Comedy TV

A rough morning

Melbourne's Channel 31 has a well-deserved reputation for making the sort of comedy you just don't see anywhere else. One such show is Morningshines, which started on Channel 31 on 6th August and airs every Friday at 10pm (it can also be downloaded from the show's website).... Read More »

Down Down, Deeper & Down (redux)

Considering the track record of the people behind them, it’s safe to say that both Yes We Canberra! and Gruen Nation have proven to be pleasant surprises to us here at Tumbleweed HQ. For the most part they’ve been smart, funny programs that have done almost everything right as far as getting laughs without selling... Read More »

The least worst we could expect

Week two of Yes We Canberra! was always going to be the real test. The Chaser had got rave reviews and high ratings in week one, so were bound to get a big audience for the second episode…but they’d had less time to write and film, and their stock of pre-written material was dwindling –... Read More »

You Gotta Keep ’em Seperated

If you had any doubt at all about what market Ten is going for with their upcoming series Offspring, consider that doubt flushed after the first 90 seconds as our heroine Nina (Asher Keddie, last seen as a topless Blanche in Hawke) a): acts all clumsy in front of a buff and shirtless man, then... Read More »

Game before laugh

Panel games in this country are generally slanted more towards the game than the panel. Giving funny answers to questions isn't exactly frowned upon, but it's not the point of the show either – the point is the game.... Read More »

Press Release Me, Let Me Go(!)

Hey look! It’s a press release! WTF! KEEPING YOU ‘A BREAST’ OF WORLD EVENTS Coming Soon to GO! Do you only have two minutes a day to catch up on the who, why, when, where and what the F of the world’s news? Who would you turn to? Well if you like your news to... Read More »

Domestically challenged

Hannah Gadsby is one of the better stand-ups on the Australian scene at the moment, but her recent programme for the ABC's Artscape strand, Hannah Gadsby Goes Domestic, seemed a bit like a first... Read More »

Yet Another Twice-Risen Souffle

If you wanted to make an Australian television drama, or a soap opera, or a current affairs program, or a reality series about car repairs – basically, pretty much anything that isn’t a comedy – you probably wouldn’t go out and make a short film first. Somewhere down the line you’d shoot a pilot or... Read More »

Australia Versus a Frisbee Made of Vomit

In news that might have stunned the nation if anyone had actually cared, Australia Versus has been pulled. We outlined a bunch of objections to its very existence here, but why not throw a few more into the ring – for one, how did everyone at Seven completely fail to notice that pretty much the... Read More »

The Resistable Rise of Hamish & Andy

Over the last few weeks word has been filtering back from the UK division of 21st Century Daryl Worldwide about the massive – well, noticeable at least – impact Hamish & Andy’s recent visit has had over there. Supposedly they made a surprisingly good impression on The Graham Norton Show (shown recently on the ABC…... Read More »