Buddy review: is it worth watching

Buddy is a 1986 British drama series starring The Who's Roger Daltrey. It ran for one season of 25-minute episodes and has mostly faded into obscurity. IMDb users give it a 7.6 out of 10 based on 38 votes, which suggests the few people who remember it have some affection for it, but that's a tiny sample. It's not streaming on the major platforms, and tracking down episodes takes effort. Unless you're a Daltrey fan hunting down everything he did outside music or you collect obscure 80s British TV, you can skip it.

What is Buddy about?

The series is a drama that aired in the mid-80s. Details on the plot are thin—it's not widely documented—but it featured Daltrey alongside Wayne Goddard and Lorriane Plummer. The show didn't make a lasting cultural impact, and it's rarely mentioned even in retrospectives of 80s television. It's the kind of thing that aired, did its run, and vanished before home video made everything immortal.

Watch it: The Who: The Complete Collection Blu-ray on Amazon (For Roger Daltrey fans wanting his work; easier to find than rare Buddy episodes)

Is Roger Daltrey any good in it?

Daltrey had a handful of acting roles in the 80s, and by most accounts he was better than a lot of rock stars who tried the same thing. He's got presence and he commits. Whether that's enough to carry a 25-minute drama from 1986 depends on how much you like him. If you're a Who fan who enjoyed him in McVicar or his guest spots, you might get a kick out of seeing him in this. If you're indifferent, there's not enough here to convert you.

Where can you watch it?

Good luck. Buddy isn't on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu or any of the usual suspects. It never got a big home video release in the U.S., and used DVD or VHS copies are scarce. Your best bet is checking eBay or specialty British TV sellers, or hoping someone uploaded episodes to YouTube. It's the kind of show that exists in the margins now, traded among collectors more than watched by casual viewers.

Who is this for?

Daltrey completists, British TV historians, and anyone who gets a thrill from tracking down forgotten 80s programming. If you grew up watching everything on the BBC and ITV and you remember this from childhood, it might be worth the nostalgia trip. For everyone else, it's too obscure and too hard to find to justify the effort. There are dozens of 80s shows that hold up better and are easier to watch.

The verdict

Pass unless you're already invested. The 7.6 rating suggests it's not bad, but 38 votes is nothing, and the fact that it disappeared so completely tells you it didn't leave much of a mark. If you're looking for 80s nostalgia, go rewatch something that was actually a hit. If you're a Daltrey fan, sure, hunt it down—but temper your expectations. It's a footnote, not a hidden gem.

Quick answers

Is <em>Buddy</em> streaming anywhere?

No. It's not on any major streaming service and never got a wide home video release. You'll have to hunt down used copies or look for uploads.

How many episodes are there?

One season of 25-minute episodes aired in 1986. The exact episode count isn't widely documented.

Is it worth tracking down if I'm a Roger Daltrey fan?

Only if you're a completist. It's a curiosity, not essential, and the effort to find it outweighs what you'll get from it.

What do audiences think of it?

IMDb users rate it 7.6 out of 10, but that's based on only 38 votes—too small a sample to mean much.