Comedy Mysteries

The Case of the Missing Tonight Show

We love a good mystery here at Australian Tumbleweeds – after all, what bigger mystery is there than “why isn’t Australian comedy funny?” – so we’ve been following developments (or lack thereof) regarding John Conway Tonight with some interest. Fellow mystery fans may recall that after three weeks on air Sunday nights on ABC2 John... Read More »

The Perils of Live Television

Well, this doesn’t sound good: https://www.facebook.com/JohnConwayTonight/posts/1425896874100220 (thanks to Daniel G for the tip-off) There’s clearly not much to go on there, but John Conway Tonight is definitely not on this week (it’s been replaced by an Adam Hills’ stand-up special). Hopefully it’s nothing too serious and Conway is back on the air soon – the... Read More »

Let’s Put the Future Behind Us

We’re not ones to waste time wondering what might have been here at Casa Del Tumblie. Clearly a world where the Shaun Micallef  / Tony Martin project MousePATROL never aired but Wednesday Night Fever got a whole series is the best of all possible worlds. And yet, increasingly even we find ourselves asking: what the... Read More »

Briggswatch week 5: Concerned Expression

“Hello and welcome to The Weekly – like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or correspond with us by fax, we’re not really that picky”. Has there ever been a more dispiriting introduction to an Australian comedy show? Even Please Like Me gave you the option of reading the title ironically: this is just... Read More »

That Wasn’t The Week Was It?

Hey, can someone explain this? Because we watched The Weekly With Charlie Pickering – Series 3 Ep 2 (may God have mercy on our souls) and one thing we did not see was “special guests South Park creators Trey Parker & Matt Stone.” Okay, that’s two things. In fact, we went back and checked last... Read More »

It Starts to March Back and You Worry Like Hell

The love affair between Fairfax and Josh Thomas has been one for the ages. Occasionally though, we have to ask: maybe Fairfax is coming on a bit strong? “Almost an angel”? Have these people ever actually watched Please Like Me? Even its fans think Josh can be a bit of a prick: Time and again... Read More »

The Sun’ll Come Out Tomorrow

Anyone else noticed that Australian television comedy has been close to stone dead over the last month or so? Sure, HYBPA? keeps on ticking and Soul Mates popped up there for a while but otherwise? Very quiet indeed. And when there’s no comedy there’s not much to write about, as our collection of increasingly erratic... Read More »

Survival of the Funniest

One of the things that’s probably too obvious to be worth mentioning but it’s a pretty dry period for comedy at the moment so here goes is that the days of single-theme comedy shows are all but over. Remember that nightmarish period where it seemed everyone was trying to do “Spicks & Specks, but with... Read More »

A Nation Divided

Sometimes we ask questions knowing full well the answer. More often, we ask them because we don’t have a clue. This falls firmly into the latter category: in 2016, what happened to Gruen Nation? Those moments when you really wish you had a television show that examined election advertising… pic.twitter.com/o2kgfDhnjc — Wil Anderson (@Wil_Anderson) June... Read More »

Rebel Outside The Law

We’re not sure which is funnier: this news item, or the fact a whole bunch of people sent it to us: Actress Rebel Wilson is suing a glossy magazine publisher over a series of articles she says defamed her. Wilson, a comedian and actress who has starred in blockbusters including Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect, says... Read More »