Vale Outland
And so we bid farewell to Outland, the long anticipated and much delayed ABC-1 sitcom about a gay science fiction group.... Read More »
Comedy TV
Live From Planet America
In recent years we've seen the ABC attempt to bring a little sparkle and mass appeal to its more serious outputs. Perhaps this was inspired by the phenomenal success of The Daily Show and the many failed attempts by local comedians to make an equivalent... Read More »
Danger! Parody!
Making its TV debut on SBS last Monday was Danger 5, the cheesy 1960s action series send-up that pits five international spies against the Nazis. Oh, and they have to kill Hitler too. Sounds like a hoot,... Read More »
Mime Your Language
If you’re a fan of Australian comedy, almost by definition you have to have broad tastes. If you’re only going to enjoy Australian sitcoms, you’re going to spend a lot of time watching Kingswood Country waiting for the next new one to come along; if you’re only really a fan of really funny Australian shows,... Read More »
And in overseas news
Remember that story last year about how Britain's Channel 4 were working on a supposed rip-off of The Gruen Transfer called The Mad Bad Ads Show? If you don't, we blogged about it here. Either way, it went to air on Friday night and we've managed to see... Read More »
It’s Not Easy Being Green
We were going to talk about a review of Outland, but… ah, what the hell, let’s start with that. In The Age‘s Green Guide television supplement for Feb 16th, Jim Schembri had this to say about Outland: “The problem with this stab at a hip, savvy sitcom is that it is too gay”. Considering the... Read More »
Roast the Host with The Most
Australian television doesn’t have comedians any more, it has hosts. Think about how many much-loved laugh-getters from radio and sketch comedy have, under the relentless all-bland pressure of Australian television, turned into little more than less competent versions of Larry Emdur. Think about all the “comedians” coming through now who, first chance they get, throw... Read More »
A little outlandish, and quite entertaining
The ABC's new Wednesday comedy line-up kicked off last night with the return of Adam Hills In Gordon Street Tonight and the long-awaited debut of the sitcom... Read More »
A load of balls
New Australian comedy was back on the box this week, with the debut of Santo, Sam and Ed's Sports Fever! and the return of a few shows including Balls of Steel Australia and Clarke &... Read More »
Monday Night Fever
We’re pretty quick to sink the boots in whenever an Australian television network screws up – what, you mean you haven’t seen the results of the 2011 Australian Tumbleweed Awards yet? – so it seems only fair that we be equally as prompt to give them the thumbs up when they get something right. In... Read More »