Humanity has always needed a laugh. Even our monkey ancestors probably had one or two amongst them who would stand-up, while everyone else was sat around the fire of an evening, and bust out a tight 10 about how there’s always someone in every camp who can never be relied on to light a fire... Read More »
Another season of Black Comedy is over, and by all reports it’s not coming back. How will sketch comedy survive? Supposedly Kinne Tonight is coming back later this year, so looks like it’ll struggle on for a little while yet until someone decides it’s time to revive Fast Forward one last time. But we came... Read More »
It’s probably fair to say that Black Comedy is a variable program. For every good sketch about black/white relations or deadly aunties, there seem to be a fair number which need some work. The sketch which came to dominate Wednesday night’s episode is a case in point. A grandson and grandmother run out of Bushell’s... Read More »
After its strong showing in the most recent Tumblies, we figured it was time we checked back in on Hughesy, We Have a Problem. Yeah, thanks for that. Much appreciated. Two things immediately come to mind: 1): Do Hughsey and Wil Anderson go to the same barber, and if so, why? 2): Who thought turning... Read More »
If we can take anything from the last few months worth of news, it’s that the Morrison government doesn’t give an actual damn. Climate change? Nah, don’t worry about it. Money to sports clubs in marginal electorates? Here’s a truckload! All of which should give our satirists plenty to talk about, you’d think. Mark Humphries’... Read More »
Ratings have begun for 2020 and the ABC has decided to lure viewers away from the horrors of a Australian summer with a big Wednesday night of comedy. But how big is ABC comedy in 2020? It can’t be that big, because Hard Quiz is back, and it’s still just a solidly competent time-waster for... Read More »
Rick Kalowski, the recently-departed Head of Comedy at the ABC, gave an interesting vale interview to if.com.au recently. “The ABC does an incredible job as the driver of Australian scripted comedy but I truly see no reason why, with the right projects, the love can’t be spread,” he tells IF. Rosehaven would have been a... Read More »
Nobody expects much from end of year comedy specials in Australia. Wait, we mean “nobody expects much from comedy in Australia” because oooh, sick burn. But end of year comedy is especially lacklustre, what with ratings being over and half the country being on fire and sport being the only thing actually on television for... Read More »
It’s the end of an era: The ABC’s highly respected head of comedy Rick Kalowski today announced his resignation after more than six years in the post. After commissioning and overseeing the production of 80 titles, spanning pilots, series, digital content and podcasts, the executive tells IF he is exhausted and needs a break. The... Read More »
Last week a tweet was doing the rounds listing all the great things being done by ABC staffers now that they’ve left the ABC. The point was that they’d had to move on to get anything done, which was… fair enough? The ABC is a great training ground, but anyone able to do basic math... Read More »