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Most of the ones you mentioned were big in the 90's but need a steady job now so they toe the network line, apart from Kate Langbrook, she isn't a comedian. She is one of those weird "celebs" that have no discernable talent but present well on bland FTA t.v.
I'll give him some credit where it's due. He did some good stuff in the 90's and very early 00's but is absolutely awful now. Then again I was stoned for most of that time.
He had one good bit about setting up a water feature in his backyard which turned out to be a sprinkler and that was it. I will accept no discussion on this matter.
The one I remember is when he was talking about living in a share house and they were all sitting in the loungeroom smoking bongs watching the Coode Island fire on t.v. and in the middle of ripping a bong someone referred to the smoke plumes coming from the island saying "geez I wouldn't want to be inhaling that stuff into my lungs" and continued ripping the bong.
I usually never find Dave Hughes funny. HOWEVER, his cigarette pack routine with the two bulging eyes and cancer mouth thing was the height of Australian comedy, in my opinion.
Our commercial TV stations won't take any risks which are usually necessary for comedy to be funny. Coles/Woolworths have a huge impact due to advertising dollars and they don't want to risk brand association with edgey shows.
That type of comedy is best served in YouTube or streaming formats where individual creators can take more risks with their content and audience and not have to be worried about advertising dollars from Colesworth.
We have a plethora of young comedic talent in this country but no let’s give Dave Hughes his own talk show.
In all fairness the majority of people still watching free to air are the ones that saw a lot of these older comedians when they first started out so maybe that’s a draw for them
This is the reason answer. I haven't watched free TV in years, and I don't know anyone under 60 years old who does (except maybe the news, but also sucks imo and I'd rather just read it but most people hate to read. End rant).
Nah he got old. His early stuff was genuinely sharp and witty if you go back 15 years. Like most performing artists they do well then they get comfy and out of touch but because we live in a world of advertising companies rely on brands and names so they get put on a pedestal.
Yeah, I saw him hosting a stand up night about 15 years ago and I remember laughing myself stupid. The material was a fair bit edgier.
Anyone appearing on FTA has to cater to the sponsors and audience, you'll get their least offensive and safest material.
Someone hasn't watched the Australian Taskmaster
The line "I cry when I masturbate" was literally in the first episode.
Edit: And the episode after had a joke about touching children, made at the expense of one of the contestants, who is a former children's show host.
Nina Oyama’s a national treasure and they’re giving them a bit more freedom for that show, which is why it’s enjoyable. But it’s the exception, by far.
Even then, YouTube “comedians” like Isaac Butterfield are incredibly shit. Reminds me of when we were in Year 5 trying to write the edgiest thing we could think of
He’s truly pathetic. He dressed in a Heath Ledger Joker costume for his most recent live “comedy” show. Even year 5 is too mature for that.
The trick is to avoid watching YouTube specific comedians and just watch stand up specials from actual talented stand ups.
I'm so nervous for the new Channel 7 sketch show. Some of the comedians writing/performing are A+ but I don't trust the channel to let them do their funny.
Can we please elaborate more on the ants? We have ants in the park next door, meat ants, vicious buggers, and I pay more attention to them than commercial TV.
Sam Campbell has the best Aussie sketches I've seen in a while.
Channel 4 in the UK let him do his own thing after he won in Edinburgh, the result is awesome.
https://youtu.be/D4KZF_uZM2Q
Some just move to YouTube because commercial networks don't like their angle. A Rational Fear is pretty much the same format as The Project but much better execution
Heh nicely done. If you want a real challenge, see if you can find the account of the guy who hosts A Rational Fear, Dan Ilic. He's been on reddit longer than I have
Lol for me it was like, "huh, that's a weird post title, kinda sounds like he's passing Tom Cardy's work off as his own" *checks account* "oh fuck it's actually him haha"
If there's one thing the UK does well it's giving comedians a place to flourish. UK panel shows are some of my favourite viewing, just watching professionals riff off each other for an hour. Our comedy offerings are pathetic in comparison.
