Australian Tumbleweeds
Tomorrow Tonight This Week
So for reasons inexplicable even to us, we tuned into the second installment of Tomorrow Tonight. Clearly we’ve learned nothing from decades of Australian comedy, let alone the experience of watching episode one. But did our return reveal a show that was, first episode aside, trying to be funny?
Well, not really, This week’s episode was largely about ethics, and whether people should be forced to be good. Having Tom Gleeson on board was – surprisingly – a big help here. His “complete arsehole” comedy persona gave him plenty of room to not give a shit about anyone else and turn some fairly dull scenarios into mildly amusing comedy.
He did also occasionally reveal a softer side too. Like the time the first review of one of his shows was massively negative and he briefly worried that hey, maybe he did suck. But then everyone else gave him five stars and the show was a huge sell-out and it turned out he was a comedy genius after all. More points to Gleeson: he made a joke out of how his success restored his faith in himself.
Otherwise the highlight was Pickering’s somewhat unhinged demand that society should, if not actively punish people who don’t help others (ie by giving blood), then most definitely reward those who do. Yes, the big problem there is that once you start down that path society may very well adjust itself so that the “reward” for doing good becomes the baseline and those who don’t chip in are punished by default, but this is a light entertainment panel show and Pickering’s nutty statement – which he seemed to believe in quite strongly – was more interesting than our boring rebuttal.
And that’s the real problem with this show. Addressing these issues seriously is boring. Maybe if each week’s topic was some insane cutting edge cultural development that could spin off in any direction, then having random comedians discuss it could generate some useful info. But these topics are already well-trod ground. We’re not learning anything new here.
When Gleeson took the piss, Tomorrow Tonight suddenly had a reason to exist. A very brief reason, and not one you could do every week – which is also the problem with Gleeson’s act in general, but he’s making a buck from it so good on him. It’s a show that can only be funny when people are trying to tear it down; going along with the format just seems to produce a lot of bland television.
So yeah, mission accomplished once again ABC.
Tomorrow Tonight Again
Tomorrow Tonight is back! Wait, what’s Tomorrow Tonight again? Let’s let host Annabel Crabb explain:
“On Tomorrow Tonight, we’ll travel forward in time-“
(to a point after this series is over?)
“Offering well-known Aussies the chance to answer questions they’ve never before had to face”
(“why do you keep getting work despite your obvious lack of talent?”)
“Like, what if you could wipe clean traumatic memories?”
(like watching this show?) (we’ll stop now)
Tomorrow Tonight – last seen on our screens in 2018, so clearly people have been clamouring for its return – is a panel show. It’s basically ye olde Geoffery Robertson’s Hypotheticals: people are asked to discuss contemporary issues through the lens of “what if this happened?” But because it’s no longer the 1980s, instead of experts in their field displaying their knowledge and insight we get light entertainment personalities doing what they do best*.
The big question this week turned out to be “What if God was very, very real”. Seriously? We have two thousand years of thought from some of the smartest, most insightful minds in human history addressing this exact topic and the brains trust at the ABC thought “naaah, fuck those guys off, lets get Charlie Pickering to tell us what he thinks”.
In case you were wondering exactly why the ABC is held in such low regard by so many Australians: this is why. Tomorrow Tonight is merely the latest in an endless procession of utterly pointless ABC panel shows where the same safe pairs of hands (in that nothing actually interesting will be said) return time and time again to blather on.
Put another way, this is a show that asks “what if God were real?” and nobody says “we’re all fucked”.
Considering this is a comedy blog, we should have jumped ship somewhere around the time Crabb said “tonight we’re going to explore if belief is still essential to human existence”. But in our defense, the episode did at least start off trying to keep things light with a segment titled “The Moral Vacuum”. “Oh no, I cooked my vegetarian friends a meal using chicken stock! I somehow killed a goldfish I was looking after!”
Geoffrey Robertson used hypotheticals to tackle questions about what our government would do in times of crisis. Now it’s what would Waleed Aly do when confronted with a dead goldfish.
