Steve Burge and Natalie聽Walter
Apple TV+
TO GET the most out of , a new romantic comedy airing on Apple TV+, I watched it in the dead of night. It felt wrong to do otherwise, given its subject matter: Danny (Craig Roberts) and Lisa (Antonia Thomas) are best friends bonded by insomnia who stay up late together, chatting over FaceTime and discussing possible treatments for their condition. Slowly, their friendship becomes charged with romantic tension, despite Lisa鈥檚 relationship with her boyfriend Veggie (Blake Harrison).
I count myself lucky to have never had severe insomnia, though the bouts of sleeplessness I have experienced were no joke. Yet Still Up finds plenty to joke about: rather than a deep dive into the difficulties of life with insomnia, it pokes fun at the litany of remedies often suggested to those who struggle with sleep. Lisa considers taking 鈥淪noozers鈥�, for instance, a new sleeping pill that makes everything taste like cabbage, and Danny recalls one book鈥檚 advice that he should find relief by praying to a Norse god.
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The world of Still Up hinges on a simple observation: that cities can, at night, be very strange places indeed. The London that Danny and Lisa inhabit is purposefully weird, full of odd encounters and unexpected capers. All this idiosyncrasy can be pretty hit-and-miss: Lisa鈥檚 run-in with light-fingered teenagers on the night bus is amusing; Danny鈥檚 attempts to avoid a birthday party for his neighbour鈥檚 cat are much less so.
The series is better when it stays away from groan-inducing quirkiness. Thomas and Roberts are two formidable comic actors when given the right material 鈥� thankfully, as Still Up progresses, the writing relaxes and the leads are allowed to shine with simpler, funnier dialogue mined from their shared situation.
As well as his insomnia, Danny is coping with agoraphobia, and has been unable to leave his flat for a number of years. His agoraphobia gives the show more emotional weight, and I hope it will be explored further, rather than conveniently conquered, if a second season is commissioned.
Because of Danny鈥檚 situation, his relationship with Lisa is conducted via nightly video calls and voice notes, a rare positive take on technology鈥檚 impact on modern love. (Those of a more cynical mindset should try to ignore the Apple product placement.) The series is also a surprisingly good satire of digital culture, from the distractingly sexy narrator of Lisa鈥檚 sleep app to Veggie鈥檚 side hustle making unboxing videos of tools for unboxing videos for YouTube.
Still Up has all the trappings of a classic rom com, right down to the implausibly spacious flat that Danny can somehow afford while working as a culture journalist (which hit a little close to home for this reviewer). Happily, though, it has followed the modern trend of embracing a genuine love triangle, where Danny and Lisa鈥檚 alternative partners are actually appealing, at least to some degree.
It is also refreshing that Lisa, rather than Danny, is allowed to be less than saintly 鈥� she sends her daughter to school despite knowing she has chickenpox and undermines Danny鈥檚 love life with repeated invasions of his privacy 鈥� but she is no less compelling for it. What鈥檚 more, the strain her insomnia places on her relationship with Veggie is something real 鈥� and experienced by many 鈥� that grounds the series in later episodes. It is here that the show finds its potential.
Bethan also recommends鈥�
Jessie (Rose Matafeo) is an underemployed millennial who ends up sleeping with A-list actor Tom (Nikesh Patel), in this delightful screwball comedy.
BBC iPlayer (UK) or Max (US)
American ad exec Rob (Rob Delaney) has a six-night stand with Sharon (Sharon Horgan) while on a business trip to the UK. When Sharon learns she is pregnant, Rob聽decides to stay in London to see if they can聽make things work.
Amazon Prime Video (US)
Bethan Ackerley is a subeditor at New Scientist. She loves sci-fi, sitcoms and anything spooky. She is still upset about the ending of Game of聽Thrones. Follow her on聽Twitter @鈥宨nkerley
