Review of Cheaters

Cheaters (2022)
8/10
Where is the press for this refreshingly entertaining and believable show?
16 February 2022
The premise of this show is a relatively simple one. Two strangers delayed by a cancelled plane, end up having a one night stand. Josh is motivated to do so by personal reasons still haunting him back home. Fola's initial lack of interest, finds herself soon game once the alcohol kick in, or was she just playing it cool and actually on the prowl for a hook up? So a night of passion is had which Josh soon regrets. Expecting to never to see each other again, the strangers oh so nearly on a plane, soon find their lives destined to cross again in the very near future.

I'm avoiding spoilers here.

The show is broken into ten minute shorts, all of which aim for the straight comical vein and while the narrative premise and subsequent setup is not especially original the show works largely thanks to two outstanding performances from the two leading actors. I give credit here to Casting Director Catherine Willis for her choices in that regard. The show would not have worked without them.

Josh. McGuire who plays Josh (Were no other character names available?) imbues his performance with comical empathy, playing a man in a relationship which he already knows is broken, yet like many people remains due to personal insecurities. The fact that he feels like a run of the mill bloke rather than the next Jamie Dornan on the casting breakdown, makes both the show and his performance all the more endearing.

The always solid Susie Wokoma (I predict a Bafta for her within 5 years) comes into her own here with the powers that be finally giving her a role that she can really sink her teeeth into which allows her to show her considerable range for both comedy and the shows more darkly humourous moments. Although Fola is both attractive and confident, it's great also to see her character has not been cast by some stick like waif and the show makes a strong point of showing beauty comes in many forms with all the characters in the show. These feel like real, believable people, people you might know on your street. With those points made I also want to add none of the casting nor characters here feel forced to serve any kind of social or box ticking agenda which of late has felt so obvious and forced at times that it detracts from the story. Everything here feels natural and organic, just as it should in a show of this quality.

It's a really strong show, with solid performances which feels painfully short at ten minutes per episode but clearly the writer has applied themselves as not a line of dialogue is wasted. This is a great show - give it a decent time slot and a second season please.

'Sorry, am I over sharing?' - Yeah I do that sometimes.
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