Bad Sugar (2012)
A razor-sharp British comedy skewering wealthy family dysfunction, greed, and telenovela excess with a dream cast.
Bad Sugar - Movie Information
- Original Title: Bad Sugar
- Release Year: 2012
- Directed by: Ben Palmer
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Comedy
- Runtime: 40m
- Original Language: English
- Spoken Languages: English
- Production Companies: Tiger Aspect
- Production Countries: United Kingdom
Bad Sugar - Plot
A dysfunctional, wealthy mining dynasty, with an ailing patriarch and some greedy siblings. A peculiarly British take on telenovela style melodramas, played for laughs.
Bad Sugar - Trailer
Check out a clip from this brilliantly unhinged British comedy:
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Bad Sugar - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Ben Palmer
Main Cast
- Julia Davis
- Sharon Horgan
- Peter Serafinowicz
- Reece Shearsmith
- David Bradley
- Olivia Colman
- Derek Riddell
- Kayvan Novak
- Julia Deakin
- Jonjo O'Neill
Writers
- Jesse Armstrong
- Sam Bain
Producers
- Tarik Freitekh
- Derrin Schlesinger
Bad Sugar - FAQs
What is Bad Sugar about?
Bad Sugar follows the gloriously chaotic Cauldwell family — a wealthy mining dynasty held together by greed, rivalry, and barely concealed contempt. With an ailing patriarch at the centre, the siblings circle like vultures in this sharp British parody of over-the-top telenovela melodramas, played entirely for laughs.
Who are the main actors in Bad Sugar?
The cast is a who's who of British comedy talent. Julia Davis and Sharon Horgan play feuding sisters Daphne and Lucy Cauldwell, with Peter Serafinowicz as brother Ralph, Reece Shearsmith as Greg, David Bradley as patriarch Ralphfred, and Olivia Colman as Joan Cauldwell, among others.
Is Bad Sugar a parody of soap operas?
Absolutely. Bad Sugar is a gleefully British send-up of telenovela and soap opera conventions — think Dynasty or Dallas filtered through a very dry, darkly comic British sensibility. The show exaggerates every melodramatic trope it can find, from scheming heirs to deathbed theatrics, and plays it all completely straight for maximum comic effect.
Who wrote Bad Sugar?
Bad Sugar was written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, the acclaimed duo behind Peep Show and Fresh Meat. Their sharp, satirical sensibility is all over the script, bringing the same gleeful skewering of British social pretension that made their other work so beloved.
Who directed Bad Sugar?
Ben Palmer directed Bad Sugar. Palmer is well known in British comedy circles, having helmed episodes of The Inbetweeners and later directed the feature film Man Up (2015). His deft touch with ensemble comedy makes him a natural fit for this chaotic family satire.
How long is Bad Sugar?
Bad Sugar runs for 40 minutes, making it a compact but thoroughly entertaining single-episode comedy. It was produced as a pilot, so it packs a surprising amount of character, chaos, and comic escalation into its runtime without ever overstaying its welcome.
What are similar comedies to Bad Sugar?
If Bad Sugar tickles your funny bone, you might also enjoy The Royal Tenenbaums for its eccentric dysfunctional family dynamics, Eulogy for its darkly comic family gathering, or She-Devil for its gleefully over-the-top tone. Daddy or Mommy and Chief Daddy 2: Going for Broke offer similarly chaotic family comedy energy.
Was Bad Sugar ever developed into a full series?
Bad Sugar was produced as a TV pilot by Tiger Aspect in 2012, but it does not appear to have been commissioned as a full series. Despite its stellar cast and sharp writing from the Peep Show team, the Cauldwell family's story seemingly ended with this single gloriously unhinged episode.
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