Sitcom about the lives and loves of five twenty-somethings in Runcorn.
The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
As Janet prepares to leave Jonny, she finds a photo taken on the night that they met and the show turns into a long flashback detailing how Donna, Janet, and Louise went on the pull to a nightclub where they met Jonny and Gaz. This is a musical episode with the characters singing original songs in pastiches of popular numbers at the time.
Despite Tim's assurances that both are too good for Gaz, Janet and Donna give him a deadline to choose between them, though Gaz's admission that he really is Corinthian's father doesn't go down as expected. Louise worries that Scott will dump her for a groupie, so on Gaz's advice she sends a saucy photo of herself by phone and receives a reassuring message: "I Think I Love You." She will soon be leaving Runcorn to join a moon-worshipping sect. Gaz has made his decision and rushes to tell the girl of his choice, but is involved in a terrible car accident which leaves him paralysed in a hospital bed. As he comes to, the girl of his choice is at his bedside.
Donna goes out to brunch with Philip, making Gaz jealous but when he confronts Philip he finds that he is no longer impotent. Louise gets a job at the Office of National Statistics, where she accidentally erases all evidence of Jonny's existence. She recreates a file for him but adds a fictional and colourful criminal record which leads to a shoot-out with the police when he goes on his date with Janet.
Donna and Gaz are together, but he is in a wheelchair following his accident and his sexual prowess is affected. Fortunately the couple's love sees them through. Gaz is unnerved by Billy, a young Scouser who nursed him in hospital and wants to be his carer. Not only is Billy very touchy-feely, he has also taken Gaz's place in the local football team. Camp Tim is enjoying himself as the landlord of the Archer until his violent younger sister Cassie turns up, released from a Young Offender Unit. She moves into the pub and flirts unsuccessfully with Billy.
Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.
High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
One point per season. Smooths out the episode-to-episode noise to reveal the bigger arc.
Did each season build or fizzle? Green means the finale outscored the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows, bigger swings.
How steady is each season? Tightly clustered dots mean reliable quality. Scattered dots mean a wild ride.
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