There are a grand total of two reasons for a show like this to exist, because you’re sure not making it to be entertaining. Either you’re there to educate the audience about issues relevant to their lives, or to educate the audience about the characters of the panelists. Absolutely no prizes for guessing which direction this takes. Though it’s good to know Charlie Pickering is now technically a Jewish comedian**.
When asked “how do you know you’ve chosen the right god?” Aly replies “You’re going to answer that in a light entertainment format?” and really the show should have just ended there, halfway through episode one. Nobody is going to learn anything substantial from this show; people looking for actual entertainment have so many other options it’s laughable this even exists.
If we’re going to get seriously critical here for a moment, if you’re going to do a debate on religion you really need to present some differing views on religion itself, not just a range of people with firm commitments to different religions. Aly’s belief is clearly utterly rock-solid: everything else in his life is built on his belief, and that belief exists independently of the need for facts or proof.
That’s interesting as far as we’re interested in him as a personality. It’s a dead end as far as any kind of debate goes. For him, the debate is already over. His firm religious belief – like that of everyone else on the panel – only tells us something about him, not something about religion in general. Which yet again, seems to be the point. Seriously tackling his (or anyone else’s) religion was most definitely not on the cards.
Which is kind of insulting to religion when you think about it.
.
*if you know what that is, please let us know
**well, technically he’s a comedian; officially he’s now Jewish
No accounting for taste
It’s press release time!
Screen Australia, BINGE and Screen NSW have announced production has begun in Sydney on a new Australian-made original series Colin from Accounts, commissioned for BINGE.
The eight-episode romantic comedy is created and written by, and stars, Patrick Brammall (No Activity, A Moody Christmas) and Harriet Dyer (Wakefield, The Invisible Man).
Centred on Ashley (Dyer) and Gordon (Brammall), two single(ish), complex humans who are brought together by a car accident and an injured dog, Colin from Accounts is about flawed, funny people choosing each other and being brave enough to show their true self, scars and all, as they navigate life together.
The series is produced by Easy Tiger Productions and CBS Studios, with Rob Gibson and Ian Collie producing for Easy Tiger (Jack Irish, Rake, Doctor Doctor, Saving Mr Banks). Directors are Trent O’Donnell (No Activity, The Letdown), Matt Moore (The Great, Diary of an Uber Driver) and Madeleine Dyer. Executive Producers are Patrick Brammall, Harriet Dyer, O’Donnell, Alison Hurbert-Burns and Brian Walsh.
Screen Australia’s CEO Graeme Mason said, “We’re thrilled to support creators Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall whose careers have been exploding overseas, as they join forces on this relatable and charming home-grown comedy. Teaming up with the talented producers at Easy Tiger, Colin from Accounts will undoubtedly delight and resonate with viewers on BINGE.”
BINGE Executive Director, Alison Hurbert-Burns said, “We are thrilled to announce that we’re going into production on this Australian original series, following the successful debut of our first original romantic drama, Love Me. Colin from Accounts, is a comedy packed script and a unique romantic story that is grounded by very relatable characters that we hope Australians will love”.
Easy Tiger’s Rob Gibson and Ian Collie said, “Dyer, Brammall, rom-com, cute dog: what’s not to love? It’s a delight to be working on this hilarious and big-hearted show with Harriet, Patrick, Trent, Matt and Maddy, which is a ridiculous amount of talent all in the one place. We’re very grateful to our partners at BINGE and CBS Studios, who immediately saw the appeal of Colin from Accounts for their audiences in Australia and around the world, and also of course to Screen Australia and Screen NSW for their wonderful support.”
Head of Screen NSW Grainne Brunsdon said, “Screen NSW is joining forces with the FOXTEL Group and Screen Australia to secure another original series for NSW’s highly skilled screen industry. Colin from Accounts is a BINGE original series that aligns the production know-how of Easy Tiger with the creative team of Patrick Brammall, Harriet Dyer and Trent O’Donnell for an exciting rom com series set in Sydney.
“I know this 100% NSW-made production will deliver laughs for audiences at home and abroad,” Brunsdon said.
The series is distributed outside Australia and New Zealand by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.
