James R | On 22, Dec 2018

The New Year will begin with Catastrophe, but the very best possible kind, as Channel 4’s comedy returns for a fourth season.

Written by and starring Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, the series set the tone immediately in Season 1, as an American guy, Rob, and a British woman, Sharon, got together after she fell pregnant during a brief drunken fling while he was in Britain on business. Since then, it’s been up and down for the couple, often at the same time – a balance maintained by the show’s juggling of sweet sincerity with scathing, foul-mouthed insults.

“The show’s grasp of the term ‘bittersweet’ has never been more assured,” we wrote in our review of Season 2. “That dark streak is deceptively bold for a mainstream sitcom, tackling topics as bleak as infidelity, depression, debt and overdoses. But crucially, these things are all as funny as they are recognisable: when a decisive row between Rob and Sharon takes place in front of one of her friends, even she can’t help but titter at the absurd dialogue they invent… Wonderfully mature yet perpetually childish, the result is a perfectly judged tribute to the beauty of commitment in all its ugliness. “

Season 4 picks up after Rob’s (Rob Delaney) secret relapse to alcoholism ended in a dramatic car crash and forced confession to Sharon (Sharon Horgan), while Chris (Mark Bonnar) displayed an unexpected softer side towards Rob and an altogether less soft side to Fran’s (Ashley Jensen) obnoxious new boyfriend. Now, as Rob tries to head on the straight and narrow and Sharon does her best to support – “It’s like he’s on a crusade, but to somewhere boring and we all have to come…” – will the couple navigate the relentless tsunami of life’s challenges, or see their relationship finally submerged by it all?

The first trailer has landed online, giving us an idea of the answer – and we’ll be able to find out for sure on 8th January, when the show premieres its fourth season on Channel 4. Here’s the video:

Behold, the trailer for #CATASTROPHE 4 • 8 January @Channel4 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/KtCezPK9Mn

— rob delaney (@robdelaney) December 21, 2018

 

Catastrophe promises more awkwardness in Season 3

26th February 2017

Catastrophe returns this week for a third season – and judging by the new trailer, things aren’t about to get any less awkward.

Starring and written by Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, the series set the tone immediately in Season 1, as an American guy, Rob, and a British woman, Sharon, got together after she fell pregnant during a brief drunken fling while he was in Britain on business.

Across its first two seasons, Catastrophe has already won two 2016 Royal Television Society Awards (Scripted Comedy and Writer: Comedy), two 2016 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards (Best Comedy and Best Writer), a 2016 BAFTA TV Craft (Writer: Comedy), a 2016 Rose D’Or Award (Best Sitcom), a 2016 Golden Nymphs Award (best actress in comedy), a 2016 South Bank Sky Arts Award (Comedy), and a 2016 Women in Film and TV Awards (Writing). Its acclaim and popularity has also prompted Amazon to snap it up as a Prime Video original for US subscribers. (Both seasons are now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in the UK too.)

“The show’s grasp of the term ‘bittersweet’ has never been more assured,” we wrote in our review of Season 2. “That dark streak is deceptively bold for a mainstream sitcom, tackling topics as bleak as infidelity, depression, debt and overdoses. But crucially, these things are all as funny as they are recognisable: when a decisive row between Rob and Sharon takes place in front of one of her friends, even she can’t help but titter at the absurd dialogue they invent… Wonderfully mature yet perpetually childish, the result is a perfectly judged tribute to the beauty of commitment in all its ugliness. ”

Season 3 isn’t about to change things up. “I got a promotion today, because someone died!” says one. “Oh no! That’s great!” replies Sharon.

The show also gives us a glimpse of Carrie Fisher (“room for one more?”), who reprises her role of Rob’s mother, Mia, in one of her final screen performances.

“It was a dream come true getting to work with her,” says Sharon.

“A giant privilege,” agrees Rob. “She didn’t get to where she is by mistake. She delivers. She’s just hilarious and brilliant. You get what you think you’re going to get, and more. She was just a wonderful, wonderful person.”

“Yeah, she was great to hang around with and great to work with. While you’re completely aware of her legacy and everything she’s done, and it’s completely overwhelming a first, then she’s just this woman who says rude things and cracks you up,” adds Sharon.