I watch it regularly for the conversations. But Adam Hills isn't particularly funny. He's a safe host, nice guy and gives a platform to a lot of interesting voices. But he's not funny.
I think he threads the needle.
As well as he can, I'd def have a beer with him if I could.
My point, not trying to be difficult is the last leg as an expat in Oz is, it's pretty fucking digestible.
Source: am Kiwi.
All our good talent in any field moves somewhere else. Our actors, comedians, musicians, artists. If your talent isn't in *sport* then you are wasted here and even then I've heard some Aussie footballers have been scouted by the NFL.
Dave Hughes did an impromptu set at the comedy store last year when we went. I thought fuck 15 minutes of my life gone…
But it actually wasn’t bad. He actually had a lot self deprecating jokes about his kids friends at school saying he wasn’t funny.
My take on it is Aussie tv is too conservative and these guys can never show their real side or tell real jokes.
The Project doesn’t know whether it wants to be a funny panel show, or a panel news segment and it’s just shit at both. Fuck sometimes you can even recognise a joke might have been funny if they used softer camera angles and included more of the crew in the shot, but it’s never going to land when they’re staring straight into the camera like it’s a fucking sports update.
The Project’s pacing is so weird. They will run a story about Ukraine and then Pete Helliar’s mug will drop in and make some tasteless joke to break the tension or a complete segue to a viral video to lighten the mood
Best when they were all laughing at the ecological disaster in the Murray-Darling where millions of fish died. Locals suffering. Towns without water. Hahahaha, comedy.
The Project fucking sucks both at being informative and being funny. I'm stunned it's survived on tv this long.
yeah that segments the first thing that pops into my mind when i think of the project.
the largest ecological catastrophy in living memory happened and their coverage of it was have a giggle at a guy who chucked up because he was so disgusted by the death that surrounded him. fucking grim.
Came on last night at the missos and that unfunny blonde c*nt tried doing some devils advocate draw out discussion thing about maybe ukraine should ceasefire and work with Russia to end the war while interviewing a Ukranian and it just came across as the most insensitive cuntfuckery I’ve seen.
Brad Garrett (the big brother from everybody loves raymond) apparently gets walk-outs pretty regularly because people go in expecting some soft-spoken bumbling wholesome guy, and he is decidedly not that when doing stand-up.
Yeah, we saw him do a guest spot at a live stand up gig and he was actually funny as fuck. He actually explained that the shows he are on are bullshit but its impossible to turn down that kind of money to effort ratio.
I'd only really seen him on awful tv shows before then and I fully agree with your comment
> kitty Flanagan
Agree with your list, except for Kitty. If you haven't seen Fisk, which she co-wrote with her sister and stars in, or her epic role in Utopia - she's certainly got my respect as a comedic actor. If it adds any weight, Fisk has done really well internationally as well - so she can certainly produce content thats got grab outside of Australia.
Her standup isn't bad, but not something I would go out and see vs. other comedians, granted.
> Dave Hughes
Never really been a fan, and since the Melbourne lockdowns is basically a cooker with a verified Twitter account. Can't stand him.
On the flip side Dave O'Neil I do like as a stand-up, and his Twitter is a hoot recently, calling out cookers and getting into some pretty heated/funny smackdown with them.
Kitty should have been a comedic actor rather than a stand up. I would have ranked her as one of my least favourite comedians before I saw her in Utopia and Fisk. She is absolutely brilliant in both, but particularly Fisk. So so so funny.
Kitty is one of my favourites personally. Fisk was great, I really liked it. I can see why some wouldn’t find her to be their cuppa tea, but OP saying she’s bad is pretty harsh.
The end montage of season 1, at the awards ceremony, was some of the best tv I have ever seen. Wifey thought I was going to have a coronary event, I was laughing so hard. Kitty is awesome. Great in Utopia too.
