Pls Like Series 2

[notjosh]

Surprised and delighted to find out that a second series has been commissioned, and will be on iPlayer tomorrow.

Series 2 sees Liam delving deeper into the increasingly strange and worrying world of vloggers. He revisits talent manager James Wirm who, after a particularly turbulent year, is at the forefront of attempts to restore the reputation of YouTubers - and salvage his business - with 'The Likeys', his newly created awards celebrating the positive role YouTubers play in the world.

If you didn't see series 1, it's Liam Williams as a grumpy YouTube cynic who unexpectedly wins a vlog contest and has to perform challenges with a series of YouTubers to claim his prize. It's a well observed and refreshingly uncynical take on the world of YouTubers which was quite well liked on here.

Series 1 is all here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZPY14u71mA&list=PL64ScZt2I7wFF538Kn0TRqDyv2TbNuemk

[BritishHobo]

Holy fuck! I assumed this would be like a year away! TOMORROW. Argh!

Wonder if it'll be ten minutes again. Get it all knocked out before work yes please. I know I should spread it out and  make it last, BUT I'M NOT FUCKING GOING TO.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I've watched the first two episodes so far and enjoyed the first one a great deal, but the second is a bit more cringeworthy than the series normally is. Not that it doesn't have some great moments, but there's the odd bit which was a bit weak.

Edit: Up to the fourth episode now and still liking it, but it's surprisingly quite absurd and surreal in places, especially the bits with the algorithm at the animation studio, and the algorithm whisperer. Not sure if being this detached from reality is a good idea or not right now either.

Edit again: I liked the fifth episode a lot, the ASMR stuff was really funny stuff, but the sixth disappointed a bit. Maybe I'm mis-remembering it but I don't think Liam was portrayed as being such a dick in the first series as he is here, which I didn't really like, but maybe I'm wrong.

[dr beat]

Watched the first two eps last night.  After the end of series 1 I was wondering how they would continue, but after the first one it seemed obvious there is plenty to go at, and I enjoyed it.  I liked how the situation and characters were re-positioned, particularly how they've made Tim Key's character more vulnerable.

Ep.2 was less successful, it seemed to tread warily at times and I think it missed an opportunity in not going further in satirizing the kind of discourse around politics/social issues the internet has encouraged (as opposed to the politics per se).  Maybe there will be more of that later on.

[nedthemumbler]

Still fantastic.  Tim Key does not have a deal of acting range but he does his thing better than anyone on the planet.  Watch people in scenes with him struggle not to corpse. (The ball pool in ep 1 for example)

With Liam Williams , superbly dry and linguistically precise, I am actually even more excited about how he is going to progress and develop in his career.  I don't think anyone of his quality and freshness has cropped  up for a few years.

I am a bit upset at how many of references and tropes they rip the piss out of I recognise.  More of this vlogger bilge must have seeped into my consciousness than I realised.  *

The one playing Millipede is aces too, I imagine it quite a fine line to combine the hypocrisy and squirming while keeping her a largely sympathetic character.  All round Bravo BBC!

*Abroadinjapan is hugely enjoyable, genuinely humorous and fun to gawk at an alien culture.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I did really like it as a whole but the more I think about it, the more the sillier aspects bother me - the bit where they test the cartoons on animals was funny but it felt a bit extreme and didn't really fit in with the reality of the show, and the sentient algorithm was a step too far for me. Still, they're minor missteps on what's in general a great show.

[ajsmith2]

The algorithm monster stuff was kind of reality breaking, but have you seen the stuff it's based on? (Year old primer article here: https://medium.com/@jamesbridle/something-is-wrong-on-the-internet-c39c471271d2).. I sort of let them have that one because the actual reality of it is so weird that to extrapolate that it's the work of an actual demonic presence doesn't even seem that much of a stretch once you've looked down that rabbit hole. Interpreting it that way would certainly make it easier to comprehend.

That was a bit of a problem with this series in general I think (still liked it btw): the youtube world is so outlandish anyway it's hard to exaggerate or satirize effectively. I enjoyed DumpGhost  but is he any more ridiculous than the actual PewDiePie? By the end he seemed like a better person than the real guy too.

[The Lurker]

The algorithm monster stuff was kind of reality breaking, but have you seen the stuff it's based on? (Year old primer article here: https://medium.com/@jamesbridle/something-is-wrong-on-the-internet-c39c471271d2).. I sort of let them have that one because the actual reality of it is so weird that to extrapolate that it's the work of an actual demonic presence doesn't even seem that much of a stretch once you've looked down that rabbit hole. Interpreting it that way would certainly make it easier to comprehend.

That was a bit of a problem with this series in general I think (still liked it btw): the youtube world is so outlandish anyway it's hard to exaggerate or satirize effectively. I enjoyed DumpGhost  but is he any more ridiculous than the actual PewDiePie? By the end he seemed like a better person than the real guy too.

I thought that scene was stupid and just generally silly but I guess I'll let it slide with all that in mind.

On the whole though, really enjoyed the new series and with 15 minute episodes it's very easy to binge watch too. Always good to see Tim Key in stuff as well.

[Small Man Big Horse]

The algorithm monster stuff was kind of reality breaking, but have you seen the stuff it's based on? (Year old primer article here: https://medium.com/@jamesbridle/something-is-wrong-on-the-internet-c39c471271d2).. I sort of let them have that one because the actual reality of it is so weird that to extrapolate that it's the work of an actual demonic presence doesn't even seem that much of a stretch once you've looked down that rabbit hole. Interpreting it that way would certainly make it easier to comprehend.

Yeah, I knew about that as someone posted a thread about those videos in General Bullshit a while back, along with a link to that article, but the algorithm monster still seems like a step too far for me. It seems such a minor thing to complain about but I just feel it's a shame that they did such a weird thing. And as much as I liked the show in general I hope it's the last series and Williams does something different now, as I really don't think there's anymore mileage in the concept.

[pancreas]

It was the extended algorithm whisperer bit that I thought really let it down. But pretty decent at points. Acting good as always.

[Thewaddler]

I enjoyed this again, though the algorithm bit took me out of it a bit.

Shortly after I watched Tween Fest, which is on a similar theme (and full of Earwolf podcast people). It has some good moments, particularly the social experiment bits, but I didn't love it as much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmA9pfC1S_s