Juice (TV series)

Juice is a British surreal comedy television series created by and starring Mawaan Rizwan for BBC Three. The series is based on Rizwan's 2018 Edinburgh Fringe show and began airing in September 2023. It follows Rizwan's character, Jamma, as he navigates work life and relationships with his family and boyfriend. Juice is based partially upon Rizwan's real life, though Rizwan has stated the show is "definitely fictional", and features his real-life mother and brother as his family in the show. Juice 's notable features include its practical effects and "distinctive trippy visuals", as well as how it "explore[s] adult themes in a childlike way".

Main

 * Mawaan Rizwan as Jamal "Jamma" Jamshidi, a young gay man who works at a marketing company and vies for attention amongst his family
 * Russell Tovey as Guy, Jamal's older, therapist boyfriend
 * Nabhaan Rizwan as Isaac, Jamma's younger brother
 * Shahnaz Rizwan as Farida, Jamma's mother and head of the Megacentre
 * Jeff Mirza as Saif, Jamma's father and finance manager for the Megacentre

Recurring

 * Emily Lloyd-Saini as Winnie
 * Hugh Coles as Pat
 * Nathalie Armin as The Boss
 * Raheem Payne as Raheem the Everything

Premise
Juice follows Jamma, a young gay man who is navigating commitment issues in his relationship with his boyfriend, Guy, and attention issues in his relationship with his family. Guy contrasts with Jamma's high octane personality; he is a calmer, older man with an established career as a therapist and a desire for his relationship with Jamma to become more concrete. Jamma's mother, Farida, is a former movie star who now manages the Megacentre, a community centre for underprivileged people of all ages. Both Farida and Jamma's younger brother, Isaac, often upstage and outshine him, much to Jamma's dismay.

Production and release
The title of the show was inspired by Rizwan's mother, who used to say "If life gives you mangoes, make mango juice."

Rizwan has cited Boots Riley, Bong Joon-Ho, and Buster Keaton as sources of influence. Having attended École Philippe Gaulier, Rizwan sought to incorporate elements of clowning into the show.

Juice was commissioned in 2022 following a successful pilot created the previous autumn. All of Juice was released for streaming on BBC iPlayer on 18 September 2023, and BBC Three aired two episodes of the show a week on Mondays.

The BBC confirmed in May 2024 that Juice would return for a second series.

Critical response
Juice was well received, garnering 3- and 4-star reviews from The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, and Chortle. It has received praise for its "eye-popping visual style" and exploration of family relationships. Other sources of acclaim include Juice 's childlike playfulness and "slapstick comedy". However, Juice has faced criticism for its lack of cohesion between scenes and how it "never quite reach[es] laugh-out-loud funny".