Second Floor takes place in three flats of one building, and every episode opens on the same staircase. A good idea; the show just cannot decide how much of it to use.
The cast is genuinely good
The chemistry of the three leads lands in episode one. The silences from the second-flat character are the funniest thing here — because the writers leave the joke and trust the scene.
The tone problem
Episode four puts a funeral and a birthday in the same scene. A brave idea, hesitantly executed: the score plays comedy, the lighting plays drama, and the audience cannot carry both.
The runtime advantage
Thirty-four minute episodes tell twice as much story as their forty-two minute peers. Rare and valuable in local production.
Verdict
Six strong episodes, four undecided ones. There is hope for season two, if the show decides what it is.
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