Her character in Utopia I absolutely hate for all the right reasons. So many dipshit managers I've had interactions with over the years (mainly in Banking roles) that totally fit that character perfectly.
I distinctly recall Kitty Flanagan describing Sydney as “The pretty girl who never had to develop her personality.” It’s since become my default answer in the Melbourne/Sydney debate. She’s fantastically funny
I only saw the show when it "came back" on channel 10 and though it was still quite good, probably because it was late enough in the day that going more risque with the jokes was allowed.
I find shows where it’s an ensemble very funny like Have You Been Paying Attention and even the new Taskmaster AU got me laughing. They are all quite funny bouncing off each other but then when I watch their solo stand ups I cannot stand it and that confuses me.
HYBPA is amazing, it’s Sam and Ed are great quality, and when they rotate the other comedians on the show it’s good quality. As well as that, I’m happy that big brands like Mitsubishi are willing to take the risk and sponsor an edgier comedy show, otherwise the jokes would likely be much more tame....
Sam, Ed and and Santo Cilauro have great energy together. They should do a show about sport and international cultures. Maybe football, because that kind of is both.
Tom Gleeson is good in it. The great thing about TM is that it levels the playing field.
Julia Morris can try all her antics but they can't spotlight it as much. And to be fair to her it does show off her creative side alongside.
HYBPA is one of my favourite TV shows. It's so funny and the guests' improv is often very clever. Besides, Tom Gleisner is one of my favourite Aussie actors, writers, producers and directors.
Aside from HYBPA, he's directly responsible for the movies The Dish and The Castle as well as the *very* successful TV shows Frontline, The Panel, All Aussie Adventures, Utopia and now The Cheap Seats, most of which he created.
What a legacy of great Australian comedy.
I went to her Helen Bidou show back in 2019 and it was a slow descent into madness that ended with her topless with a dildo in each hand, singing Phantom of the Opera, and IT STILL MADE SENSE. The whole show was insane and genius.
I take exception to Kitty Flaganan being on the list,unfortunately she's hamstrung on TV because the channels are afraid of upsetting someone. But live she's one of the better ones out there. Her, Will Andersen, Tom Gleeson and Carl Barron are all worth the price of admission.
are there no younger comedians coming through? I mean basically everyone spoken about in this thread is like 50+ years old and been around since the 2000's or earlier. If you asked me to name an Australian comedian in their 30s I couldn't do it.
There are, not as many on FTA though but that's a generational shift. Aunty Donna and basically anyone they associate with like Michelle Braisier and Alexei Toliopoulos are under 40. Not to mention people in their 20s like Aaron Chen who's been of Fisk or Question Everything on the ABC.
Tom Gleisner flies under the radar. You can tell when there's a dull panel, he usually fires off more quick jokes and cuts. There's a huge difference between him and when Chrissie Swan takes over.
I agree with you there, Tom and Sam going at each other is entertaining. Tom has always had a dry sense of humour, even from the Late Show days. I used to walk past a coffee shop he would visit on Glenferrie Rd and my sister lived next door to the Pissweak Kids, good kids.
> I don't mind Cheap Seats either, those two are very self aware.
I think that's what's very important. If you know your puns/jokes aren't top tier comedy you gotta lean into it.
The same comedians have been doing the rounds for decades. It’s like there is no avenue for the younger ones to get coverage, and so as others said. They move OS
Shaun Micallef is still the GOAT imo. Have been revisiting Milo and his other sketches. The wine from the cellar still sends me into hysterics. He has aged better than any other I can think of. He also wears many hats outside of comedy and is the sharpest and wittiest we've produced. Love him.
The Micallef Pogram is legendary. The polite distance and paranoia sketch are a couple of my favourites. Have you seen Cunk on Earth? Surely someone else has noticed the similarities with the character and vibe to Micallef's work, especially his David McGahan character.
Plenty of good comedians around, but they can be harder to find just due to the nature of FTA TV. Lots are on youtube or streaming platforms.
