THE SPLIT (ALICE AND STEVE)

 

ALICE AND STEVE

Jermaine Clement of 'The Flight of the Conchords' has nothing to prove when it comes to television comedy.

But one of the last people you'd associate with a sitcom is Nicola Walker.

The star of 'Unforgotten,' 'The Split' and 'Marriage' is known for starring in intense, British television dramas.

Yet here she is, not only holding her own alongside Clement in a six part Hulu and Disney+ sitcom but actually eclipsing him.

'Alice and Steve' is an English comedy created by 'Sex Education's writer Sophie Goodhart about two fiftysomething friends whose close bond is suddenly ripped apart.

Set in suburban London, Steve is a hairstylist with celebrity clients, while Alice is a children's clothes designer.

She is married to a younger man, Joel Fry's music teacher Daniel.

They have a son in his late teens, Tyrese Eaton-Dice's Don, while Alice also has a 26 year old daughter by another man, Yali Topol Margalith's Izzy.

Steve is living a bachelor's life after a long term relationship ended bitterly.

When they're together, Steve and Alice are thick as thieves and behave like irresponsible teens - drinking heavily and taking drugs.

On one night out, Steve resists Alice's efforts to set him up with a woman she thinks might suit him when they visit a bar.

That same evening they end up rushing to a vet when Steve's dog accidentally consumes drugs in Alice's handbag.

Staying over at Alice's and sleeping on her sofa, Steve is awoken when Izzy goes to get a drink.

They end up chatting, sharing wine, flirting and then sleep together.

Consumed by guilt, Steve leaves the house early and tries to avoid Alice, knowing she will be unhappy.

Initially she's puzzled why Steve appears to be ghosting her, assuming it's because of what happened to his dog.

But when Izzy moves in with Steve and Alice figures out what's going on, she isn't just unhappy. 

She's livid.

Determined to break up their relationship, Alice mounts a campaign to sabotage it.

Inviting them and Izzy and Dom's friends to dinner, Alice makes barbed comments until she eventually erupts.

Picking up a bit of gossip about one of Steve's clients, she leaks it to the press.

Steve hits back by releasing embarrassing footage of Alice behaving badly online.

In the meantime Izzy remains headstrong, insisting on a relationship with a man twice her age and treating Alice as a stubborn villain.

While all this is going on, Daniel is struggling with the state of his marriage, attracting the attention of a flirtatious colleague at the school where he works, Lydia Wilson's Marni.

Dom is also preoccupied with his first big crush at school, Eilidh Fisher's Rome.

But as the feud between Alice and Steve escalates to 'War of the Roses' proportions, will he eventually buckle and accept his relationship with Izzy isn't just preposterous but wrong?

Or will Alice learn to live with it?

Where you stand on Steve's relationship with Izzy very much depends on your own set of values.

I'm very much in Alice's camp.

But just like Olivia Wilde's 'The Invite,' 'Alice and Steve' is one of those comedies that revels in its characters' car crash behaviour and the discomfort of it all.

Walker is superb as Alice, her rage providing many of the show's laugh out loud moments.

Clement is rather surprisingly less effective but that maybe because it's hard to root for someone who casually discards a friendship like his character does with Alice by acting in a manner most people would believe us beyond the pale.

Steve also seems to amble through life with a shrug of the shoulders, until his livelihood is impacted which is again hard to empathise with.

Topol Margalith struggles too to engage our sympathies, with most viewers likely to come to the conclusion that Izzy is selfish and particularly uncaring towards Alice.

Despite having a decent comedy pedigree with shows like 'Plebs' and 'Our Flag Means Death,' Fry underwhelms in a role that's very much second fiddle.

Eaton-Dice, Fisher, Wilson and Marcia Warren as Alice's mum Val are all solid enough in the supporting roles, if unspectacular.

'Alice and Steve' is better than most sitcoms and has a decent strike rate in terms of gags.

Director Tom Kingsley does a decent job marshalling the show, ensuring it runs at a brisk pace.

Six episodes feels about right, ensuring it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Goodhart ends the show on a cliffhanger and a lot will depend on ratings and audience reaction if it is to be given a second season and avoid a place in the comedy graveyard.

It's hard, though, to see where it could go in another season - hard but not impossible.

Howrver it will take some skilful writing and acting to get it there.

('Alice and Steve' was released on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland on June 8, 2026)