The other day, the Sydney Morning Herald published an article called Is the new Mother and Son already better than the original? Our reviewer says yes. It’s a legitimate question to ask about Matt Okine’s remake of the fondly remembered 80s/90s sitcom, although it’s notable that the SMH didn’t ask it when series one dropped... Read More »
It’s no surprise that the new season of Mother and Son is an improvement over the first. Okay, yes, it is a bit of a surprise, because how often do Australian comedy series improve with time? We’re so used to duds that turn fully half-arsed in their second go-round that it’s easy to forget that... Read More »
Game show Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation was always a bit of a marginal case when it comes to comedy. Being hosted by Shaun Micallef at his most unhinged made the first series a must-see for anyone who liked to laugh… often at (not with) Josh Thomas. The revival on Nine wasn’t exactly bad, but it... Read More »
Isn’t it lovely when all the nice characters end up happy at the end of a TV series? And the bad characters get what they deserve? That was the heartwarming vibe the final episode of the second series of Austin was going for. Not a funny vibe, sadly. But we expected that. And we’ve talked... Read More »
It’s the halfway point of Austin series 2, and what have we learned? Not to watch Austin for starters. When an episode begins with Austin (Michael Theo) being told by his publicist that if he wants to sell books to the kids he has to say his favourite singer is Taylor Swift… what the fuck... Read More »
Shaun Micallef’s Eve of Destruction may not be a game-changing chat show, but it’s different enough to be interesting. Many chat shows try to get guests to make startling confessions or to cry over dead relatives, and there’s a bit of that here, but the bigger focus is on relatable, interesting stories. So far, so... Read More »
There’s plenty you can say about the Logies – TV Tonight called it “broken” last week, and they’re not wrong. But it’s so much more than a televised evening of backslapping and blatantly handing awards to stars linked to whoever holds the broadcast rights. It’s a show that, this year at least, got it right... Read More »
Austin is what you get when everybody making a show leaves the entertainment side of things to somebody else. Sure, there’s plenty of moments where it seems like comedy is just around the corner. But if they actually delivered any big laughs, you wouldn’t stick around for the next seven episodes. It’s not often you... Read More »
The Back Side of Television is, well, back. If you’ve been looking for a chance to laugh at the weird shit Australian television has served up over the last 70-odd years, then this third season is everything you could ask for and more. Best comedy show of the year? Hang on, we haven’t seen the... Read More »
While watching Shaun Micallef on the current season of Dancing With The Stars, it was hard not to think: has it really come to this? Or that’s we would have thought if we’d actually been watching the show and not just a clip of Micallef on social media. But why would we expect anything better... Read More »