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Breeders is back!

Breeders is back!

Ah family… they build you up, they can break you down, they insist on you participating in the Group Chat… but they’re always there for you, or not, in the case of Breeders...

By Virgin TV Edit

Now in its third series, dark family comedy Breeders continues to highlight the highs and lows (but mostly lows) of parenting in uniquely morbid fashion. 

 

Series 3 kicks off several days after the finale of series 2, with the Worsley family dealing with the after-effects of Paul’s teenage son Luke (Alex Eastwood) punching the patriarch in an explosion of pent-up fury.

 


In a bid to let things cool off, Paul has moved out of the family home and into his mother-in-law’s house, where what should be a period of convalescing and making amends becomes a rather nice jolly, much to the chagrin of his wife Ally (Daisy Haggard).

 


Co-created by Martin Freeman, comedian Chris Addison and writer Simon Blackwell (Peep Show), Breeders is a rollercoaster of emotions, with Paul’s incredible temper and Ally’s sense of dejection always a hair’s breadth from boiling over. On top of this, children Ava (Eve Prenelle) and Luke have their own problems, which only stir the simmering pot further.

 


Yet what goes down must come up, and amid the gallows humour there are real moments of levity that – as you’ll see in the show – are capable of warming even Paul’s stone-cold heart. And who doesn’t want to see Freeman helping his son through a spot of service station toilet trouble with a lacklustre rendition of “Night Nurse”?

 

We won’t deny, however, that Breeders can be a hard watch. That’s why we thought to round up some similar (yet slightly brighter) family comedies to watch when the going gets tough. Scroll down to see our selection and where to watch them.

 

Outnumbered

Find series 1-6 in Apps & Games > Prime Video

Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner are up against it as parents raising their three young – and often mischievous – children. Eldest Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey) is the most mature of the lot (but that’s not saying much), rough-and-ready Ben (Daniel Roche) is typically stuck somewhere or inventing new and dangerous games, and precocious Karen (Ramona Marquez) has some of most insightful, and at times unwelcome, musings on life.

 

Motherland

Find series 1 + 2 in Apps & Games > Netflix

Written by the brilliant Sharon Horgan, comedians Holly Walsh and Barunka O’Shaughnessy, and Helen Linehan and Graham Linehan (Father Ted), Motherland tackles the topic of motherhood with zany humour and painful realism.

 

Friday Night Dinner

Find series 1-6 in Apps & Games > All 4

Created by comedy writer extraordinaire Robert Popper (Peep Show, Stath Lets Flats), Friday Night Dinner is laugh-out-loud funny, gloriously awkward and painfully relatable. Never seen it before? Get streaming now to find out what makes the show a British cult comedy hit. 

 

Gavin & Stacey

Find series 1-3 in Apps & Games > BBC iPlayer 

It’s the love story of Essex boy Gavin (Matthew Horne) and Welsh girl Stacey (Joanna Page), who met online. In 2007, that wasn’t as commonplace as it is today! Also starring James Corden and Ruth Jones as in the inimitable Smithy and Nessa.

 

Modern Family

Series 1-11 available to buy in Apps & Games > Prime Video

Modern Family is the ultimate comfort watch, highlighting the dysfunctional, yet loving, ways of the Dunphys and the Pritchetts (plus one very important Tucker, of course – Cam). It never fails to be uproariously funny and leaves you feeling good every time.
 

 

When is Breeders on TV?

Series 3 of Breeders starts at 9pm on Wednesday 13 July on Sky Comedy/HD (CH 135/123). Also available after broadcast in Catch Up > Channels > Sky Comedy.

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