I understand it wants to be built as a dramedy, but I don't understand why Alice is so damn stupid....all her lines and actions are so dumb, is so difficult to relate with this show. You even wonder how she survived to this age, and raised a child. After she lost her partner, and her life becomes a mess, it seems all her concerns are to beg for money to buy wine. I am sorry, I love British series, it never happened before to dislike the main character for being an idiot.
161 Reviews
Average
xmasdaybaby196622 January 2021
A waste of talent, this drama doesn't go anywhere.
Sleepin_Dragon7 February 2021
The night that Alice, Harry and their daughter move into their new smart home, tragedy strikes, Alice is left vulnerable financially and mentally.
This is one of the most frustrating dramas I have ever endured. Six parts of melodrama, don't come here expecting mystery, suspense, or anything other than pure melodrama.
Not many of the characters here are likeable, indeed most of them are unpleasant, worst of all is Alice, who sees life through one single lens, her own, she's quite unpleasant.
You get a few chuckles, best character for me has to be Nicola, who's funny and very sincere.
An illustrious cast list including Havers, Lumley, Cranham and Jones, all are wasted. You watch Keeley Hawes in Part 5 of It's a Sin, and get an idea of what she's capable of, compare that to this.
Would I watch it again, or recommend it, the answer is no. All of the talent in this could have made something really good. It's irritating. 5/10.
This is one of the most frustrating dramas I have ever endured. Six parts of melodrama, don't come here expecting mystery, suspense, or anything other than pure melodrama.
Not many of the characters here are likeable, indeed most of them are unpleasant, worst of all is Alice, who sees life through one single lens, her own, she's quite unpleasant.
You get a few chuckles, best character for me has to be Nicola, who's funny and very sincere.
An illustrious cast list including Havers, Lumley, Cranham and Jones, all are wasted. You watch Keeley Hawes in Part 5 of It's a Sin, and get an idea of what she's capable of, compare that to this.
Would I watch it again, or recommend it, the answer is no. All of the talent in this could have made something really good. It's irritating. 5/10.
Far better than most reviews would have you believe
HampshireBlue25 February 2021
Ridiculous
rnf10022 January 2021
I don't know how ITV keep managing to do this time and time again. Assemble a top quality cast including the best of the best Keeley Hawes, then bring seasoned quality writers and hey presto come up with absolute dross. I'd say this is day time soap at best but that is doing a disservice to day time soaps. I honestly believe ITV try to dumb down everything they produce to appeal to the advertising companies. The whole cast must cringe when watching this......terrible
Where's episode 7?
nichola_clark1419 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Was a slow start but really started to enjoy going into the last episodes.... then SO MANY unanswered questions!
His sperm donor kids... why does his son now have access to all their home cameras... will they develop on the plot of land?
I loooooove Keeley Hawes and thought she was brilliant in this, along with Sharon Rooney... they are the pairing I didn't know I needed!
I really hope this picks up as a second series!
Awful Script.
balchin-8967718 January 2021
Looking at the cast, I hoped this would be good. It's not.
Black comedy, but not funny.
The script is weak, and we found it to be in poor taste.
The mortuary scene was plain stupid.
We looked at each other, and both said..." turn it off ".
Ending left me confused
kingandqueen61418 January 2021
I've watched all 6 avaikable episodes. I was captivated waiting for some satisfying conclusion. To be massively let down by the final episode. Are we to expect a 2nd series to draw the story to a close or are there more episodes to come?
The trouble with Harry........
ianlouisiana25 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
'Finding Alice is like 'The other' with a more starry cast.
A partner dies and the survivor is left with the detritus of a life lived with
unforeseen consequences.
Previously unknown children and business partners appear out of the blue,
parents claim to have a legal right to the house...no wonder Alice(Miss K.Hawes)
is going into a tail - spin.
Mr N.Havers looks lost as Alice's father,Miss Lumley merely savage as his somewhat discontented wife.
There is humour both gentle and savage in 'Finding Alice' and although Miss Hawes is not a particular favourite of mine I have every sympathy with her character as bombshell follows bombshell.
After 2 episodes I have been drawn into the mystery that Harry has left behind
although I fear there will be little joy for unlucky Alice at the end of the day.
