Just a few minutes into Channel 4’s new comedy drama The Curse, the narrator informs us that a chain of events has been set in motion and every character but her will die. You don’t exactly have to be a comedy expert to know that stark reminders of humankind’s futile impermanence don’t traditionally get bums on seats, but that’s the kind of show The Curse is.
Set in London’s East End in the 1980s, the series follows a clutch of hapless would-be gangsters who find themselves dropped into a world of trouble when a small-time robbery ends with an accidental haul of gold bullion. It’s narratively tight and extremely gripping, but also finds plenty of pockets of loose, knockabout comedy. As with Only Murders in the Building before it, it’s a balancing act that seems unlikely to work, yet manages to hit the sweet spot over and over again.
