It’s perhaps unfortunate that The Weekly with Charlie Pickering airs two days after Have You Been Paying Attention? and a day after The Cheap Seats. They all often use the same clips, and if you happen to watch all three shows, it’s clear that The Weekly… doesn’t have the funniest jokes about those clips. But... Read More »
It’s a good thing Have You Been Paying Attention? is a topical news quiz, because otherwise we might as well be watching episodes from 2019. When a show’s this good that’s not a bad thing. Well, unless you’d like to see something new on Australian television before it all goes belly up. As the show... Read More »
So that’s it for Have You Been Paying Attention? for the year. As usual there’s not a whole lot to say. It’s the well-oiled machine that other well-oiled machines look up to, a finely honed gag-fest that’s been at its peak for so long it’s fair enough to wonder if it’ll ever drop off or... Read More »
The winner of last night’s 64th TV Week Logie Awards wasn’t television, or even Sam Pang, who seems to be becoming the Bert Newton-esque go-to-guy for Logies hosting. Oh no. The winner of last night’s Logies was Working Dog, who won every single one of the four comedy awards. As Australia’s leading and probably most... Read More »
There’s basically two kinds of comedy showcases on television. There’s the ones where new talent gets a chance to strut their stuff, and the ones where established talent bring in the viewers. Guess which kind is the only kind we currently get on Australian television? It wasn’t always this way. It wasn’t even all that... Read More »
Imagine, if you will, a fan of Australian comedy. Not all that long ago, this fandom might have kept them pretty busy; these days it only takes a few hours a week to keep up to date. And yet, even with that meager diet it still feels like they’re watching the same thing over and... Read More »
We can’t blame Working Dog for taking an “if it ain’t broke” approach to their revival of Thank God You’re Here. The original run was much loved and fondly remembered… though not by us, which is why fans of the show might want to skip what comes next. Glad you enjoyed it, it’ll probably be... Read More »
The opportunities for Australian comedians on local television have been shrinking for the last [insert depressingly long stretch of time here]. After a while, it becomes a vicious circle: no jobs for comedians means less comedians means less comedy on television means no jobs for comedians. Want proof? Time to open the blue door to... Read More »
The 2023 Logies was exactly what we’ve come to expect: a lot of awards going to shows and people who barely deserve a... Read More »
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 »