No contemporary cable tv channel would dare to play a show like this anymore, and it's not an easy video series to find in good quality, as it has never been released on DVD. It is on Youtube, but it is a low quality transfer from VHS- but even on Youtube yo have to search for it under "Asylum Simon Pegg" otherwise you won't easily find it.
Back in the early days of cable I could imagine this short-lived British tv production being shown after midnight on the Comedy Channel. Asylum, when it is at its best, is something roughly close to the level of weirdness as Garth Marenghi's Dark Place (which if you haven't watched, do so immediately), although not as consistent. The non-PC aspect of the show is that it uses mental illness as its comedic premise (not humorous in real life, of course) but if you can look past the irreverent treatment of its subject matter, Asylum is a bizarre piece of work, and worthwhile if only for segments featuring Julian Barrett, Simon Pegg, and Jessica Hynes. Large portions of this show, particularly in episode one, featuring monologues by Adam Bloom are too over the top and not all that that funny, much in the same way as early stand-up comedy by Robin Williams is often an incoherent barrage of verbal acrobatics. Also, the musical segments while good, are an odd fit for this type of production.
The basic premise of the show is that a pizza delivery guy (Simon Pegg) is incarcerated in an asylum while making a delivery, merely because the asylum needs more patients, and the asylum staff are as crazy as the inmates. If you just want to taste test one episode, I would suggest episode two, as large portions of episode one are best left on fast forward for the reasons stated previously.
If you like obscure weird comedy, this has some great moments, but it's not consistent in quality from one comedy segment to another. If you are ok to zip past the monologues and watch the Julian Barrett and Simon Pegg scenes, Asylum is often witty comedy with irreverent twists and an indie edge.
Back in the early days of cable I could imagine this short-lived British tv production being shown after midnight on the Comedy Channel. Asylum, when it is at its best, is something roughly close to the level of weirdness as Garth Marenghi's Dark Place (which if you haven't watched, do so immediately), although not as consistent. The non-PC aspect of the show is that it uses mental illness as its comedic premise (not humorous in real life, of course) but if you can look past the irreverent treatment of its subject matter, Asylum is a bizarre piece of work, and worthwhile if only for segments featuring Julian Barrett, Simon Pegg, and Jessica Hynes. Large portions of this show, particularly in episode one, featuring monologues by Adam Bloom are too over the top and not all that that funny, much in the same way as early stand-up comedy by Robin Williams is often an incoherent barrage of verbal acrobatics. Also, the musical segments while good, are an odd fit for this type of production.
The basic premise of the show is that a pizza delivery guy (Simon Pegg) is incarcerated in an asylum while making a delivery, merely because the asylum needs more patients, and the asylum staff are as crazy as the inmates. If you just want to taste test one episode, I would suggest episode two, as large portions of episode one are best left on fast forward for the reasons stated previously.
If you like obscure weird comedy, this has some great moments, but it's not consistent in quality from one comedy segment to another. If you are ok to zip past the monologues and watch the Julian Barrett and Simon Pegg scenes, Asylum is often witty comedy with irreverent twists and an indie edge.