Vicious is a British comedy that ran for two seasons. It’s about an elderly gay couple who have been together for 50 years, Freddie Thornhill (Ian McKellen) and Stuart Bixby (Derek Jacobi). Despite lobbing a barrage of humorous insults at each other, they share a deep love.
The supporting cast of friends and relatives come in and out of the stories and keep the series from being a one-note joke.
All the characters in Vicious are easily relatable. Ash (Iwan Rheon) is the young man living above Freddie and Stuart who often drops in and has adopted them as parental figures. Ash is straight, and both his parents are in prison. Violet (Frances de la Tour) is an older woman who has never found love. She’s a bit promiscuous and bold. She often looks hungrily at Ash, who seems fearful of her advances. Penelope (Marcia Warren) suffers from dementia and often forgets where she is. Mason (Philip Voss), Freddie’s cynical brother, who often appears with Penelope.
Season one plays out very much a like a staged comedy, with most episodes taking place in Freddie and Stuart’s apartment. The comedy is biting, often revolving around Freddie and Stuart insulting one another. It’s the type of thing that could get old fast, but the writers understand the limitations and play around it. They do this by changing the focus to one of the other cast members, most frequently Violet.
Season two moves many of the stories outside of Freddie and Stuart’s apartment. We get to see Ash’s apartment and how Freddie and Stuart interact with the public. The storyline also becomes more linear, with each episode continuing aspects of the story from the previous one.
I was surprised to enjoy the second season of Vicious as much as the first and feel as if a third season would have been a bit long in the tooth. The cast work well together and have a great sense for comedy. The writers understand what to do with a limited story and each season ends with a sweetness that feels natural. If you haven’t seen Vicious, you may want to give it a try.
