‘Peep Show’ Still Proves That ‘Self-Loathing Is Pretty Universal’

Over two decades ago, two British shows reinvented television comedy with mortifyingly funny alternatives to regular sitcoms. One of them might immediately come to mind: “The Office,” a cringe-comedy landmark that revived the mockumentary format and inspired an American version that became its own institution.

The other never achieved such widespread renown, at least not on these shores. But “Peep Show,” which chronicled two spiraling roommates in a grotty London flat, was highly influential in Britain and beyond.

The sitcom aired on Channel 4 for nine seasons, from 2003-15, and it was beloved enough for the British Film Institute to hold a 20th anniversary tribute in 2023. Its stars, David Mitchell and Robert Webb, continue to be fixtures of British comedy. (Mitchell’s latest show, a mystery series called “Ludwig,” arrives on BritBox on Thursday.) A young Olivia Colman, now an Oscar-winning actor, was part of the cast. One of the creators, Jesse Armstrong, later earned international acclaim as the mastermind of the HBO hit “Succession.”

But “Peep Show” remains a cult item or secret handshake for American audiences. “It’s kind of the hipster’s choice,” Armstrong, who created the show with Sam Bain, said in an interview. “Occasionally, somebody on set would come and say, ‘Hey, I like your other work, especially ‘Peep Show.’”

“Peep Show,” which now streams on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, among other services, is filmed in a first-person style, complete with internal monologues. It puts audiences into the minds of two friends who invariably do exactly the wrong thing, in different ways. Mark Corrigan (Mitchell) is a strait-laced insurance adjuster who flails around women, and people generally. Jeremy (Webb), also known as Jez, is a perpetually unemployed techno musician who exhibits the self-control of a puppy.