Staged - Complete Series

Remembering Covid-19 has never been this much fun; watch Tennant and Sheen (Good Omens) slowly wither away while being supported/bullied by A-list actors.

Covid-19 was hard on almost all of us and that includes those people working in showbiz. Shows got delayed or canceled and projects dried up. To make something of this rather unfortunate situation, director Simon Evans decided to make a TV series that makes use of what we had at that time: Zoom. Almost all scenes are zoom calls between different characters. Michael Sheen and David Tennant (or David Tennant and Michael Sheen?) are the leads of the show and their friendship/fights form the core plot points. They basically play exaggerated (at least, I’d hope so) versions of themselves, trying to cope with the pandemic. During this, A-list actors often join them to berate Tennant and Sheen for their childish behavior.

The first season is about the start of the pandemic, where Tennant and Sheen are asked by Simon to practice a play through Zoom so that they can hit the ground running after the pandemic. Of course, there is very little actual play practice and much more sidetracking by all kinds of different circumstances. The second season is even more meta. This time, Staged has been picked up by an American network who wants to make an American remake, but with new actors. This is does not go smoothly. In the third season… Well, I don’t even know how to describe the third season. Let’s just say that whenever you think a maximum of meta has been reached, the show goes beyond that.

We are basically watching the most depressing zoom call ever

But it works. We are basically watching the most depressing zoom call ever, which is somehow at the same time the funniest thing ever. Half of the show is just people making faces of unbelief, staring into the camera for sometimes minutes at a time. In this way, the series makes good use of what little is available. After all, we just have the little box of the zoom call to watch, but there is much to watch in there. The desperation of the pandemic is brought back to life, but at least now it is from a safe distance. The series combines the everyday problems that all of us face(d) with the superweird lives of Sheen and Tennant. Have you ever fought over whether appearing in the Twilight or Harry Potter universes makes you a better actor? And does Dame Judi Dench come to tell you to get your head out of your ass when you do not feel like working anymore? (See the video at the end.)

The strength of the show lies in this mix between realism and absurdism. The quick continuous switches between that make each fifteen minute episode a pleasure to watch. How long can a fight about the order in which names should appear in the credits keep one entertained? Well, quite long apparently. On that note, make sure to watch the credits of the show closely, as they are… influenced by the results of the discussions.

It should be mentioned that the first two seasons are better than the last. Nonetheless, the whole thing was a lovely watch and reminded me of how happy I am that I do not have to live life through Zoom calls anymore. In short, this show makes it fun to relive the Covid-19 times, which on its own is already quite the achievement.