Comedy TV

Vale The Weekly 2023

You know what they say – you cannot kill what does not live. And so trying to shovel some dirt over The Weekly once again proves to be utterly pointless, because across 19 episodes the whole thing showed about as much life as your average Dodo and yet it’ll somehow be back again next year... Read More »

Betooting in the Back of the Ute

Once again we return to what seems to be increasingly familiar territory: new Australian series that you’d think would be comedies, but are not. And not in the “because they’re not funny, geddit?” sense either. The Betoota Advocate Presents is a perfectly well made and successful program that just… isn’t really trying to be all... Read More »

Utopian Fantasies

Ok, so Utopia is back for a record-breaking (not really – ed) fifth season. It’s been almost a decade since season one first aired – surely after a tumultuous decade in politics this particular satire has morphed into something all but unrecognisable? Yeah, nah, it’s business as usual once again. You can’t really fault Working... Read More »

It’s a Tie

There was only ever one of two ways Deadloch could go. One way had us excited; the other… yeah, not so much. So what exactly have Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan served up with their big budget Amazon murder mystery series? And why aren’t we super excited about what’s to come? Behind door number one,... Read More »

Taking the Dirt Nap

In Limbo is the ABC’s latest dramedy, and in classic dramedy fashion it’s about a topic so hilarious you don’t even need to write jokes to get laughs: a husband and father kills himself and nobody knows why. Comedy gold! To be fair (why? – ed), that isn’t really the comedy part. Oh no, the... Read More »

Have you been paying attention for 11 years?

We’re two episodes into series 11 of Have You Been Paying Attention? but is there anything left to say about why Have You Been Paying Attention? is still a great... Read More »

Vale Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe

Okay, this is going to be a tough one. How do we review an Australian sitcom that’s actually funny? Yeah, sure, Fisk was pretty good too, but c’mon. Fisk didn’t have an episode where a crippling addiction to playing a drumming arcade game really badly was resolved by having someone who’d shrunk themselves down to... Read More »

Hannah Gadsby is Something Special

Hannah Gadsby’s Something Special, now on Netflix, is the feel-good follow-up to their previous stand-up shows Nanette and Douglas.... Read More »

A Bargain at Twice the Price

The Cheap Seats is back! Still good? Still good! We’re done then? Yeah, pretty much. The show came back earlier this week without skipping a beat. There was plenty of mileage in the Royal Coronation and even more in Melanie Bracewell corpsing while Tim looked on in mock confusion. She’s from New Zealand, he’s short... Read More »

Vale We Interrupt This Broadcast

Well, we’re assuming We Interrupt This Broadcast is done – it’s not in the schedules for next week. And yeah, ten episodes seems as good a point as any to pull the pin. A bit of confusion over its departure seems fitting, considering it began with a blaze (well, flicker) of glory before fizzling out... Read More »