Comedy-drama in Israel focuses on a chaotic family trying to come to terms with an autistic diagnosis. “Yellow Peppers” never aired on British television, but it’s had a pronounced influence on British TV schedules over the past decade. First, it begat Peter Bowker’s direct adaptation “The A Word,” which over three series relocated several of its predecessor’s storylines to a picturesque Lake District setting, achieving the holy-grail combo of excellent reviews and high ratings for the BBC before finding a transatlantic home on Sundance TV.
Get it now “The A Word”Every variation has its own unique flavor “Ralph & Katie,”This spin-off, which consists of six episodes, chronicles the continued adventures of Ralph (Leon Harrop), and Katie (Sarah Gordy), soccer-mad baker. Noteworthy as characters with Down’s syndrome played by actors with Down’s syndrome, these lovebirds first won hearts during a third-series subplot on “The A Word,”They moved in together against their guardians’ advice. They now attempt a more difficult transition: From B-plots into A-plots, and from supporting players to leaders.
Some pressure has been relieved. Where “The A Word”They occupied the entire hour of primetime “Ralph & Katie” – which gradually starts to feel like a mini-“A Word” – comes in chaptered half-hours, with Bowker penning the opener, before passing the baton to a new writing team. A sprinkling of familiar A Worders ensure continuity, notably Sherry Baines and Nigel Betts as Katie’s quietly troubled parents, and Pooky Quesnel as Ralph’s eternally flustered mother Louise. Jordan Hogg, the director knows that he can always calmly fill a frame with his Lake-ward cameras in case of crisis.
What’s going on front and centre, however, mirrors the breakaway the show represents — it’s a push for much-coveted space in the schedules, as in Ralph and Katie’s lives. The show is engaging, but only half-successful at this goal. “Ralph & Katie”It is far more gentle than its memorably vibrant source. Sometimes it feels like it was written with child gloves and constantly threatens to overdose on fairylights. A cross-stitch in the lovers’ home — bearing the legend Good Vibes Only — serves as both mission statement and notice of one limitation.
“The A Word”Was soap-adjacent TV, which tessellating with nightly “EastEnders”Warmth, wit, and sporadic heft are key ingredients in dealing with serious issues. Incongruous strong language aside, “Ralph & Katie” initially feels daytime soap-adjacent: a mix-up over Valentine’s cards and misdelivered party favors is as exacting as it gets early on. If there’s a weakness here, it’s a sweet-toothed tendency to provide and take the easy dramatic option: There’s seemingly always someone popping by with kind words and a homemade lemon drizzle cake.
The soundtrack selections also reflect the shift towards cosiness. Instead of “The A Word’s”A mix of post-punk and New Wave cuts gives us a more pop playlist. “Just the Two of Us,” “It Must Be Love,” a choreographed dance routine to Amii Stewart’s “Knock on Wood,” and — in a closing festive special — both Slade’s “Merry Xmas Everybody” and Shakin Stevens’ “Merry Christmas Everyone.” It’s comfort listening for comfort viewing, bound to warm and reassure U.K. viewers heading into an especially uncertain winter.
However, the show’s ensemble is what makes it so strong. “Ralph & Katie” succeeds in matching one of its forerunner’s strengths, affording us time around characters we genuinely care about. Newcomers Dylan Brady (as Ralph’s PA Danny) and Jamie Marie Leary (as Katie’s colleague Emma) capably staff the romantic B-plots, and there’s a cherishable recruit to the expanded “A Word”Craig Cash in the universe, rarely seen since his millennial two-two of “The Royle Family”And “Early Doors,”Brian’s next-door neighbor Brian brings a comical flair and experience.
Ultimately, though, “Ralph & Katie”It is the leads that decide whether it stands or falls. Despite some awkward line readings, Harrop & Gordy are a team you can cheer for, even when they are on opposing sides of an argument. Something in the show’s DNA switches in episode three, which confines Ralph to the sofa with a leg injury and forces Katie to weigh up how much she wants to wait on him. It’s a more compelling scenario, in part because it’s what the show itself seems to be wrestling with: what to expect from its stars, and the extent to which it has to protect them.
By episode four, a decisive stand against parental interference, and episode five’s cancer scare, “Ralph & Katie” begins to mix the light and the life-altering in ways that resemble the best of Bowker’s work. “The A Word” hit the ground fully-formed, the work of a writer who’d spent years studying what primetime viewers want. If “Ralph & Katie” feels a comparably tentative step, it’s nevertheless a step in a potentially valuable new direction. “Let me do it my way, please,”Ralph tells his mother in a critical moment. After its first series, it’s fair to say “Ralph & Katie”Is getting there.
“Ralph & Katie”The show will air on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 9 p.m. on BBC One. A U.S. airdate has yet to be confirmed. Six episodes were shown; they all received a review.
Production:
Executive producers: Patrick Spence, Peter Bowker, Howard Burch, Keren Margalit, Avi Nir, Kathryn Pugsley, Lucy Richer.
Producer: Jules Hussey.
Cast: Leon Harrop, Sarah Gordy, Pooky Quesnel, Dylan Brady, Jamie Marie Leary, Craig Cash, Matt Greenwood.