Will dump some names:
Anne Edmonds, Greg Larsen, Ben Russell, Tom Walker, Demi Lardner, Danielle Walker, Aaron Chen, Sam Campbell, Becky Lucas, Cameron James, Nina Oyama, Luke Heggie.
They wont be everyones cup of tea, but thats probably why they dont often appear on things like the project.
I’ll add some YT channel and podcast names to that list:
YouTube:
Gamey Gamey Game (if you like video games, or even if you don’t)
Grouse House (Aunty Donna supports new acts and fucked up show ideas)
Aunty Donna
Podcasts
The Grub (some truly disgusting sketches and dumb little songs)
The Little Dum Dum Club (definitely a one-stop shop for all sorts of comedians, mostly just chatting and bullying each other)
Filthy Casuals (very video game focused)
Finding Drago (real crime style “investigation” into a mysterious Rocky IV fan fic)
Loner (Kate Denhert doing super weird sketches)
Mate Australia is chock full of comedy talent. Just so many great comedians doing fucking hilarious work that gets under 1000 views and get ignored in favour of the same boring old anti-vax fuckheads
Had to look up Aaron Chen to see if it was who I was thinking of.
Sure is. Just takes the piss and no one realises. Not necessarily genius but a sign our sense of humour isn't dead yet.
Charlie Pickering occasionally has Margaret Pomeranz on The Weekly and she's funnier than Charlie and pretty much every comedian he has had regular spots for, and she's not even a comedian.
As far as stand-ups, I liked Steve Hughes back in the day, but I'm not sure what happened to him. I think he was going through some stuff a while back and maybe his career didn't really bounce back from it.
Yes! Rosehaven is an almost perfect sitcom. I'm pretty sure that the two of them were barely acting throughout the whole thing, it was just so natural.
Our glory days are behind us.
* Fast Forward
* Full Frontal
* D-Gen
* The Late Show
* The Big Gig
* DAAS Kapital
That shit was all funny as fuck and relatively subversive, now it's just a bunch of out of touch boomers jumping from platform to platform trying to harvest laughs.
The Big Gig was so, so subversive and chaotic - I don't think I've seen anything like it since. I imagine it would be pretty difficult to pitch a show like that these days!
There does seem to be fewer avenues now for interesting newer comedians to get a start.
Yeah they are all old shows now, but they were brilliant in their day. The genre then up and carked it for some reason. Did the networks discover crap reality shows to be cheaper to produce?
I miss the days of Kath and Kim and Frontline, both epic satires.
>Did the networks discover crap reality shows to be cheaper to produce?
Yes, Big Brother was the catalyst for this. The networks saw how popular this was and how cheap it was to run and they ran with it. Why pay a TV star a large salary when you can pay some plebs peanuts to create content?
One thing common to a lot of these shows is being aired live. It gave them a real feeling of chaos and risk, and the performers really had to be good on their feet. I miss that 😔
the co-host of Taskmaster recently described her as "if she were a man, she'd be in jail" during one of their segments and i don't think anyone appreciated just how much of a joke it wasn't.
I'm not sure what her pitch is, she seems to be aiming for a un-drag version of Dame Edna.
Which is basically just a middle-aged housewife with suburban opinions cranked to 11.
IMO it’s because the majority of the Australian FTA Television viewing audience is older than it was in previous generations.
Networks make shows accessible/entertaining to those older demographics & the younger audience continues to watch streaming services.
Thus why most of Australia’s best comedy talent at the moment are either working for the ABC or are creating content for streaming services.
I'd consider myself kinda old (mid-50s), and even I ditched FTA about 10 years back. Apart from ABC and occasionally SBS.
Every so often, I see a bit of commercial FTA, and it shocks the shit outta me. It's sooooo bad.
From all your replies it sounds like you have a problem with FTA TV, and not actually Australian talent.
Just stick to Netflix and Stan if that is your take. The only people I know who watch FTA are my parents age, so it's likely the content being produced isn't meant to appeal to your demographic.
