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How Not to Live Your Life

2008 – 2010Show3 seasons19 episodes

ComedyDrama
78
GreatGoodWatch score
IMDb8.3Metacritic–7.7

A quirky comedy series about everyday modern life.

Good for friends night · party vibe · binge-friendly

Where to watch

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Not streaming in any country yet.

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Not for scares, brutality or suspense.

Shows with

Episodes

3 seasons · 19 episodes · best: S3E3 "Don's Posh Weekend" 8.8

Episodes

7.9
8.0
8.5
8.6

Story

Sitcom about 20-something Don, a man with bad luck and even worse instincts. Don's overactive imagination is always in full flow in the form of quick-fire fantasy sequences as he imagines what he would really like to say.

Feels like

  • Cringe Comedy
  • Deadpan Humor
  • Socially Awkward Protagonist
  • British Sitcom
  • Melancholic Tone
  • Satirical Observation
  • Unconventional Romance
  • Darkly Funny
  • Character Study
  • Second Person Narration

Cast

24 of 41 · most episodes first

Crew

Written by
Dan Clark

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Facts

August 12, 2008 · December 13, 2010 · Ended

First aired
August 12, 2008
Last aired
December 13, 2010
Status
Ended
Length
3 seasons · 19 episodes
Content
Strong Language, Sexual Content
Genres
Comedy, Drama
Original language
English
Made in
United Kingdom
Available in
5 countries

Tropes

Only Sane Man, Mermaid Problem, Condescending Compassion +9

  • Only Sane Man
  • Mermaid Problem
  • Condescending Compassion
  • Fun with Alphabet Soup
  • Camp Gay
  • Teacher/Student Romance
  • Aborted Arc
  • British Brevity
  • The Caretaker
  • Where Everybody Knows Your Flame
  • Fluffy the Terrible
  • Idiosyncratic Episode Naming

12 of 40 tropes. From TV Tropes.

Q&A

6 questions, like "Is How Not to Live Your Life worth watching?"

Questions about How Not to Live Your Life

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Is How Not to Live Your Life worth watching?

78
GreatGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 78 (IMDb 8.3).

Does How Not to Live Your Life get better after season 1?

Yes: season 1 has an IMDb average of 7.9, and season 4 peaks at 8.6. The highest-rated episode is Don's Posh Weekend (season 3, episode 3) at 8.8, and the lowest is Don's New Flatmate (season 2, episode 1) at 7.6.

How long does it take to watch How Not to Live Your Life?

10 h

About 10 hours: 19 episodes in 3 seasons of about 30 minutes each, aired from 2008 to 2010.

Will How Not to Live Your Life make me laugh?

Funny

Yes: the humor is mostly cringe comedy (9 of 10) and situational comedy (8 of 10).

Is How Not to Live Your Life plot-driven or character-driven?

CharactersPlot

Mostly character-driven: it leans on dialogue centrality (8 of 10) and character depth (7 of 10) more than on its plot.

What tropes does How Not to Live Your Life use?

Only Sane ManMermaid ProblemCondescending CompassionFun with Alphabet SoupCamp GayTeacher/Student RomanceAborted ArcBritish BrevityThe CaretakerWhere Everybody Knows Your FlameFluffy the TerribleIdiosyncratic Episode Namingand 28 more

TV Tropes lists 40 tropes for it, including Only Sane Man, Mermaid Problem, and Condescending Compassion.