The Ideas Shower overfloweth
The Joy of Sets was always going to be much anticipated by anyone interested in Australian comedy, and in its debut last night it did not... Read More »
Comedy TV
Questions Without Notice
Here’s a question we’re yet to see answered: where exactly did the idea for At Home With Julia come from? Yes, Amanda Bishop was doing her Julia Gillard impersonation well before the surprisingly well-received ABC sitcom was announced, so chances are she had dreams of leveraging her performance into actual television work. But Veronica Milsom,... Read More »
Whooah, we’re halfway there
Back in the dark ages of 2008, when we were just an annual awards ceremony that only some of The Chaser had heard of, Swift & Shift Couriers had recently finished its first, disappointing series. Facing stiff competition from Rebel Wilson's pre-Bridesmaids s(h)itcom Bogan Pride, Swift & Shift... series 1 was relegated to second place in the popular vote for the 2008 Australian Tumbleweeds Worst Sitcom... Read More »
Nice, at half the price
Just when we thought it wasn't possible for the ABC to make any more of those “a personality explores...” shows, we get a media release in our inbox saying... Read More »
Hump’n Dump & the One Pump Chump
More than just about any other form of television, comedy requires feedback. Stand-up comedians hone their act in front of live audiences; even shoddy no-budget Australian comedy films manage to fit in a bunch of test screenings to help guide the editing process. So why, we hope you’re asking yourselves otherwise this post is going... Read More »
Devil With a Blue Dress On
In these days of a thousand digital channel flowers blooming, repeating your programs as often as possible during the week of release is a sign of commitment. “This is a show we’re standing behind,” a repeat says, “this is a show we want to be seen by as many people as possible”. Whether it’s a... Read More »
Good News Weak – Geddit? See what we did there? Ha!
Ten’s experiment turning the tried and tested and tired Good News Week into the shiny new sketch-tastic Good News World worked out pretty much as well as you would expect. If you think you’re detecting a little sarcasm there, well... Read More »
Grumble Grumble Swear Swear
Over the years we’ve developed something of a reputation as people who love to hate. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth: we’re so full of hate we even hate hating, which is why we try to be fair and balanced with our critical responses to the wide world of Australian comedy. But... Read More »
Bad news, world
Crikey's Laugh Track blog reported the other day that a promo video for the upcoming sketch show Good News World has been released on Facebook. Good News World, in case you've been trying to block out its existence (and this is something we do advise), is the revamped version of Good News Week, which promises to be “somewhere between The Daily Show, Saturday Night Live, and a hostage... Read More »
Vale Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey
Tonight sees the final episode of Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey, and what have we learnt? For starters, it’s now impossible to put a show on television that doesn’t start off with a reminder about previous episodes. What was all that about? Sure, it’s a journey, but it’s not like each step built on the previous... Read More »