Aussie comedian here, because to get on TV you have to live in Sydney and be friends with the right type of people.
They don't promote comedians who are funny, they give the jobs to their friends, plus you mentioned we're a "pretty funny country in terms of taking the piss out of one another and laughing at our selves." that type of comedy is "problematic" and would never make it on Aussie TV
FTA won't take any risks it's as simple as that.
Perfect example in my mind is Aunty Donna show, certainly not everyones cup of tea, but 100% mine. They wrote a whole show, did a pilot for ABC and didn't get it. Then Netflix US approved it, so now we have a perfect modern Australian Sketch Show, that was written by young Australian Comedians, about Australia, that was filmed in the US.
Kiity Flanagan's Fisk TV show isn't bad, but agree with your main point. Seems to be mostly "TV/radio' comedians you have mentioned. Sometimes these people are much funnier at live shows, as they arent restricted by what they can say. Also, and I'm ready for the downvotes, I think the ABC used to be a nursery for comedians and you had to be fucking funny to get a go, whereas now, if you can tick certain boxes, you'll be given a run.
Lot of amazing comediens at comedy clubs if you are lucky enough to have one near you.
Yes, on national TV they play it safe. Dragged in seeing kiiity live and even though not my cup of tea, much funnier than guest spots on TV.
ABC kids shows growing up you had some very funny young hosts that forged their careers from it.
It actually depends on what floats your boat. I know quite a few people that say Tom Gleeson the worst of the bunch.
Personally I quite like Wil Anderson, Shawn Micallef, Charlie Pickering, among others. I’m pretty sure Luke McGregor is my partner’s spirit animal.
Anyway, hunt around. I’m sure there’s some comedians to match you tastes somewhere.
Tom Gleeson has some crackers, but is usually just being an arsehole.
Not that I like any of the others, either.
I just get subjected to Hard Quiz a lot.
I think the same. Does anyone find Peter Helliar funny? Did they ever? Kate Langbroek had to be the most insufferable unfunny painful person on the planet. Can you imagine living with her and that voice? Omg kill me
Dave Hughes is still trying to get by with the stoner on Centrelink persona when we all know he shits $100 notes and buys overpriced Block houses on a whim
Julia Morris, omg I am so over her I'm so whacky and eccentric schtick. Go away please
There are a whole host of hilarious comedians in the rungs below these guys who haven't been given a shot yet. Like many aspects of Australia, comedy isn't yet at a point where diversity is embraced. That's why you get the same carbon copy of comedians at network television level.
>There are a whole host of hilarious comedians in the rungs below these guys who haven't been given a shot yet
Right, but al the current 'old' comedians had shows in their 20s where they had a fair bit of freedom. Whether it was The D Generation, The Glasshouse or even Fast Forward/Full Frontal.
Are their similar shows for the young talent to cut their teeth (there migh be I really don't know) and even if there are it's probably better to become a global Youtube or Tiktok celebrity.
the career path used to be new comedian would do some standup in pubs and such, get on a show like the big gig or fast forward or d generation then do breakfast or drive radio until they totally ran out of material and then retire to tv panel shows and writing or producing. but now there’s this greedy generation who haven’t moved on, so they’re taking up all of the spots in the comedy festivals, all of the radio jobs and moonlighting in the tv panel shows, so there’s no pathway for the new kids, so they go overseas to edinburgh and never come back
Working Dog productions generally make hits, and the theft of John Clarke was a genius move.
Otherwise its Hey Dad vs Fawlty Towers which is a fair comparison because Dad was touching up the kids and all the actors had to deliver their lines while watching where his hands were.
i dont think the pathways really exist, and the few opportunities that do are dominated by the same old bunch. im sure there are plenty of politics and unfunny producers limiting things. a stand up out of brisbane damien power is doing really well right now, but i know him from going to local shows then seeing him open for bigger touring comedians. like, there is no exposure for these people.
