History Series / Staged

* TheVoice: Janine, Jo's assistant; David's and Georgia's children (except their oldest, Ty Tennant, who shows up in series 3); Michael's and Anna's daughter.

** Series three takes it further [[spoiler: at the end of the second episode after a technical zoom issue arises it’s revealed that the entire first episode and most of the second have been a scripted show within a show. The rest of the series then turns into a supposed behind the scenes documentary about the making of series three (the documentary itself being yet another show within a show as the whole thing is actually scripted).]] The entire show becomes more and more meta, revealing that series two was ''also'' a scripted show within a show with actors who appeared in series two as other characters reacting to series one showing up in series three playing themselves.

** Series three takes it further [[spoiler: at the end of the second episode after a technical zoom issue arises it’s revealed that the entire first episode and most of the second have been a scripted show within a show. The rest of the series then turns into a supposed behind the scenes documentary about the making of series three (the documentary itself being yet another show within a show as the whole thing is actually scripted).]] The entire show becomes more and more meta, revealing that series two was ’’also’’ a scripted show within a show with actors who appeared in series two as other characters reacting to series one showing up in series three playing themselves.

** Series three takes it further [[spoiler: at the end of the second episode after a technical zoom issue arises it’s revealed that the entire first episode and most of the second have been a scripted show within a show. The rest of the series then turns into a supposed behind the scenes documentary about the making of series three (the documentary itself being yet another show within a show as the whole thing is actually scripted).]] The entire show becomes more and more meta, revealing that series two was ‘‘also’’ a scripted show within a show with actors who appeared in series two as other characters reacting to series one showing up in series three playing themselves.

** Series three takes it further [[spoiler: at the end of the second episode after a technical zoom issue arises it’s revealed that the entire first episode and most of the second have been a scripted show within a show. The rest of the series then turns into a supposed behind the scenes documentary about the making of series three (the documentary itself being yet another show within a show as the whole thing is actually scripted).]] The entire show becomes more and more meta, revealing that series two was ‘’also’’ a scripted show within a show with actors who appeared in series two as other characters reacting to series one showing up in series three playing themselves.

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Sosanya Nina Sosanya]] as Jo, who is financing the whole thing, in series 1 and as herself in season 2.

* Creator/BenSchwartz as Tom, Mary's assistant (series 2).

* BreakingTheFourthWall: The second series is based on acknowledging that the first series was a fictional TV show, starting with Michael and David being interviewed about it on a Zoom-based chat show and getting steadily more meta from there, with a story arc about Michael and David being recast for the American remake.

** Each episode of the first series ends with Michael and David arguing about who should get top billing in the play. ("It's my turn - you were first in [[Series/GoodOmens2019 Good Omens]]"). Whatever they decide happens in the opening credits of the next episode. One starts "Starring David [=McDonald=] and Michael Sheen" because David Tennant said he would revert to his real surname to be first alphabetically. Another starts "Starring Michael Sheen & That F#!king Liar David Tennant".

* TheVoice: Janine, Jo's assistant; David's and Georgia's children; Michael's and Anna's daughter.

* TheVoice: Janine, David's and Georgia's children, and Michael's and Anna's daughter.

* TakeThatUs: The premise of the entire series. In particular, since he's writing it, Evans portraying himself as a DirtyCoward nobody likes, and a scene in the second season where Georgia, Anna and Lucy discuss how bad he is at writing women.

The setup for season 1 is that all the theatres are closed due to the pandemic. But the cast of a production of Luigi Pirandello's ''Theatre/SixCharactersInSearchOfAnAuthor'' has the idea to rehearse anyway via conference calling so that they will be ready to get into theatres the moment they reopen, and benefit from a theatre audience eager to be back. The plot follows the high-jinx that ensue as the big name stars struggle with keeping focused, and how they live their lives during lockdown.

It is sweet, and funny, and the real chemistry between David and Michael (or Michael and David?) really shines through.

''Staged'' is a British TV series that was first broadcast on Creator/TheBBC in June 2020, during the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic. It is set during the aforementioned pandemic and stars Creator/DavidTennant and Creator/MichaelSheen. It ran for [[BritishBrevity six 15-minute episodes]], which were later released on {{Creator/Netflix}} as significantly extended versions. A second series of eight episodes followed in early 2021.

* CurseCutShort: At the end of the first episode, David is about to tell Michael that Wikipedia says that he is a "cunt", but the episode cuts to the endboard before he can completely say it.

* BehavioralConditioning: In S2, Phoebe Waller-Bridge reveals that David has done this to her, conditioning her to need the toilet whenever his phone text alert sounds. It almost ruined her career and she only recovered it by creating {{Series/Fleabag}}.

* NotSoDifferent: The closing credits of Season 2, Episode 3 are of Nick Frost and Simon Pegg having a conversation in which they agree they don't want to end up like David and Michael, while discussing their billing in the same way as Michael and David do throughout the Season 1 credits, and resolving their argument earlier in the episode by playing video games, similar to ''Battleship'' in Season 1, episode 4.

* TakeThatUs: The premise of the entire series.

And some special guests show up for single episode appearences:

* BehavioralConditioning: In S2, Phoebe Waller-Bridge reveals that David has done this to her, conditioning her to need the toilet whenever his phone text alert sounds. It almost ruined her career and she only recovered it by creating Series/Fleabag.