Yesterday British comedy Amandaland aired on BBC One, bringing with it more parenting shenanigans from the Motherland world.
The aptly named spin-off series follows Amanda played by Lucy Punch after her recent divorce forcing her to downsize from Chiswick to South Harlesden or “So-Ha” in North West London.
Reviewing the show without spoilers was tough, but not as tricky as parenting teenagers as a newly single mum.
As if parenting wasn’t hard enough, Amanda is unemployed, rushed off her feet and having to look after her mum Felicity (Joanna Lumley) who behaves like a third child rather than a helpful grandma.
Worse still is the toxic mother-daughter relationship they have, impacting Amanda’s parenting of her own children, Manus and Georgie.
Fortunately, her ex-husband is providing financial support, some of which, unsurprisingly, went towards leasing a flashy Tesla, or an “E.V.” as Amanda calls it.
The show introduces new parents, including single dad and landscape gardener Mal (Samuel Anderson) who lives in the flat below Amanda.
Step-dad to Mal’s biological son Ned and accountant JJ (Ekow Quartey) also plays a key role in the show.
Liberal couple Della Fry (Siobhan McSweeney) and Fi (Rochenda Sandall), are thrown into the hectic Amandaland mix.
Della is a successful chef at her restaurants Shin and Double Shin, while Fi is an unemployed hobbyist, obsessed with a new interest in almost every episode.
Philippa Dunne reprises her role as Amanda’s sidekick and much-loved, worrisome mum Anne.
Together, the he cast forms a reluctant group of parents bound together by their children’s high school.
The show eventually introduces a love interest for Amanda: wealthy South African Bachelor Johannes, played by Peter Serafinowicz, whose sister Helen helped write and produce Amandaland.
Across six episodes, the characters navigate events from camping trips, car-boot sales, and restaurant launches to parties, parent’s evening and football matches.
Returning to the Motherland universe brings an air of familiarity, but Amanda’s insufferable nature begs the question – was I excited to be back for the spin-off, or was I simply drawn in by its connection to the original show?
From the identical theme song to the filming style, Amandaland feels like a direct continuation of the show that captured so many of the nation’s hearts.
Having watched the first couple of episodes with my parents, it was clear the humour had more of an effect on those who have had children.
It was as if I was immune to the humour or simply could not understand comedic parental jargon quite in the same way as they did.
However, they both preferred Amandaland, agreeing, “it is much better and funnier than Motherland.”
I continued watching the rest of the series alone where the plot structure became clearer, a redemption arc confronting Amanda with a defining question, where do your loyalties lie?
As the series progresses, the show seems to indecisively chop and change between straightforward parental comedy and drama, with some questionable shenanigans along the way.
However, these slightly odd moments are quickly brushed over as the plot finds its direction.
But did Amandaland meet the Motherland mark?
Yes I think it did. However, without its Motherland connection, the spin-off would not hold such a beloved status.
Whether you’re a parent or not, Amandaland is well worth the watch. And who knows? If I were to revisit the show as a parent in the future, I might just see it in a whole new light.
The six episodes are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
