When Wrong Mans Go Right
Yesterday, in a different context, I mentioned a very fun British series that is streaming on Hulu, called The Wrong Mans. It was created by and stars James Corden and Matthew Baynton (who is one of the stars and creators of Ghosts.)
The premise is that two total, clueless innocents get thrown in a dangerous adventure and are far out of their depth trying to get out of it. Baynton is a low-level bureaucrat who accidentally gets drawn into a situation completely by mistaken identity accident. Corden is basically a regular temp at the office who sort of, kind of knows Baynton and thinks this is the coolest chance of a lifetime to do something exciting, and drags them in deeper – without having the slightest idea what he’s doing.
The series is very funny – and exciting, at the same time, filled with great twists and turns, with each episode ending on a wonderful cliff-hanger.
It’s very easy to watch. Episodes are just 30 minutes. And only two seasons were made, because (my guess is…) that’s when Cordern got hired to come to the U.S. and host his talk show. Six episodes were done for the first year, and just four in the second. The adventure gets wrapped in in Season 1, though Season 2 overlaps with the story, so there's a connection, though separate tales. The first season is great fun because of how convoluted the adventure gets. But the second season is a joy because, having only four episodes, it just crashes forward with the story and carries you on like a runaway train.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a good trailer for the series that does the show justice -- they largely focus on the action exclusively, and at heart this is a comedy...with lots of action -- but here are three clips that together give you a fair idea of the show. The first one is an introduction that Corden and Baynton made for Hulu, which then goes into a sequence that explains the premise. Though it gives the premise away (and it’s a great premise!), just know that this is from pretty much the first three minutes of the series, so it’s what you’d find out immediately.
The second clip is an early scene between Corden trying to convince Baynton why this is just a wonderful thing up to them to do, and Baynton trying to explain why Corden is out-of-his mind nuts. And the third is a short trailer that gives a sense of the action. If you don’t want to see the “premise” clip, just skip it and watch the latter two. But again, know that the premise is explained in the show’s very beginning, and therefore no later-surprise is given away.
Here’s the opening introduction --
And here's the scene with Corden and Baynton that develops the story --
Finally, this is a more action-oriented, short trailer --
Comments