The series commissioned for the Foxtel Group will be produced by Easy Tiger Productions and CBS Studios. It has major production funding from Screen Australia with support from Screen NSW.
So… “relatable and charming home-grown comedy”, “rom-com, cute dog”, “big-hearted”, “will deliver laughs for audiences at home and abroad” …yeah, we get the vibe. We’re predicting mildly eccentric characters, low-stakes peril, and minimal belly-laughs.
This isn’t the kind of show that’s designed to be funny. It’s the kind of show that’s designed to be sold to international streaming services looking for inoffensive dramedies in mildly exotic locales.
Trip to the Brain
(slightly late) Press release time!
Lune Media has announced a series commission from Network Ten for a brand-new quiz show – Shaun Micallef’s Brain Eisteddfod.
The one-hour, weekly quiz program is hosted by actor, writer, television presenter and one of Australia’s favourite comedians Shaun Micallef.
Leonie Lowe, Managing Director at Lune Media said: “I’m thrilled to be working with Shaun again on this exciting new series. It is the third time we have collaborated, and our partnership has always been both respectful and successful. I really admire his passion and commitment to his work and the team.
Viewers will see Shaun’s natural ability to engage and encourage the young contestants with his unique mix of quick-fire humour and razor-sharp wit.”
Over ten weeks Shaun Micallef’s Brain Eisteddfod brings together eighteen schools from around Australia and will pit their best and brightest Year 11 students against each other to determine Australia’s biggest brains.
Teams of three will combine for testing of their knowledge on a range of subjects from English, Mathematics, History, Foreign Languages to Biology and Economics, and much more for a fiercely contested and fun-filled one hour of entertainment.
Shaun Micallef said: “I’ve always believed there was intelligent life on this planet, and I am delighted and proud to be part of Channel TEN’s efforts to discover it right here in Australia. Also, I was once a Year 11 student myself and will be using my old notes to double-check the answers.”
Shaun Micallef’s Brain Eisteddfod is a Lune Media production in association with Giant Baby for Network Ten Australia. The series is based on an original concept from Giant Baby and Lune Media. Executive Producers are David Galloway, Shaun Micallef and Leonie Lowe.
It’s the It’s Academic reboot we’ve been waiting for! Finally a new generation will understand that Late Show sketch where Santo says “Tonga”!
Otherwise, everything here makes total sense without once sounding like something we’d be excited to watch. If it wasn’t official before that the only way comedians can get on Australian commercial television is on a quiz show, it sure is now. Bob Franklin for the next host of Family Feud!
In fact, we might even be a bit disappointed at this news: while it’s certainly possible for Micallef to fit this in between two seasons of Mad as Hell in 2022, this does make that seem a bit less likely… though realistically, this year’s return of Question Everything and The One That’s Just Hypotheticals But With Annabel Crabb had already sealed the death of ABC comedy.
But on the up side, at least “Brain Eisteddfod” is moderately amusing to say.
You’ll (Front) Bar Up
The Front Bar has been one of Seven’s big successes of the last few years. Originally little more than an online advertorial for booze with some footy chat mixed in – or an advertorial for footy with booze mixed in – having Sam Pang and Mick Molloy crap on while clearly getting pissed was a formula that soon became a winter mainstay. At least for those in the AFL states who give a shit about sport.
These days Seven tries to drag this ratings winner out as long as possible. There’s various non-AFL specials constantly turning up whenever there’s a sporting event on that almost kinda sorta justifies it. You can’t exactly blame them: comedians taking the piss out of sport is about as sure-fire as you get with Australian comedy, and Pang, Molloy and straight man Andy Maher are as good at it as anybody else this century.
As comedy goes, The Front Bar is a solid product. It gets more mileage than you might expect from Sam and Mick riling each other up, and Seven’s massive archive of AFL footage going back to the dawn of time gets a pretty solid workout as well. The guests are often good value too. Presumably a career waffling on at pie nights means they’ve got a bunch of anecdotes good to go.
