The gag-per-minute machine
If you’re looking for a show with a deep narrative arc or gritty realism, keep scrolling. Not Going Out is a joke-delivery system, plain and simple. It’s built on a foundation of rapid-fire puns and wordplay that moves so fast you’ll miss three lines if you blink. While the 2006 start date and the multi-camera setup might make it look like a fossil to a teenager raised on single-camera dramedies, the actual humor is surprisingly relentless.
The show centers on Lee, a "childish northerner" who somehow occupies a London penthouse he definitely can't afford. The setup is basically an excuse for Lee to trade barbs with his roommate and his uptight best friend, Tim. It’s the kind of show where the plot exists only to get the characters into a room where they can insult each other’s intelligence for twenty-two minutes. If your kid has a dry sense of humor or enjoys "dad joke" energy taken to an Olympic level, they might actually find this addictive.
Why the 14+ rating matters
The Common Sense Media rating is mostly about the talk, not the action. This is a very "adult" show in terms of its vocabulary—meaning there is a heavy focus on dating, sexual innuendo, and the general messiness of adult relationships. You’ll hear frequent references to casual sex and the mechanics of intercourse, but it’s almost always used as a setup for a punchline rather than anything graphic.
It’s worth noting that the show leans heavily into British stereotypes. You have the lazy cleaner, the Daily Mail-reading middle-class friend, and the "unemployable" lead. If your family isn't familiar with the UK's specific brand of class-based bickering, some of the subtext might fly over their heads. However, the slapstick and the verbal gymnastics are universal.
If they like Lee Mack
The lead actor's specific brand of frantic, self-deprecating energy is the engine of the show. If your family recently caught him in other projects—like the 2024 Sky holiday special—it’s worth checking out our guide on Bad Tidings: What Parents Need to Know About This Christmas Comedy to see how his humor translates to a more modern, cinematic format.
How to watch it
Since this show has been running for nearly two decades, the early seasons look very different from the later ones. The 2006 episodes have that specific mid-2000s digital sheen that can feel a bit cheap to modern eyes. If you’re trying to hook a skeptical teen, don’t feel like you have to start at episode one. This is a sitcom in the traditional sense; you can drop into almost any episode and get the vibe within five minutes.
Pluto TV is a great way to "test drive" it for free before committing to a BritBox subscription. It’s perfect background TV—the kind of show you can have on while folding laundry or scrolling on your phone, because the laugh track will let you know exactly when the big payoff happened.