Painful to watch and awful writing...
xoancaos19 January 2021
I just wanted to slap Keeley Hawes' painfully neurotic, self-obsessed and annoying character throughout the two episodes I watched of this, the pairing of Nigel Havers and Joanna Lumley is almost like a wooden comedy act and the storyline two episodes in is just a bit ridiculous, especially the post death scene when a revolving door of characters turn up at the house just after the Harry character's death. Watched two episodes and wished someone had buried the script for this in their garden.
The Best & Sharpest Piece of Satire for Years.
ellis-227-15052419 January 2021
Firstly I must state that I binge watched all 6 episodes, in one day, on the anniversary of my wife's death 3 years ago. the trailer had led me to believe that it was just a comedic romp & I did not realise there was so much "real grief" in it so, some of it was rather too personal and difficult for me. However, I loved what they did with it.
To all those reviewers who have slated it I can only say, "where is your appreciation of satire" because, apart from the scenes of heartrending grief ( I know about that) The rest is pure satire: from the insensitive bank clerk (on the phone) who does absolutely nothing to help and finishes the conversation with the scripted (& irritating) "Is there anything else I can help you with today?" to the worldly & knowing, 16 year old daughter who suddenly finds that she can't articulate the word "sperm". The use by Alice (Keeley Hawes) of extremely coarse language, at just the right moments is superb & highlights the feelings of someone in her position.
One of the series greatest achievements is that there is not one single character about whom one can be ambivalent. Every single character from the detestable Mother, the obnoxious Gerry, the hateful George, the delectable Charlotte, the hilarious Roger (Havers), the unspeakable Graham, to the totally shattered, dipsy, confused & grief-stricken Alice, are all totally engaging and such brilliant caricatures of people I've met in my life (I'm old).
This series does not try to make comedy out of death; what it does is to show how people use humour & satire in the midst of terrible grief, to cope with tragic situations & to keep on keeping on. I met my wife immediately after the accidental death of her first husband so, believe me, I'm very well qualified to comment on this.
I have to admit that I was disappointed that this was just series one and I would have to wait for a continuation but the way it was left, there is so much scope for a wonderful second series. I can't wait.
To all those reviewers who have slated it I can only say, "where is your appreciation of satire" because, apart from the scenes of heartrending grief ( I know about that) The rest is pure satire: from the insensitive bank clerk (on the phone) who does absolutely nothing to help and finishes the conversation with the scripted (& irritating) "Is there anything else I can help you with today?" to the worldly & knowing, 16 year old daughter who suddenly finds that she can't articulate the word "sperm". The use by Alice (Keeley Hawes) of extremely coarse language, at just the right moments is superb & highlights the feelings of someone in her position.
One of the series greatest achievements is that there is not one single character about whom one can be ambivalent. Every single character from the detestable Mother, the obnoxious Gerry, the hateful George, the delectable Charlotte, the hilarious Roger (Havers), the unspeakable Graham, to the totally shattered, dipsy, confused & grief-stricken Alice, are all totally engaging and such brilliant caricatures of people I've met in my life (I'm old).
This series does not try to make comedy out of death; what it does is to show how people use humour & satire in the midst of terrible grief, to cope with tragic situations & to keep on keeping on. I met my wife immediately after the accidental death of her first husband so, believe me, I'm very well qualified to comment on this.
I have to admit that I was disappointed that this was just series one and I would have to wait for a continuation but the way it was left, there is so much scope for a wonderful second series. I can't wait.
A series that can't commit
MaraLesemann19 September 2021
I soldiered on for all 6 episodes of Finding Alice because, every time I was ready to permanently leave it, it would give a hint of what it could be. But I was ultimately frustrated because it commits to neither black comedy or drama.
Alice is neither absurd enough to succeed as black comedy nor realistic enough for drama. The great examples of the former take their stories to laugh out loud funny insanity that this series never achieves, perhaps because it's too anchored in reality. Great series like Santa Clarita Diaries and Good Girls make perfect sense within their contained universe but are absurd outside of it. Alice is ALMOST normal, but just odd enough to be annoying without really being funny.
It's not the fault of the anchors, who do a uniformly fine job. But the writers needed to let go of the real world just a bit more to make this really work.
Alice is neither absurd enough to succeed as black comedy nor realistic enough for drama. The great examples of the former take their stories to laugh out loud funny insanity that this series never achieves, perhaps because it's too anchored in reality. Great series like Santa Clarita Diaries and Good Girls make perfect sense within their contained universe but are absurd outside of it. Alice is ALMOST normal, but just odd enough to be annoying without really being funny.
