of all, and this may sound controversial, but I dare say that this is the most explosively talented ensemble cast I've ever had the privilege of watching. These (at the time) young adult actors hunger for their futures makes their performances more connected, more immediate, and more vulnerable than many of the finest performances I've seen from seasoned professionals.
I find myself in 2020 thinking almost non-stop about Spike, Colin, and Lynda and seeing my life through Press Gang glasses. The characters of the show are so complete that they permeate my life, which I believe to be the bellwether of great television. If a show is great, you ought to be at the grocery store thinking to yourself, "Hey, I bet Colin has no idea how to shop for groceries" or beating yourself up for treating your friends the way Lynda might treat Sarah (on one of her less awful days), or leaning in doorways like Spike, doing the good old pout-and-shimmy.
So glad I found this show!!
Review of Press Gang