And yet those stories, like everything else on The Front Bar, are always about sport. Sports jokes are extremely low hanging fruit if you’re a fan, and pretty much incomprehensible if you’re not. You’ll probably work out the laughs from the context – it’s not a subtle show – but “work” and “laughs” rarely go hand in hand.
Don’t expect any concessions to the non-sport comedy fan either. While plenty of people like sport and and the same time like things that are not sport, sport is such a massive market in Australia that sport doesn’t need to appeal to anyone who doesn’t like sport. So sports shows are entirely about sport, and shows that aren’t about sport don’t bother mentioning sport because sports shows already have that market covered.
Just look at HYBPA? It’s a news comedy show that covers the week in news pretty extensively, yet there’s only ever a handful of sports mentions and more often than not they’re from overseas. Meanwhile, half the country follows AFL and the other half NRL. National shows can’t cover both because fans of one hate fans of the other. The solution? Avoid the whole thing entirely, which suits people who don’t like sport just fine.
The upside of this divide is, The Front Bar has a fair amount of decent material each week all to themselves. Like those AFL “comedy” series before it – that one with Straunchie, that other one with Sam Newman – there’s also a fair bit of actual sports coverage going on. No surprise there: commercial TV has massive sports departments so why not get various experts and commentators and ex-players on? They’re already hanging around the place.
But is it funny? Despite both Pang and Molloy having extensive comedy careers outside the world of sport, you still need to be pretty committed fans of either – or just like sport – to follow them here. It’s a sports show with a comedy slant rather than a comedy show about sport, and it doesn’t really pretend otherwise.
And there’s a lot of sport: as is seemingly traditional with these shows, this constantly runs over time. If you’re keen on 75+ minutes (with sports-related ads) of sport, much of which seems to be thanks and shout-outs to former players who are now car salesmen or running some shonky pub, more power to you.
Still, there’s usually a couple of comedy nuggets in here if you’re willing to put in the effort. There’s plenty of funny banter going on, Pang and Molloy are two of the more charismatic characters in Australian comedy, and the show’s just ramshackle enough to give them room to mess around.
If only they weren’t constantly crapping on about sport.
Wake up: Time to Buy
Time to Buy is a half-hour comedy special currently being serialised on SBS’s yoof news program The Feed (you can also watch the whole thing on SBS On Demand). It’s a musical about a young couple who decide it’s time to dive into the housing market. Yes, that’s the joke.
Let’s say some positive things first because honestly? At a basic level this is a perfectly okay way to spend just over half an hour (or five or so seven minute segments). Let’s start with the two leads: they’re charming and likable! We’d happily watch their further adventures in some kind of lightweight drama. Their deadshit roommate Calvin; clearly a deadshit, but not a totally generic one – best comedy character in the show.
In fact, almost all the character stuff was well observed and relatively nuanced. There was even a non-evil real estate agent, which was a brave move for something ostensibly a comedy. There was a firm sense here that they wanted to avoid the obvious cliches, and when they couldn’t – enter the rich boomers* looking to buy the same property as our heroes – we at least got a musical number from their side of things and a semi-decent joke about not understanding WhatsApp.
But was it funny? Let’s look at it this way: no.
Taking a boring, mundane subject and making a musical out of it was funny once and may very well be funny again, but if Time to Buy is any guide it is currently not funny at all. The musical numbers themselves weren’t bad**; the scenes around them were also not bad. But the juxtaposition of the two did not, in any real way, create comedy.
Still, points for trying. No points for the actual story, which [SPOILER] goes like this: sick of their crap house, crap roomate and rising rents, our two young people decide to buy a house. A mortgage broker arranges a loan – easy! They love the first house they see – easy! But some evil boomers also want it – then there’s an auction! The results will shock you, the end.
With only a half hour to work with and a bunch of musical numbers to fit in, the plot clearly couldn’t afford to be too complex. But who thinks the big stress point in house hunting for first home buyers is the auction and not, say, trying to save a deposit? Or finding a house they like? Or finding a house they like that they can afford? Or finding a house they can still afford two weeks later when prices have gone up fifty grand?
