Rebuilding the Aussie Sitcom from the Ground Up

The first thing you notice about Ground Up is that it’s not written by the lead actor. A first for an Australian sitcom in 2026! And probably a lot longer, it’s too depressing to check.

A sitcom written (or co-written) by its lead doesn’t have to suck. May we direct your attention towards The Games, and not for the last time in this review. But it’s a sign of just how deeply the… let’s go with “contempt”… for the audience runs at the ABC that for a long, long time now pretty much the *only* way a comedy gets up is if they’re written by the lead.

Not because they have an insight into the character they’re playing. If that was the case, then Fisk would have had a lot more support fresh out the gate. But because having one person taking on two roles is cheaper.

And for every example where having the cast write the scripts has worked out fine (cough Frontline cough), there’s three where the scripts really, really could have done with having an experienced writer give them a once over. You know, someone like Gary McCaffrie, longtime writer for multiple Shaun Micallef projects, various sketch shows, and now Ground Up.

You can spot the difference right from the start. Multiple characters with actual substance! Character dynamics that feature an element of nuance! The ensemble is briskly defined to excellent comedic effect! We sure didn’t get any of that with Dog Park.

The set-up is fairly straightforward. Pang’s character Hugh has been sent to Tasmania to oversee the formation of the island’s first AFL club. This largely involves building a very expensive new stadium for reasons only known to the AFL. So his job involves schmoozing sponsors, winning over local politicans, dealing with underlings of varying competence, keeping his boss happy, and hiring the people who’ll eventually run out onto the field. If the field ever gets built.

And while Sam Pang is the nominal lead, playing a character that’s a perfect showcase for his dry wit, this really is an ensemble show. Public servant overseeing things on behalf of the State government Destiny (Emma Harvie) is basically a co-lead, with well-defined goals (not a football reference) that are largely (but not always) at an angle to Pang’s. Personally, they strike sparks; it’s their professional desires that make them uneasy allies. There’s also an assistant who’s useless, and a number of other characters in their orbit whose roles – both professionally and comedically – are clearly defined.

That’s a lot of words to say “Ground Up is well written”. And yes, it’s well put together on a script level. More importantly, we almost never get to see this kind of thing coming out of 21st century Australia (let alone Tasmania). Even something like Optics, which vaguely gestured towards this kind of office-based complexity, kept on dropping the ball.

If you’re looking for broad comedic performances or off-the-wall silliness, jog on. Okay, there is a bit of silliness going on here. Club songs and club mascots are both ruthlessly mocked. But mostly this is about hanging comedy scenes off intricate plotting; The Games is the obvious example, but if you remember Yes, Minister that’s an even better comparison.

Just to be clear, Ground Up isn’t perfect. It’s not about big laughs; wry smiles is more its wheelhouse. And some of the plot twists and turns don’t quite come off. Occasionally it feels like its trying to head off questions nobody’s actually asking. But it’s the kind of sitcom where the results are cumulative. The more you get to know the characters and the situation, the more amusing it gets.

Put it this way: it’s the best Australian-made office-based comedy where two rivals are forced to work together that we’ve seen in the last few months. Let’s hope there are no more entrants in that category this year.