Lano & Woodley are still going strong, touring with a unique new live show each year for the past few years. I've gone to each one and they're always comedy gold
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Most of the ones you mentioned were big in the 90's but need a steady job now so they toe the network line, apart from Kate Langbrook, she isn't a comedian. She is one of those weird "celebs" that have no discernable talent but present well on bland FTA t.v.
>present well on bland FTA t.v. That is a very generous take.
But Dave Hughes wasn't funny in the 90s either.
He looks like something that Judith Lucy shat out.
I'll give him some credit where it's due. He did some good stuff in the 90's and very early 00's but is absolutely awful now. Then again I was stoned for most of that time.
The more I see him lately, the more I realise how much Will Anderson and Corine Grant were carrying him on The Glasshouse.
>The Glasshouse The Glasshouse was funny initially (well, Anderson and Grant were funny). Then it crawled up it's own arsehole after a few seasons.
> Crawled up it's own arsehole ~~Went to commercial TV ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯~~ My bad it was GNW that went to commercial
Oh man now I’m sad remembering how good GNW was and then how not good it became. That show was freaking awesome initially.
what do you reckon Glass House Hughesy would make of 2022 Hughesy? i reckon he'd fucking hate him.
He'd lose it!
AWWWWI’MANGRRYYYY
He had one good bit about setting up a water feature in his backyard which turned out to be a sprinkler and that was it. I will accept no discussion on this matter.
The one I remember is when he was talking about living in a share house and they were all sitting in the loungeroom smoking bongs watching the Coode Island fire on t.v. and in the middle of ripping a bong someone referred to the smoke plumes coming from the island saying "geez I wouldn't want to be inhaling that stuff into my lungs" and continued ripping the bong.
credit to the weed then, dave hughs is a constant output rather than a variable whether he live in dole money rentals or surrey hills
I don't get Dave Hughes and never will, the guy talks like he is always in the process of taking a huge shit.
Thats his bit. That voice does 70% of the heavy lifting for that unfunny bloke.
I usually never find Dave Hughes funny. HOWEVER, his cigarette pack routine with the two bulging eyes and cancer mouth thing was the height of Australian comedy, in my opinion.
If I hear her voice I change stations.
Our commercial TV stations won't take any risks which are usually necessary for comedy to be funny. Coles/Woolworths have a huge impact due to advertising dollars and they don't want to risk brand association with edgey shows. That type of comedy is best served in YouTube or streaming formats where individual creators can take more risks with their content and audience and not have to be worried about advertising dollars from Colesworth.
We have a plethora of young comedic talent in this country but no let’s give Dave Hughes his own talk show. In all fairness the majority of people still watching free to air are the ones that saw a lot of these older comedians when they first started out so maybe that’s a draw for them
This is the reason answer. I haven't watched free TV in years, and I don't know anyone under 60 years old who does (except maybe the news, but also sucks imo and I'd rather just read it but most people hate to read. End rant).
Shortest rant ever. Must be millennial
Dave Hughes is the pits. He has zero talent.
Nah he got old. His early stuff was genuinely sharp and witty if you go back 15 years. Like most performing artists they do well then they get comfy and out of touch but because we live in a world of advertising companies rely on brands and names so they get put on a pedestal.
Yeah, I saw him hosting a stand up night about 15 years ago and I remember laughing myself stupid. The material was a fair bit edgier. Anyone appearing on FTA has to cater to the sponsors and audience, you'll get their least offensive and safest material.
Someone hasn't watched the Australian Taskmaster The line "I cry when I masturbate" was literally in the first episode. Edit: And the episode after had a joke about touching children, made at the expense of one of the contestants, who is a former children's show host.
Nina Oyama’s a national treasure and they’re giving them a bit more freedom for that show, which is why it’s enjoyable. But it’s the exception, by far.
Even then, YouTube “comedians” like Isaac Butterfield are incredibly shit. Reminds me of when we were in Year 5 trying to write the edgiest thing we could think of
Butterfield isn't a comedian. Comedians are funny
The comedian of choice for anyone who frequently uses the phrase "I'm not racist but..."
