A Good Show That Could Have Been Great

Much props to Sharon Horgan and Dennis Kelly for delivering a solid British sitcom in the 00s/aughties. As contemptible of a character of Karen was, I can't deny that she was just as uproariously hilarious and compelling as the main character of another BBC Three sitcom that derived its humor from social embarrassment and awkwardness (i.e., Julia Davis's Jill Tyrell). I additionally found Louise to be funny in both a sweet and droll way (if you ask me, this combination is very hard to pull off). That being said, Sharon Horgan's Donna has to be one of the most unlikable and uninteresting characters in British sitcom history.

Please note here that I didn't qualify "unlikable" with "inherently." Donna could have been a much more effective character had the character of Karl not been such an integral part of the show. While Horgan had her moments as Donna, I couldn't help but have a bad taste in my mouth every time she interacted with Karl after he had gotten over the agony of being dumped and decided to move on with his life. Contrary to what the ending of this show might have implied (i.e., that Donna and Karl were meant for each other), I thought it implied something much, much more cynical: that, when at an arm's length, Donna needed Karl for nothing more than to make herself feel better. Ultimately, Donna came to rival the delusion and mean-spiritedness of what I'd consider her predecessor in British sitcoms, Dorothy from "Men Behaving Badly."

Although I do value a protagonist that is congenial, I've always considered a riveting story or character a more than acceptable substitute. Unfortunately, Donna was neither likable nor that interesting. I've already said this but I though I'd repeat it to make clearer the criterion I'm basing my judgment of this show on. How did you feel about Donna? Did you feel similarly or completely different?