I can’t wait for the Inbetweeners reboot – it could be even funnier

For a series that only lasted a short time two years, The Inbetweeners made a splash.

The Channel 4 sitcom – which aired between 2008 and 2010 before spawning two films in 2011 and 2014 respectively – remains one of the crown jewels in British comedy today.

Depicting the adventures of four friends – Will McKenzie (Simon Bird), Simon Cooper (Joe Thomas), Neil Sutherland (Blake Harrison) and Jay Cartwright (James Buckley) – the series manages to capture with unfiltered and unbridled success what it’s like to be an awkward teenager.

With its endlessly quotable dialogue and countless hilarious situations – from Neil punching a fish to death to Mr. Gilbert correcting Will for referring to him by his first name – it was undoubtedly the funniest thing my friends and I had seen in all our years of high school.

But growing up in the early nineties, The Inbetweeners was more than just entertainment for me.

A far cry from the slick dramas imported from the US like One Tree Hill or The OC, here was a show that finally captured the messy reality of a British teenager, where the main character stumbled over his words in front of a group of girls and was decidedly uncool.

That’s why, following the announcement that a reboot was officially in the works, and a deal had been reached to bring back all four characters, I could barely contain my excitement over the opportunity to spend more time with my favorite busloads.

But it seems most fans don’t share the same opinion.

One comment on X, for example, said: ‘It won’t produce the same results. Why would you touch something that lived a perfect life and had a perfect burial? Even the film is perfect’.

Meanwhile, another X user said ‘Just leave it alone. It was a great series at the time and the first film should have been the end.

While I strongly disagree, as I’m eager to see how each of these characters’ lives will carry over into the post-Covid era, even I can understand why some people might be hesitant about The Inbetweeners returning to the small screen.

For all its side-splitting laughs, The Inbetweeners boasts an equally cringe-worthy past with homophobic and sexist language. The objectification of Emily Atack’s character, Charlotte Hinchcliffe, for example, as well as the constant joke that Neil’s father is secretly gay certainly made me wince on re-watch.

Like many comedy shows and programs that aired in the early 2010s, humor, which is often relied on to make people laugh, is simply unacceptable in today’s world.

But to suggest that the cast and creators of The Inbetweeners haven’t managed to change with the times and still produce something funny and relatable to modern audiences is laughable.

Why should we hang our heads and declare gloom and doom for a possible reboot?

Where is the confidence of the writers and actors who made us laugh out loud across three series and two films? Did they suddenly lose their talent overnight?

And whether crude jokes and derivatives are used Really the only thing we think is funny? How about those classic characters, like Will’s intellectual arrogance or Neil’s lovable goofiness, that don’t require vulgarity.

It’s possible to continue to find The Inbetweeners funny while recognizing its troubled past. We don’t need to boycott the revival of these characters in today’s world; instead, we can watch them change and adapt over time, just as we do.

Since the characters are also older now – and perhaps more mature – the jokes will likely be aimed at a more mature audience. But as experience has taught us with the recent Christmas special featuring Gavin and Stacey, for example, that doesn’t mean it will be any less enjoyable.

The Inbetweeners offered us a groundbreaking take on teenage angst and awkwardness, so I, for one, can’t wait to see how this will be adapted into a commentary on adulthood, parenthood and aging.

Has Simon finally found someone to settle down with? Does Jay continue to lie about his exploits?

Is Mr. Gilbert officially Will’s new stepfather? Does he still call him Mr. Gilbert?

And, of course, what is Neil doing? He could be an MP for his local constituency or a TikTok dancer, for all I know, given the low standards of our politicians and love of internet cringe.

For many fans of the original series, myself included, the possibilities seem endless and the thought of watching four friends meet for a weekly five-on-five match already gives me comedic catharsis.

Instead of being afraid that something will go wrong, I ask you to accept change and the passage of time.

Whatever the outcome of this reboot – whether it’s a TV show, a film or even a play (although I’m not sure anything about these characters works on stage, as Simon’s foray into the world of catwalk modeling proves) – The Inbetweeners deserves a shot.

The Inbetweeners is available to watch on Channel 4

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