I live in a land Down Under where shockingly most of the shows that air on TV are American. If its popular in the States odds are we Aussies get to see it eventually. But on occasion there are shows that are home grown; stories about Australians, for Australians, set in Australia. They make up maybe 20% of our TV schedules but they're there (I'm talking dramas here not reality TV, news and infotainment).
Packed to the Rafters has got to be THE most popular Australian comedy-drama that has been on our screens of late (taken off air mid-season while they screen Winners and Losers- more the later than the former but I'll get to that later).
This Sydney suburb based show revolves around the lives of the Rafters, lead by Jules and Dave it follows them and their adult kids Rachel (who is leaving to pursue a career in the States), Ben (my personal fave) and Nathan as well as little baby Ruby.
I love this show. Its funny, quirky and family oriented. It also does't do bad in the ratings either. Can't wait till it comes back.
Its current replacement is Winners and Losers which is a Melbourne based show that centers on four high school friends and outcasts Sophie (the used to be fat now sleeping around personal trainer), Bec (boring hippy), Jenny (MAJOR childish drama queen who is representing the larger girls of Australia in negative light at times) and Frances (the successful business woman who struggles in love - my fave). I'm not a huge fan of this show overall. In the same season they've redone the Sophie gives up men, drinking and drugs only to have her fall off the bandwagon and back into her drinking and sexing up strangers ways in the same episode TWICE. The idea behind the show is the four were labelled the Losers in high school because they were outcasts and after standing up to the bully at the high school reunion buy a lottery ticket spur of the moment and win $8mill. From there, they split it evenly (after some fighting) and each end up with $2mil. What annoys me to no end is they are spending it like crazy (as you would) and at least 3 of the 4 have steady jobs but even though I'm a writer and suck at maths I know in this day and age and with the economy the way it is $2mil ain't gonna last forever.
I do like Frances' friendship with her assistant Jonathan- an out and proud gay man who is currently with a steady partner (constantly referred to as his husband) and gives Frances helpful tips and advice whenever she needs it. There is great chemistry between Virgina and Damien and they play the friendship well. It is this duo that keeps me coming back at the end of the day.
No on to my current fave Aussie show Offspring!! Set in Fitzroy in Melbourne Victoria (as most Aussie shows are) this follows neurotic obstetrician Nina Proudman as her chaotic personal life is contrasted by her well balanced professional one. She's a great doctor and completely in her element delivering babies into the world but can't handle life outside the OR doors. She struggles dealing with her chaotic family (brother and sister Jimmy and Billie and mum and dad Geraldine and Darcy as well as the new addition to the family baby Ray who she delivered - the bastard child of her friend Cherie and her father Darcy).
Nina sucks at relationships too. There was Brendan the explosives expert who loved to blow shit up, then she tried with her soul mate Dr. Chris Havel - made difficult by the reappearance of his missing wife. This season she got it on with hot student Fraser King only to realize he wasn't cut out for the doctor part of the job and is now tackling the Heathcliff tortured soul in Patrick Reid.
I love this show. Its funny, dramatic, quirky, visually stunning, great fashion, great characters, memorable dialogue and interesting storylines.
One thing I like about Australian TV is compared to American shows we can have the occasional swear word and nudity so naturally in Offspring, a show that at its core is about new life and the serenity that comes with human connections and relationships its nice to have real characters who swear or like Mick last night are infuriatingly stubborn and pigheaded as well as unapologetic use of the human body to tell a story about love and life.
What I mean is, there are so many lovely aesthetics to the show being set in Melbourne which I'm pretty sure is Australia's culture capital so its nice to see the curves of Nina's back or the back of Fraser who isn't an ugly old bloke. We all come into the world naked and sex is a part of life so its nice to see it represented on screen that way. I'm no prude when it comes to nudity on the screen. I think it looks beautiful if done tastefully and the nudity in Offspring I think does that.
The note I have to end on is when I do Writing for Television next semester at uni I am aiming to pitch an Aussie 1 hour drama-comedy that is set in Sydney. Melbourne works well for Offspring but I would love to see Sydney as the backdrop to a drama. Yes, this is the case for Rescue: Special Ops but I'd like to see more of it.