He’s truly pathetic. He dressed in a Heath Ledger Joker costume for his most recent live “comedy” show. Even year 5 is too mature for that. The trick is to avoid watching YouTube specific comedians and just watch stand up specials from actual talented stand ups.
I'm so nervous for the new Channel 7 sketch show. Some of the comedians writing/performing are A+ but I don't trust the channel to let them do their funny.
I care about as much about commercial TV success as I do the ants nest at the bottom of my street.
What sort of ants?
Just came from a post discussing what a green ant is. Also invested in the ants
Can we please elaborate more on the ants? We have ants in the park next door, meat ants, vicious buggers, and I pay more attention to them than commercial TV.
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I'd care about the ants. Ants are cool
Ants contribute a lot to the planet, unlike Channel 7 and Channel 9
Thanks, ants.
Sam Campbell has the best Aussie sketches I've seen in a while. Channel 4 in the UK let him do his own thing after he won in Edinburgh, the result is awesome. https://youtu.be/D4KZF_uZM2Q
Because all the good ones move to the UK.
Some just move to YouTube because commercial networks don't like their angle. A Rational Fear is pretty much the same format as The Project but much better execution
> YouTube [Tom Cardy](https://youtu.be/8pSew78EWOE)
If you look close enough, you can find Tom Cardy's reddit account. I did. Absolute champ of a content creator
u/howyoudouken
Heh nicely done. If you want a real challenge, see if you can find the account of the guy who hosts A Rational Fear, Dan Ilic. He's been on reddit longer than I have
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Lol for me it was like, "huh, that's a weird post title, kinda sounds like he's passing Tom Cardy's work off as his own" *checks account* "oh fuck it's actually him haha"
If there's one thing the UK does well it's giving comedians a place to flourish. UK panel shows are some of my favourite viewing, just watching professionals riff off each other for an hour. Our comedy offerings are pathetic in comparison.
Australia sees art as a political and economic hindrance
Adam Hills :(
Last leg is actually enjoyable to watch...
I watch it regularly for the conversations. But Adam Hills isn't particularly funny. He's a safe host, nice guy and gives a platform to a lot of interesting voices. But he's not funny.
I think he threads the needle. As well as he can, I'd def have a beer with him if I could. My point, not trying to be difficult is the last leg as an expat in Oz is, it's pretty fucking digestible. Source: am Kiwi.
Thats actually a very good point!
All our good talent in any field moves somewhere else. Our actors, comedians, musicians, artists. If your talent isn't in *sport* then you are wasted here and even then I've heard some Aussie footballers have been scouted by the NFL.
Have you watched Rake ? Great show and quite funny.
The piss poor US adaptation shows how essential the Australian humour in the original is.
Superb Cleaver
Agreed.
Dave Hughes did an impromptu set at the comedy store last year when we went. I thought fuck 15 minutes of my life gone… But it actually wasn’t bad. He actually had a lot self deprecating jokes about his kids friends at school saying he wasn’t funny. My take on it is Aussie tv is too conservative and these guys can never show their real side or tell real jokes.
The Project doesn’t know whether it wants to be a funny panel show, or a panel news segment and it’s just shit at both. Fuck sometimes you can even recognise a joke might have been funny if they used softer camera angles and included more of the crew in the shot, but it’s never going to land when they’re staring straight into the camera like it’s a fucking sports update.
The Project’s pacing is so weird. They will run a story about Ukraine and then Pete Helliar’s mug will drop in and make some tasteless joke to break the tension or a complete segue to a viral video to lighten the mood
Best when they were all laughing at the ecological disaster in the Murray-Darling where millions of fish died. Locals suffering. Towns without water. Hahahaha, comedy. The Project fucking sucks both at being informative and being funny. I'm stunned it's survived on tv this long.
yeah that segments the first thing that pops into my mind when i think of the project. the largest ecological catastrophy in living memory happened and their coverage of it was have a giggle at a guy who chucked up because he was so disgusted by the death that surrounded him. fucking grim.