There’s a lot of moving parts when it comes to buying a house. This could have mined those issues for comedy instead of rushing to a big dramatic ending that didn’t really pay off. Though from what broad comedy there was on display – notably the jogger who horned his way into the framing sequence and proceeded to be annoying in a way that was clearly intended to be funny but was really just annoying – maybe getting laughs was never going to be this special’s big strength.
Remember last year’s run of millennial comedies that were just low-key dramas with occasional bitchy comments? Pretty much any non-murder story about anyone under thirty is going to be filed under “comedy” no matter what. So a half hour drama about house hunting? Not going to happen.
A mildly exasperated, FML tone might be accurate for millennials’ lives, but it doesn’t automatically make a story into a comedy. But hey, if you don’t have a load of decent jokes about house hunting maybe pick a different subject, just add a bunch of songs and hope the contrast between the form (a musical) and the content (buying a house) generates laughs.
Usually when it comes to Australian comedy it’s all too easy to see the reasons why it’s not funny. Not here: a one-off half hour musical comedy special has no excuse for not being hilarious from start to finish. What’s holding it back? Not the subject matter, not the talent involved, not some requirement to be a “dramedy” for overseas sales. This should have been a full half hour of solid laughs.
Instead we got a well-meaning real estate agent and a jogger we wanted to slap.
*okay, we did laugh at the Leunig reference
**just in musical terms,”weren’t bad” is underselling the songs. If we were a musical review blog instead of a comedy review blog we would have rated this a lot higher
Damn stinking lies
If everything else on commercial television wasn’t already a local remake of some successful show from America or Britain or South Korea, you might wonder why Network 10 was bothering to make a local version of the British comedy panel show Would I Lie To You? Australian commercial television has rarely succeeded at comedy panel shows. This blog is littered with reviews of shows like Can of Worms, which was hosted for two series by Would I Lie To You? Australia’s host Chrissie Swan, or The Unbelievable Truth, which featured one of Would I Lie To You? Australia’s team captains Chris Taylor.
The real reason Would I Lie To You? Australia exists is probably because Have You Been Paying Attention? isn’t back yet. And 10 wants to make Monday nights on 10 the year-round home of comedy. If true, it’s a worthy aim, but Would I Like To You? Australia will have to sharpen up a bit to be worthy of keeping Have You Been Paying Attention?’s seat warm.
The British original of Would I Lie To You? is fast-paced and, crucially, lasts only half an hour. Would I Like To You? Australia has its moments, comedically, but goes on for far too long. We get it, a commercial TV half-hour isn’t enough time to do this show justice. Yet a commercial TV hour really out-stays its welcome when it comes to this format.
In case you don’t know the concept, host Chrissie Swan asks team captains Chris Taylor and Frank Woodley, and guests Ross Noble and Carrie Bickmore (on Chris’ team) and Zoe Coombs-Marr and Luke McGregor (on Frank’s team), to tell us a series of tall tales. The opposing team then has to say if the story is true or a lie. If the opposition is right, they win. If they’re wrong, the storyteller team wins.
Or something like that because who actually cares? We tuned in for laughs, and what with the need to stretch out the show to fill the timeslot, we got less than we should have. Having said that, Ross Noble’s story about making sandcastles with Rod Stewart had its moments, as did Luke McGregor’s unbelievable claim that he’s highly skilled at taekwondo. McGregor was probably the best on the night, also claiming that he’d once serenaded a woman called Vanessa with an original composition – part of which he played. Points also go to Frank Woodley for his story about guest-hosting Hey! Hey! It’s Saturday, which led to some fun gags about Daryl Somers.
The problem with Would I Lie To You? Australia, though, is the pacing: there are too few gags and it goes on way too long. Even the faster pace promised by the ‘Quick Fire’ round was a disappointment, with things seeming to drag on for as long as they did for all the other rounds. Sort out the pacing and up the gag rate and this could be decent, but that may also mean reducing the timeslot, and will 10 really want to go there?
If We Knew You Were Coming (back), We’d Have Baked a Cake
Press release time!