Season 3 picks up directly from Season 2’s cliffhanger. Did the couple know what Rob was about to say when they shot it, or did they still have to work that out?

“We didn’t know,” admits Rob. “We love to leave the series with a big question mark, and figure out the answer afterwards. It’s more fun for us that way, and hopefully there is real and palpable mystery for the viewer as they reach that question mark. If we know what’s going to happen, then they might too, and then why bother?”

The third season arrives with more certainty for the pair, with Season 4 already commissioned. How far ahead have they planned?

“We did one and two back-to-back, and we really benefitted from taking a little break between two and three, so I think we’re happy to not know what’s going to happen for a little while,” says Rob.

“We had ideas of stuff that could go in series three when we were writing series two, things like that, but we never knew what the big arc was going to be, or narratively where it was going to take us. We just had a bunch of little ideas, and it worked out okay. So hopefully that’ll happen this time.”

Season 3 of Catastrophe premieres on Channel 4 on Tuesday 28th February. You can catch up with our reviews of Season 1 and 2 here.

 

Channel 4 commissions third and fourth season of Catastrophe

13th July 2016

Catastrophe will return for a third and fourth season.

Channel 4 commissioned two more runs of the award-winning comedy this week. Starring and written by Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, the series follows the relationship between an American guy, Rob, and a British woman, Sharon, who get together after she falls pregnant during a brief fling while he is in Britain on business.

The show swiftly became the channel’s second highest performing comedy of the year in 2015, when Season 2 saw its ratings climb 20 per cent to an average of 1.4 million over the six episodes.

Across those two seasons, Catastrophe has already won two 2016 Royal Television Society Awards (Scripted Comedy and Writer: Comedy), two 2016 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards (Best Comedy and Best Writer), a 2016 BAFTA TV Craft (Writer: Comedy), a 2016 Rose D’Or Award (Best Sitcom), a 2016 Golden Nymphs Award (best actress in comedy), a 2016 South Bank Sky Arts Award (Comedy), and a 2016 Women in Film and TV Awards (Writing).

Phil Clarke, Head of Comedy at Channel 4, says: “I am thrilled to commission a third and fourth series of the multi award-winning Catastrophe. It’s a welcome return for the brave, razor edged, excruciatingly honest and painfully funny portrayal of a modern, long term relationship.”

Sharon and Rob add: “We are thrilled to be making a third series of Catastrophe. Rob and Sharon are a blast to spend time with. And we’re not talking about ourselves in the third person, we’re talking about the characters. We’re eager to breathe life back into Rob and Sharon. Okay, now we are talking about us. In the first series Rob and Sharon went through a lot (us) and even more in the second series (back to the characters). We’re looking forward to putting Rob and Sharon (both us and the characters) through further pain for your enjoyment (now we’re talking about you).”

An Avalon Television production, with co-producers Birdbath Productions and Merman, Catastrophe was commissioned by Phil Clarke and Nerys Evans for Channel 4. The series is directed by Ben Taylor (Cardinal Burns and Cuckoo) and produced by Jack Bayles (The Mimic, VIP), and the Executive Producers are Richard Allen-Turner (Man Down), Kara Baker, Rob Delaney, Sharon Horgan and Jon Thoday (Last Week Tonight With John Oliver).

Jon Thoday, Joint MD of Avalon Television, praises Channel for its “exceptional” support of the programme.

Its acclaim and popularity has also prompted Amazon to snap it up as a Prime Video original for US subscribers. Both seasons are now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in the UK too.

“The show’s grasp of the term ‘bittersweet’ has never been more assured,” we wrote in our review of Season 2. “That dark streak is deceptively bold for a mainstream sitcom, tackling topics as bleak as infidelity, depression, debt and overdoses. But crucially, these things are all as funny as they are recognisable: when a decisive row between Rob and Sharon takes place in front of one of her friends, even she can’t help but titter at the absurd dialogue they invent… Wonderfully mature yet perpetually childish, the result is a perfectly judged tribute to the beauty of commitment in all its ugliness. ”

The third run will span another six episodes and will go into production in November for a premiere on Channel 4 in 2017.

You can catch up with our reviews of both Season 1 and 2 – and see where to watch Catastrophe online – here.

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