It's not the fault of the anchors, who do a uniformly fine job. But the writers needed to let go of the real world just a bit more to make this really work.
Codswallop
lampyswift18 January 2021
The Keeley Hawes Hour
IanIndependent15 February 2021
There are a lot of very good supporting actors in this series but it is most obviously a Keeley vehicle. She is on screen 95% of the time and has all the best lines. Don't get me wrong this is not a bad turn of events as she is excellent. Isn't she always? In this her comic timing is superb and she manages this while being believable as a recently bereaved, harassed partner of the deceased and mother of school age daughter.
It is certainly a benefit for the series that Hawes and Nigel Havers etc are so good as the plot is not too hot, some of the scenes trashy and the characters mostly predictable. Yet, Keeley Hawes and the cast make it an enjoyable if not an essential watch. therefore, as it ends suggesting there is more to come I find myself thinking I'll probably not bother with the next series.
It is certainly a benefit for the series that Hawes and Nigel Havers etc are so good as the plot is not too hot, some of the scenes trashy and the characters mostly predictable. Yet, Keeley Hawes and the cast make it an enjoyable if not an essential watch. therefore, as it ends suggesting there is more to come I find myself thinking I'll probably not bother with the next series.
Poor comedy or woeful drama?
mail-8815418 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
We both agreed to give up after 20 minutes. This was so full of implausibility that it was comedic:
Perhaps this is being clever, too clever and a long game is being played, but it's either way over our heads or is as poor as it seems.
- widowed the evening before, she greets the police with a beaming smile
- her mother greets her recently widowed daughter with a nasty comment about her dress
- the bank call centre's closure 'is there anything else we can help you with'
- her joke about the car accident victim to his grieving family
Perhaps this is being clever, too clever and a long game is being played, but it's either way over our heads or is as poor as it seems.
Annoying
budgiecage2 June 2021
Failed Attempt to Copy Afterlife
tinglytom21 January 2021
I've been struggling through this just hoping it picks up. It just occurred to me tonight what it's trying to be, which is Ricky Gervais' brilliant Afterlife, but it's failing miserably.
There's no poignancy or pathos and it's not funny. What flimsy story line there is, is implausible but entirely predictable. The characters are shallow and pathetic. It's just terrible.
Ignore the reviews
keith-61816 March 2021
I almost decided not to watch this as it was rated 5.6 overall but then I read a 10* review against a 1* review and knew I had to watch it. And I'm so glad I did. This is an excellent black comedy with a great plot and some very funny one liners.
Of course, I understand perfectly why some people might not take to this; black comedy is not to everyone's taste.
However, anyone who derides the acting just because they don't like the script is entirely ignorant of the craft/art of acting; this is a cast of superb actors and they know exactly how to play this script. I look forward to the second series.
Stick with it it is very British!
tabithacowen23 January 2021
I was also frustrated and little thrown and found it annoying for the first two episodes- partly because it doesn't set out its stall clearly as to what it trying to be. it actually does improves and you realise Alice's annoying and seemingly irrational behaviour is borne out of immense shock and grief and I guess explains her lack of a filter in social situations. It is very British in its subtlety and and the writing does improve. It is flawed and I guess dealing with absurdity of all the stuff that surrounds us when death occurs and no one talking about it makes it all a bit uncomfortable viewing. Interesting to note that my grandad always wanted to be left out with the bins and couldn't understand why that couldn't happen! It is actually legal now to be buried in your own garden and I see that taking off what with lockdown and all😜
It's a comedy about those that don't get grief
csteddy1 April 2021
It's pretty obvious that most of those giving bad reviews and ratings are members of the class of those people that just don't get grief. It's having a laugh about all the inappropriate things that people say to those who are grieving. It's written by people that DO get grief. It might not be a top shelf series, but it's pretty good. It makes you laugh and cry.
Get lost, Alice
frukuk17 January 2021
This is billed as a drama, but it seems to be played as a light comedy with a very shallow dramatic foundation.
Some of the comedy staples are wheeled out in the first episode: Alice's horrible mother; Harry's money-grubbing family; a bantering mortician. What's missing is any sense that Alice is actually grieving for the loss of her partner, Harry. It's as if the writers weren't confident enough to write a straightforward drama and so the characters aren't allowed to behave in a serious, non-comedy, way.
