Getting on - The Complete First Season - DVD

Content: It's the first day for Nurse Didi Ortley (Niecy Nash) at the nursing station of Mount Palms Hospital in Long Beach. And quickly she must learn that an orderly service is hardly to think here. That's not because of the patients, who primarily suffer from dementia or Alzheimer's, but also because of big egos, bureaucracy and the tough fight for hospital beds. For example, a small piece of feces on a chair in the treatment room almost becomes a political issue instead of simply being disposed of and the chair cleaned. Didi receives little support from her colleague, Nurse Dawn Forchette (Alex Borstein), as Dawn has long been caught up in this chaotic mechanism. The whims of the attending physician Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf), who has been punitively transferred to this ward, doesn't exactly make the work any easier. Patients whose language no one understands, who have intercourse with each other in the middle of the corridor, or who throw around racist insults, also present an enormous challenge. When the new head nurse Patsy (Mel Rodriguez) turns out to be a man who wants to turn the whole ward upside down and orders the transfer of all patients for a holistic cleaning, Didi could really despair. But she, Dawn and Jenna press on against all odds - and not just for the patients...

Getting on is the U.S. remake of the BBC series of the same name, which won critical and audience acclaim and multiple awards for three seasons between 2009 and 2012. Although the HBO production sticks very closely to the original, especially in the first episodes, the series quickly finds its own unique tone. The wonderful leading actresses and the good scripts make the series worth watching even for those viewers who already know the British original. What makes the story from the geriatric ward of a hospital so successful is the mixture of the documentary-like style and the biting, yet never cynical humor. So the whole thing is funny and extremely human at the same time, achieving the perfect tone for this subject matter. The fact that, in addition, in the more emotional moments is completely dispensed with the usual consternation kitsch, further supports the positive overall impression.

Sure, who expects light comedy fare or classic sitcom entertainment, may find it a little difficult to befriend the goings-on in Mount Palms Hospital. But if you're up for it, you'll have a blast watching the nurses battle bureaucracy, play poker for hospital beds, or try to interpret over the phone. And at the latest when Laurie Metcalf as Dr. Jenna James suffers a kind of nervous breakdown in the middle of the ward it becomes clear what a good hand the makers have had not only in writing the scripts, but also in the selection of actors.

It is precisely because Getting on does not subordinate itself to the broad mass taste, but treads rather bumpy, little trodden paths, the series works really well. Who likes biting satires of a different kind and appreciates high-quality series fare from America, should definitely give this first season a chance. Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: In the technical implementation, there is actually hardly anything to complain about. For a TV production, the visual realization can absolutely convince in terms of overall sharpness, coloring and contrasts. Here and there there are minor blurs, but overall, the small weaknesses are hardly worth mentioning. The audio, unsurprisingly for a comedy series, is less than spectacular. The dialogues are mixed rather centrally, real surround feeling comes up only very rarely. Still, for a current TV series, it's all perfectly satisfactory. Good!

Extras: In addition to some botched scenes (approx. 6:02 min.), the DVD also has cut scenes from episodes 1,2,4 and 6 to offer (approx. 5:53 min.).

Conclusion: Getting on is with its mixture of almost documentary style and bitter comedy a really unusual series, which skillfully manages the balancing act between satire and humanity. Although this HBO series is only a remake of the BBC production of the same name, the US version quickly finds its very own tone, which then makes it just as worth watching for connoisseurs of the original, as generally for all lovers of TV comedies of a different kind. The DVD presents the six episodes of the season in good picture and sound quality. The bonus material is clearly arranged, but qualitatively completely in order. The bottom line is that there is a: Absolutely recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp