Tag Archives: Comedy Television

Sex Education: Season 3 – TV Review

Posted on by
5

TL;DR – This show keeps going from strength to strength with more in-depth storytelling.  

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix subscription that viewed this show

Sex Education. Image Credit: Netflix.

Sex Education Review –

If there is one show that constantly surprises me at how honest and explorative they will be, it would be Sex Education. Every episode is designed to both shock the viewer but then also be filled with deeply heartfelt stories. The combination creates a show that should be jarring, but rather than that, it just works. As we dive into the third season, there was always a chance that the steam would run out, that the juxtaposition would falter. While it might do that one day, this season still holds the line.

So to set the scene, at the end of Season Two, there was a lot of drama that befell the small town of Moredale. Otis (Asa Butterfield) finally expressed his love for Maeve (Emma Mackey) through a voicemail message, which would have been amazing if Isaac (George Robinson) had not deleted it. Jean (Gillian Anderson) discovered that she is pregnant with her ex-partner Jakob’s (Mikael Persbrandt) baby, and the hierarchy of Moredale Secondary School came crashing down when Michael’s (Alistair Petrie) plan to discredit Jean blew up in his face. Well, over summer, everything shifted, with Otis dating Ruby (Mimi Keene) and Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) is starting a new relationship with Adam (Connor Swindells), But none of them are ready for the new headmistress Hope (Jemima Kirke), that is about to change all of their worlds. Now we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there may be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

TV Review – Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Last Day and Season 8

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – A wonderful way to end a beloved series

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I watched this on SBS On-Demand

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Last Day. Image Credit: NBC Studios.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Review –

After eight beautiful seasons, all good things have to come to an end, an end that could have been much sooner had people not been as passionate as they were. So it is in that vein that today we are a little happy/sad, happy for all the fun we’ve had and sad because there is no more to come. Today, we will look at first the finale double-part episode, The Last Day, and then take some time to look at the season as a whole.

So to set the scene, we open in on Amy’s (Melissa Fumero) and Raymond’s (Andre Braugher) last day in the 99, but as the gang wake, they don’t find their loved ones there but instead a waiting Jake (Andy Samberg). Because today is the day of the Final Heist, to crown The Grand Champion of the 99. It is time for hijinks to ensue as everyone picks their teams. However, one betrayal has already happened because Amy and Jake are working together. For you see, it is also Jake’s final day in the 99 and the NYPD. Because we will be looking at the season as a whole, there will be [SPOILERS] ahead for the whole season, so if you have not watched, please be aware before continuing.

Continue reading →

TV Review – Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Lake House

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – A lighter follow up episode that has its moments

Disclosure – I watched this on SBS On-Demand

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Lake House. Image Credit: NBC Studios.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Review –

In last week’s The Good Ones, we got a taste of the tone the show will be setting in its final season as we explore what it means to be police in this new era. This week we get a slight course shift back to the comedic as everyone comes together to help one of their own.

So to set the scene, last week Amy (Melissa Fumero) discovered that Raymond (Andre Braugher) and Kevin (Marc Evan Jackson) have separated, and while that was meant to be a secret, now everyone knows. The whole group decided to help Raymond out by going up to his “lake” house and supporting him in this trying time. But Jake (Andy Samberg) has other plans/schemes/stratagems. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

Continue reading →

TV Review – Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Good Ones

Posted on by
2

TL;DR –  A great welcome back and set up for the final season   

Disclosure – I watched this on SBS On-Demand

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Good Ones. Image Credit: NBC Studios.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Review –

When Season 7 finished, and we heard that Brooklyn Nine-Nine was going to come back for one more final season, there was a moment of joy that we would get one last outing for a series that has been on the bubble for a long while. But then the whole world changed (or at least it became clearer), and the question is ‘how can a show based around a comedy in a police station’ work? Well, today, we get to see just how they will address the elephant in the room.

So to set the scene, we open in the middle of the Pandemic when Jake (Andy Samberg) and Charles (Joe Lo Truglio) showing Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) that they created a way of doing a High-5 that is Covid-safe. However, Rosa has more important news. She just put in her resignation for the police force and the Nine-Nine. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

Continue reading →

Letterkenny Season 9 – TV Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – This was a season of transition taking a moment to ground everyone for what is about to come

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Letterkenny. Image Credit: SBS.

Letterkenny Review –

There are some days when you stumble upon something that is just pure gold, a show that knows exactly what it wants to be, and one that is ready to shout it to the rooftops. Growing up in Australia we got a lot of Canadian shows, also as a fan of Sci-fi I got to see Canada on the TV screen quite often even if it was just playing P3X-984. However, I had never seen a show that was genuinely Canadian, well until now.

So to set the scene, there are 5000 people in Letterkenny, and these are their problems. Letterkenny is a small town in rural Ontario, Canada, and like all small towns, it has its clicks and groups. Our main crew is brother and sister Wayne (Jared Keeso) and Katy (Michelle Mylett) along with their two friends Daryl (Nathan Dales) and Squirrelly Dan (K. Trevor Wilson). They make up the group known as the hicks, those folks that live off the farms and spend their days choring and nights drinking a Gus N’ Bru or maybe a couple of Puppers down at the bar MoDean’s run by Gail (Lisa Codrington). Then there are the hockey bros Reilly (Dylan Playfair) and Jonesy (Andrew Herr) who while not being the smartest tools in the shed know how to chirp and get gains. The final main group in town are the Skids, led by their leader Stewart (Tyler Johnston) they are reclusive and spend more time on chemical substances than off it and have a habit of causing all sorts of trouble. Also not far out of town on the Res are The Natives led by Tanis (Tiio Horn) who are such formidable hockey players that the opposition usually comes down with a case of ‘native flu’ rather than make the trip over. Everything is fine, well that is until something throws off the balance of the town, like stealing cigarettes or degens from up-country, or what happened last season when Dierks (Tyler Hynes) cheated on Katy, and the whole town went around to hand him a new one. Now we are going to be looking at the season as a whole, and this means there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun: Season 1 – TV Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – This is an absurd joyous mess, which I just mainlined all at once, and now have questions about life the universe, and what happened to that dishwasher?  

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun: Season 1. Image Credit: Netflix.

Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun Review –

I am not sure I could put in words how excited I was when I heard that Aunty Donna was getting a Netflix series, well I mean it is my job so I will get it a good college try. Aunty Donna is a sketch comedy troop from Australia that swerves into the absurd while still being deeply Australian. My first introduction to them was when my brother asked the question is there ‘Always Room for Christmas Pud’ from then I learned what it was to be a ‘Chuffed Dad’, and how to do a ‘Roll Call’. Seeing that chaos on a Netflix series, well sign me up. 

So to set the scene, Mark (Mark Samual Bonanno), Broden (Broden Kelly), and Zach (Zachary Ruane) all live in a house in Los Angeles. Everything is going well in their lives because they have discovered that Everything is Drum, that is until they found the one thing that was not a drum, but then thankfully it actually was a drum and Zach was just hitting it wrong. It is all fine and dandy until the Dishwasher (Kristen Schaal) decided that it should pay less rent because it washes all the dishes. Okay, time to find a new housemate, which is when the chaos starts. Now from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Continue reading →

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Second Contact – TV Review

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – Super charming and a fun new direction for the franchise.

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Second Contact. Image Credit: CBS Studios.

Review –

We are currently living in the middle of a new golden age of Science Fiction on TV, and one of the significant drivers of that has been Star Trek. With Discovery and then Picard, you feel that they are starting to get their groove back. However, when I heard there was going to be a more light-hearted animated series coming out, I felt a bit of trepidation. However, after watching the first episode, I can see I had nothing to worry about.

To set the scene, we open in on the USS Cerritos in 2380 (which for those playing at home is two years after the return of the USS Voyager and twenty years before the start of Picard). The Cerritos is a Federation Vessel that specialises in second contact, which is the follow-up mission after first contact, not as much glory but still significant. Ensign D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) has just come on board from Outpost 79, and this is her first placement on a starship. Her orientation guide is Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) a very straight-laced command track-captain seat hopeful Ensign. However, orientation is soon side-tracked as Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) decides to take D’Vana on a more personalised tour. This gets put aside when they go down to the planet to help the Galardonian High Council with a subspace receiver while things down quite go to plan back on the ship.

Continue reading →

TV Review – Last One Laughing Australia (LOL Australia)

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – This is a fascinating yet polarising show, that I don’t think will find a middle ground for most people and instead will hit one of the extremes.

Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars

Last One Laughing Australia (LOL Australia). Image Credit: Amazon Studios.

Review –

There are some concepts that you hear and immediately know that it was a good idea, and sticking a bunch of comedians in a room and make them force everyone to laugh while keeping yourself mute. This is one giant game of chicken with $100,000 on the line. Though I should say before diving in, I think you will know immediately if this show is for you with one phrase “dildo jacket”.

The format of the show is straightforward, you can’t laugh, you can’t even really smile, because if you do your out. This is complicated a little bit by everyone getting one yellow card warning and also getting a Joker Card that can be used only once to force everyone in the room to focus on you. That’s it, but then that is all you need if you have cast the show well, which is what they have done here.

Continue reading →

TV Review – Rick and Morty: Star Mort Rick Turn of the Jerri & Season 4

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – Rick and Morty ends its fourth season on an interesting if odd note.

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

Rick and Morty: Star Mort Rick Turn of the Jerri. Image Credit: Adult Swim.

Review –

This has been a really interesting season with some stand out episodes like The Vat of Acid Episode and those that didn’t quite land like Childrick of Mort. However, now that we have reached the end of the season I wanted to take a moment to look back at both the final episode of the season with a title that you are sure a number of trademark lawyers were engaged to make sure they could use it, and also the season in general.

So to set the scene, back season three (goodness 2017 feels like a lifetime ago) in The ABC’s of Beth, Rick (Justin Roiland) and Beth’s (Sarah Chalke) relationship hit rock bottom and reached a point of no return. Rick offered Beth a choice where he could make a clone of her to live her life here while letting her go off on space adventures guilt free. Well fast forward to today and we discover that Rick did send Beth out on adventures and left a clone on Earth … maybe. Well that clone/or real Beth, it’s complicated, we’ll call her Space Beth to keep it simple, has been upsetting the New Galactic Federation. Which is about the time Space Beth discovered Rick put a bomb in her neck. So Space Beth comes back to Earth for some revenge, and maybe brings the whole Federation army with her. Now we will be looking at the episode/series as a whole and as such there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

Continue reading →

TV Review – Space Force Season 1

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – A show full of great actors and talent that unfortunately falls completely flat because it can’t pick a tone

Score – 2.5 out of 5 stars

Space Force Season 1. Image Credit: Netflix.

Review –
You would think a show that blends tow of my great loves, politics and space in the one show would be an instant hit for me. Well I do not envy the job the writers would have had on this job. You take one of (though by far not the most) stupid ramblings that was spat out on Twitter by the current President of the United States and turn it a slightly farcical spoof. The balance you would need to pull that off would be a high wire act and as we see today it does not work. Also, I should point out that if you are who has a passing understanding of space mechanics or current political system you will involuntarily cringe throughout the show.

To see the scene, General Mark R. Naird (Steve Carell) is with his wife Maggie (Lisa Kudrow) and daughter Erin (Diana Silvers) in The Pentagon for a big day as he is being promoted to a 4-Star General in the Air Force. However, he is not being promoted to the head of the Air Force but the brand new Space Force in nowhere Colorado. One year later and while things are proceeding Mark’s life has not gone quite to plan with his wife now in prison and a POTUS that wants results and they are not ready to give them.  Now we will be looking at the series as a whole and as such there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

Continue reading →