ABC is pleased to announce that filming is underway in Adelaide on the second season of ABC’s food-filled comedy Aftertaste. Embraced by audiences and critics alike, the series features the much-loved Erik Thomson as celebrity chef Easton West, and rising star Natalie Abbott as his niece and pastry chef extraordinaire Diana.
They’ll once again be joined by an exceptional ensemble cast including Rachel Griffiths (Total Control, Finding The Archibald), Wayne Blair (The Sapphires, Irreverent), Susan Prior (Glitch, Frayed), Remy Hii (Harrow, Spider-Man: Far From Home), Kavitha Anandasivam (The Tourist, The Hunting) and Justin Amankwah (Fat Pizza vs Housos), while Lynette Curran (Cleverman, A Few Less Men), Julian Maroun (The Secrets She Keeps) and Syd Brisbane (Stateless) join the cast for season two.
Erik Thomson said: “I’m so thrilled to be heading back to the beautiful Adelaide Hills for another season of Aftertaste. It’s a privilege to work with Closer Productions and the ABC, as we deconstruct our relationship with food and fame, through the antics of the dysfunctional West family.”
Season two picks up with Easton West (Erik Thomson) living his life out of the public eye and concentrating on being a better man, until his new-found peace is shattered by the return of his niece Diana (Natalie Abbott) to Adelaide, flaunting her successful career and love life in London. But both must put their troubles aside when a secret from the past throws the West family into more chaos than ever.
Written by Julie De Fina, Matthew Bate and Matt Vesely, produced by Closer Productions (The Hunting, F*! #cking Adelaide, Animals) and directed by Reneé Webster (How To Please A Woman), Aftertaste will film across Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills region and will premiere later this year on ABC TV and ABC iview.
“Embraced by audiences and critics alike”, you say? Interesting.
Which is more than we can say about the plot, as it sounds very much like the traditional “let’s do the same thing all over again only now the lead roles are reversed” storyline that time and time again has failed to be embraced by audiences and critics alike.
Bet the Adelaide Hills will look like a great place for a holiday though.
A Hundred Miles and Running
When Nine tapped Hamish & Andy on the shoulder and hired them to bring their knockabout larrikin hijinx to the nation’s premier commercial network, it seemed like a vote of confidence in the future of Australian comedy. A decade later and the duo are now each hosting their own generic gameshow. What went wrong?
“They got old” is the most obvious answer. Sure, Hamish & Andy’s mix of light-hearted pranks and quirky curiosity possibly could have sustained a media career. Just not at Nine, where the “younger audience” are interested in talent shows and home renovations, not oddball overseas adventures. Their last joint project for Nine, True Story with Hamish & Andy, was more often than not a light-hearted delight; it’s also most likely the last half hour scripted comedy we’ll see on Nine for the foreseeable future.
Now Hamish Blake gets to host toyetic smash hit Lego Masters. And Andy Lee? He gets what feels like the consolation prize in The Hundred with Andy Lee, a show that combines the boring parts of Family Feud with a Zoom call for a full hour of what the kids call “content”.
There’s honestly not a lot more to it than that. The old Family Feud used to survey a hundred faceless people to get their quirky and unusual responses; The Hundred has them up on a video wall where occasionally one gets asked to explain their answer – or just tell a story – in more detail. It’s like a Vox Pop, only nobody has to leave the house.
As for the competition angle – because of course there’s a competition angle, we’re talking about the network that turned making stuff out of Lego into a competition – there are three celebrity guests who are either comedians or can be loosely defined as “comedians”. Thus explaining why we’re talking about The Hundred.
They try to guess the Hundred’s response to mildly edgy questions – “what percentage of The Hundred are hiding their sexuality” was one, though “what is Australia’s favourite emoji” was the one they used on the promos – and… Look, it’s a comedy game show, there are scores and stuff but nobody cares.
Unfortunately nobody really cares about being all that funny either. That became clear long before the arrival of special guest star Dermot Brereton (who?). Everyone is really just there for a casual chat and the occasional shocked expression / witty one-liner. Weirdly, the show as a whole is positioned as something of a cultural experiment – a way to find out what Australians really think, only as a game show.
