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Australian TV is charming

Thanks to this site I learned about Frayed, Kath and Kim and recently discovered Rake.

They all have a nudge/wink quality that US tv lacks.

Have any of your favorite Aussie shows we might not know about?

by Anonymousreply 13December 15, 2021 11:00 AM

I like the blackface caricatures on "Hey Hey It's Saturday".

by Anonymousreply 1November 26, 2021 9:13 AM

These are mostly quite old, but they're classics and I've chosen them because they have the particular sense of humour you seem to like, OP.

See if you can find the original SeaChange (1998). Don't be put off by the first ep, which is all set-up. There are two showrunners, the most important of whom was also co-showrunner throughout Rake. You will find the sense of humour similar but it's even more charming. (Warning: do not watch the recent SeaChange "return" series - it bombed.)

Perhaps Australia's favourite movie is The Castle, which shouldn't be hard to find. At least a dozen quotes from it have come into everyday speech in Oz. The father who is its centrepiece was inspired by the director's own father, and the plot was inspired by the debate over Aboriginal land rights, though that is not obvious. If you like it, the team who made it is called Working Dog Productions. Google or Wiki them and you will get a list of comedy TV shows they've made, more acerbic in tone than The Castle but all worth watching except a miss called Funky Squad. They are still very much producing. Their series in the 2000s have been notable for casting comedians in acting roles, which has been a big success and will have the extra benefit of introducing you to Australian stand-up comics you may not know.

by Anonymousreply 2November 26, 2021 11:39 AM

Thank you R2 I will see what I can find. With so much content streaming on various platforms it won't be impossible.

by Anonymousreply 3November 26, 2021 4:42 PM

I love A Place Called Home

by Anonymousreply 4November 26, 2021 4:45 PM

OP, the other seriously charming thing will be really easy to find. It's the multi award-winning animated kids' show Bluey, which is everywhere. Little 7 minute vignettes about infancy and parenthood that just charm the socks off you, even if you don't like kids. (These are puppies, so they should appeal even to the DL.) It's unusual in that there is at least as much emphasis on the father as the mother.

Another kids' show with appeal to adults is the elementary-school playground mockumentary Little Lunch. This one is aimed at older kids but is by comedians who usually write for adults, so they (with the exception of Alanis Morissette) will get all the irony. If you like it you can hit the adult comedy Upper Middle Bogan, which is by the same showrunners. It's on Netflix here.

by Anonymousreply 5December 14, 2021 10:41 AM

Any of these from Chris Lilley are hilarious.

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by Anonymousreply 6December 14, 2021 10:54 AM

I'm Australian and I think most of our tv and movies are lame, but it's nice to hear some of you guys appreciate our dry sense of humor.

by Anonymousreply 7December 14, 2021 11:30 AM

I still think Love My Way and Tangle are some of the best dramas from any country, and I usually don't go for Aussie TV as much (though I love Aussie cinema). The acting is amazing and realistic.

Kath & Kim, The Games, We Can Be Heroes.... we definitely do comedy better than drama I think. Those are probably my 3 favourites.

by Anonymousreply 8December 14, 2021 11:41 AM

A Place to Call Home is by far the best Aussie show I’ve ever seen. Followed by Doctor, Doctor (The Heart Guy in North America). Loved the first few seasons of All Saints, but the quality of the show deteriorated when they moved to the ER. Packed To The Rafters was pretty good, haven’t seen the sequel yet. Love Rake and 800 Words. Disappointed with Love Child.

But now, PRISONER: Cell Block H is on YouTube! Hallelujah!

by Anonymousreply 9December 14, 2021 12:19 PM

R7 Rake is a comic masterpiece. I watch one episode a night but could easily binge it. I am into the final season and his ending up in politics is the most perfect thing that could happen to a skalliwag.

by Anonymousreply 10December 14, 2021 2:10 PM

Chris Lilley wasn't funny at the time, despite his popularity, and is now cancelled.

by Anonymousreply 11December 15, 2021 8:52 AM

Nah, Chris Lilley is hilarious. Watch Jonah from Tonga, you'll laugh.

by Anonymousreply 12December 15, 2021 10:21 AM

As everyone who’s seen it says, Mr Inbetween is the best thing to come out of Australia since Mad Max.

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by Anonymousreply 13December 15, 2021 11:00 AM
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