Perhaps no other genre in any art form, be it films, plays or books, divides opinion more than comedy. Therefore, it is the most difficult art form for recommendation. A book, film or TV program, that some may find hilarious, may fail to raise a chuckle in others.
I found the new British comedy series, Code 404 (2020 – ) side splittingly funny. Its central characters are two policemen, DI Roy Carver (Stephen Graham) and DI John Major (Daniel Mays). DI Major is killed in the line of duty and then, with the help of new technology, resurrected by putting a few chips inside him. In other words, he looks exactly as he was before dying, but he is a robot.
This idea is not new. The TV series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)/a.k.a. My Partner the Ghost (1969-1971), featured Jeff and Marty, two private detectives in partnership. Marty is killed in an accident, but his ghost, whom only Jeff can see, comes back to help Jeff solve crime cases and also keep tabs on his wife/widow. In the series, Life on Mars (2006-2007), DCI Sam Tyler is involved in a car accident in 2006 and wakes up to find himself as a police detective in 1973, when the fashion in clothing, taste in music, attitudes to political correctness, and so on were very different . And of course, there is RoboCop (1987), in a future society, a fatally wounded cop is rebuilt as a robot to fight crime. The film’s director, Paul Verhoeven and the writers skillfully blended action and comedy, exactly what Code 404 is striving for, with more emphasis on comedy than action.
Code 404 has taken some of the ideas from the above film and TV series, plus bits and pieces from other TV comedies, such as Get Smart (1965-1970). The scripts are full of creative gems and, each episode being less than 25 minutes, does not contain an ounce of fat. There are only six episodes in Season One (Season Two is on the way). Each episode is a seamless mix of comedy and action. There are some running jokes throughout the series which never fall flat. One is that Roy had a secret affair with John’s wife, Kelly (Anna Maxwell Martin) and after John’s “death”, they had planned to marry. In each episode there are signs pointing to this affair which Roy and Kelly try desperately and hilariously to hide from John. Also, since the scientist who put John back together, is American, the resurrected John keeps blurting out American jargons. Another recurring joke is that John is always threatened to be “switched off”, either to budgetary reasons or due to shortfall in his performance, and he is continually ducking this threat, with help from Roy and others.
Apart from the smart scripts and smooth direction, both the casting and the acting are superb. Stephen Graham as DI Roy Carver, with his thick Scouse (Liverpool) accent, is the perfect match for Daniel Mays’s DCI John Major and responsible for most of the laughs in the show. The two are different in every conceivable way and this contrast, which even extends to their heights (5’ 4” Graham v 6’ 2“ Mays) is milked to the full. Rosie Cavaliero as their boss, Amanda Payton, as the African-American creator of the robot, and Michele Greenidge as the butt of a running joke regarding her name, are all excellent.
Code 404 is well worth giving 25 minutes of your time and watch the first episode. Those unfamiliar with the Liverpool accent sported by Stephen Graham, will be well advised to keep the subtitles on. If you are not hooked, then chances are that you won’t find the rest of series funny either and can cut your losses short.
© 2020. UniversalCinema Mag.