I'd never read the book and, although I felt that the storyline was a bit limited, I enjoyed the series very much, probably because I had no preconceived ideas about it.
We are spoiled in the UK, our TV drama tends, on the whole, to be of a very high standard. The comedy and game shows, however, seem to be directed at people whose IQ is on a par with their shoe size.
There are exceptions. Waiting for god, dinnerladies and goodness gracious me are the ones that spring to mind.
I also love Frasier, Friends and Due South.(the music in due south is wonderful, who does it?) Hwyl, Bron.