(though it seems likely that the answer to the question “Are the Hundred really representative of Australia as a whole?” is “it’s just a bit of fun, okay”)
Unfortunately the surprises weren’t really all that surprising to anyone with access to the internet. People make sex tapes? Who knew? Probably not the average 60-something Channel Nine viewer, which explains why comedy and commercial television will be an increasingly difficult fit until someone comes up with a reboot of Mother & Son that’s on the side of the mother.
Though to be fair, the show did leave us with one question:
What was going on with the woman wearing the cat burglar mask?
Thursday night’s alright for satire
Thursday night satire is back! Oh, alright, it was back four weeks ago when Mark Humphries did that RAT sketch, but now Sammy J’s back so SATIRE BOOM!
Not that Sammy J’s sketch looked promising, what with Scott Morrison and Hawaii seeming to be the premise. As tone-deaf and awful as Scott Morrison’s 2019 Hawaiian getaway was, gags about it are starting to seem hack in 2022. As bad as ones about Engadine McDonalds. Seriously, Scott Morrison’s done nothing else in the past couple of years for you to make gags about. Are you sure?
Anyway, Sammy J’s 2022 debut turned out to have a bit more bite than your average ScoMo/Hawaii gag. In the sketch, we meet Scott and Jenny Morrison’s forgotten son, ScoMoMo, who has been tracked down by an interviewer…
INTERVIEWER: Well, as the son of Australia’s Prime Minister, the country needs to know whether you think your dad should be re-elected.
SCOMOMO: No, they don’t. Like, I’m just his son. Why should that matter? You know? Vote for my dad based on his policies. OK, don’t do that. Vote for my dad based on what he stands for. Yeah, OK, I don’t know what he stands for. Just… Can you ask me a question about his curry or something so we can get this over with?
INTERVIEWER: What’s his curry like?
SCOMOMO: It’s OK. Like, it’s tasty. But I wouldn’t use it to choose a government.
INTERVIEWER: You haven’t seen the 60 Minutes interview, have you, ScoMoMo?
SCOMOMO: Wasn’t invited, didn’t watch it.
INTERVIEWER: So, you don’t know what your mum was talking about when she says she felt sick to her stomach?
SCOMOMO: No. Was it about trans kids being discriminated against at school?
INTERVIEWER: No.
SCOMOMO: The Bilolea girls who grew up in detention?
INTERVIEWER: No.
SCOMOMO: Allegations of sexual assault in Dad’s workplace?
INTERVIEWER: No.
SCOMOMO: Aged care crisis?
INTERVIEWER: No.
SCOMOMO: Not that? Oh, is it Dad’s close friendly with Brian Houston? Uncle Brian.
INTERVIEWER: No.
SCOMOMO: Gee, what made Mum sick to her stomach? Was it one of Dad’s curries?
Like we said, there are plenty of things other than a Hawaiian holiday that you bag Scott Morrison for in 2022. And while you’re at it, a swipe at the tabloid media’s a good idea too.
But for those of you watching Mark Humphries on 7.30, there was less bite on offer. In his sketch, also referencing Scott Morrison’s recent 60 Minutes appearance, Humphries plays music producer Robert Woodstig*, coaching Morrison on his ukulele playing.
The sketch isn’t dreadful but it’s more fan fiction than satire, simply working famous footage of politicians singing pop songs badly into a mockumentary about music production. There’s no bite or commentary here, just some half-hearted gags. See also that RAT test sketch where Humphries, in search of a RAT, finds himself in an action movie trailer.
Isn’t the real problem with RAT tests that the government has massively screwed up ordering enough for everyone? So, why is this a tale of a hero battling the odds rather than a sketch sticking the boot into incompetent bureaucrats?
Hitting the target, or at least getting near it, should be a base level requirement for a satirical sketch, so it’s amazing how often Humphries fails to do it. At least in his sketch from two weeks ago, in which he gives Scott Morrison a performance review, we get some commentary on Scott Morrison’s failings.
With the number of failings Scott Morrison has, it really shouldn’t be so hard.
* One for the Boomers and music nerds.