The first episode didn't give me a single character to care about -- especially not Alice, who I really should have been drawn to feel some sympathy for -- so I won't be investing another 5 hours to watch this to its conclusion.
Some of the comedy staples are wheeled out in the first episode: Alice's horrible mother; Harry's money-grubbing family; a bantering mortician. What's missing is any sense that Alice is actually grieving for the loss of her partner, Harry. It's as if the writers weren't confident enough to write a straightforward drama and so the characters aren't allowed to behave in a serious, non-comedy, way.
The first episode didn't give me a single character to care about -- especially not Alice, who I really should have been drawn to feel some sympathy for -- so I won't be investing another 5 hours to watch this to its conclusion.
Why the hate?
craiglesuk-123 January 2021
I don't understand why so many people don't like this. I absolutely loved it. I can only think that people were tuning in expecting to see a "serious" drama. It's so much better than that. This shows demonstrates perfectly how we all deal the grief in different ways. Alice is confused, angry, tired, sad, delirious, desperate, apathetic, weary and often inappropriate. This manifests itself into a complex and perfectly balanced performance by Keeley Hawes. The rest of the cast manage to match her and some credit for this must go to the script writers who keep things fizzing along throughout. I chuckled - and sometimes laughed - my way through the entire series. Can't wait for more. .
Poor Story
rvetmbq24 January 2021
Why does she behave that way?
TalulaGrey24 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I was looking forward to this. I saw that they had such an amazing cast and to be fair they were all very good; however, the script was lacking in so many ways. Alice's behaviour was unbelievable in that she was absolutely clueless about her partner in every possible way. The only one with an ounce of common sense was her daughter but even she was hiding something. I could go on but my main questions after sitting through the entire series are:
1. After learning that her husband had sperm in a sperm bank, why didn't she get either the sister or Harry's parents to see if it was used to father any other children? Especially after visiting the clinic and the rep being all weird with her. I was suspicious, and it seemed Alice was too while she was in the office but it completely slipped her mind after she left.
2. After experiencing the untrustworthiiness of the accountant Tanvi, why on earth would she go to her and want to do business with her? Tanvi went behind her back and had her rep sell the apartments leaving Alice with NOTHING when Alice owned half of the business? Wtf was that about? Is that even legal? The entire process was skimmed over and Alice does nothing?
3. After learning of the confrontation between Harry and George, why didn't she go straight to the police? It looked as though she recorded the confrontation between Harry and George while she was in the bathroom stall. She didn't say a bloody thing, to anyone! WHO DOES THAT???
My feelings towards Alice at this point are anger and frustration and I want nothing more than to knock some GD sense into her. I don't usually say this but she's so clueless that she deserves everything that is happening to her. AND I could care less about season 2. ITV can rot.
1. After learning that her husband had sperm in a sperm bank, why didn't she get either the sister or Harry's parents to see if it was used to father any other children? Especially after visiting the clinic and the rep being all weird with her. I was suspicious, and it seemed Alice was too while she was in the office but it completely slipped her mind after she left.
2. After experiencing the untrustworthiiness of the accountant Tanvi, why on earth would she go to her and want to do business with her? Tanvi went behind her back and had her rep sell the apartments leaving Alice with NOTHING when Alice owned half of the business? Wtf was that about? Is that even legal? The entire process was skimmed over and Alice does nothing?
3. After learning of the confrontation between Harry and George, why didn't she go straight to the police? It looked as though she recorded the confrontation between Harry and George while she was in the bathroom stall. She didn't say a bloody thing, to anyone! WHO DOES THAT???
My feelings towards Alice at this point are anger and frustration and I want nothing more than to knock some GD sense into her. I don't usually say this but she's so clueless that she deserves everything that is happening to her. AND I could care less about season 2. ITV can rot.
Disappointing - please NOT a second series!
lyn_hutchings22 February 2021
I love Keely Hawes as an actress but found her character,Alice, unbelievable and irritating in the extreme. I stuck with it hoping the plot would improve - it didn't. The final episode just seemed to stop, leaving a whole load of unanswered questions. Actors such as Hawes, Lumley & Hawthorne deserve better- so do we!
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