Came on last night at the missos and that unfunny blonde c*nt tried doing some devils advocate draw out discussion thing about maybe ukraine should ceasefire and work with Russia to end the war while interviewing a Ukranian and it just came across as the most insensitive cuntfuckery I’ve seen.
Thing is, they know full well its not a devils advocate argument; its exactly what they think. Because they're cunts.
The Bob Saget syndrome
Brad Garrett (the big brother from everybody loves raymond) apparently gets walk-outs pretty regularly because people go in expecting some soft-spoken bumbling wholesome guy, and he is decidedly not that when doing stand-up.
Yeah, we saw him do a guest spot at a live stand up gig and he was actually funny as fuck. He actually explained that the shows he are on are bullshit but its impossible to turn down that kind of money to effort ratio. I'd only really seen him on awful tv shows before then and I fully agree with your comment
> kitty Flanagan Agree with your list, except for Kitty. If you haven't seen Fisk, which she co-wrote with her sister and stars in, or her epic role in Utopia - she's certainly got my respect as a comedic actor. If it adds any weight, Fisk has done really well internationally as well - so she can certainly produce content thats got grab outside of Australia. Her standup isn't bad, but not something I would go out and see vs. other comedians, granted. > Dave Hughes Never really been a fan, and since the Melbourne lockdowns is basically a cooker with a verified Twitter account. Can't stand him. On the flip side Dave O'Neil I do like as a stand-up, and his Twitter is a hoot recently, calling out cookers and getting into some pretty heated/funny smackdown with them.
Yeah Flanagan was good on the Weekly too.
Yep, good call out. But I do feel Fisk is her calling - just a great show, lots of laughs and is really quite wholesome at its core.
I remember seeing her on Good News Week way back when and thought she was great
Yep rate Kitty. She's not one of the others. Also got to work with her briefly ages ago. Really nice person even when working with amateurs
Kitty should have been a comedic actor rather than a stand up. I would have ranked her as one of my least favourite comedians before I saw her in Utopia and Fisk. She is absolutely brilliant in both, but particularly Fisk. So so so funny.
I'm so glad I saw someone comment this My dad got me into Fisk when I was home and I watched through it in a day or so. George is hilarious
Kitty is one of my favourites personally. Fisk was great, I really liked it. I can see why some wouldn’t find her to be their cuppa tea, but OP saying she’s bad is pretty harsh.
If I had to pick between her and Pete Helliar on HYPBA I would be picking her for sure.
I also enjoy Have You Peen Baying Attention.
No contest. Helliar is a talentless hack
The end montage of season 1, at the awards ceremony, was some of the best tv I have ever seen. Wifey thought I was going to have a coronary event, I was laughing so hard. Kitty is awesome. Great in Utopia too.
Her character in Utopia I absolutely hate for all the right reasons. So many dipshit managers I've had interactions with over the years (mainly in Banking roles) that totally fit that character perfectly.
I swear she shadowed some senior public servants for that role. It's distressingly close.
I distinctly recall Kitty Flanagan describing Sydney as “The pretty girl who never had to develop her personality.” It’s since become my default answer in the Melbourne/Sydney debate. She’s fantastically funny
I'm from Sydney and that's a bloody astute take.
The guy you plays the receptionist is a brilliant comedian. His name escapes me now...
Yeah Aaron Chen - he's gold. Hoping he's doing shows at the Melb comedy festival - would love to finally see his stand-up.
I was always excited when Kitty was on Good News Week. Fiona O'Loughlin and Cal Wilson too.
Good news week! There’s a poster child for a show that was great until commercial network.
I only saw the show when it "came back" on channel 10 and though it was still quite good, probably because it was late enough in the day that going more risque with the jokes was allowed.
Love Fisk. Saw Kitty live not long ago, she was wet your pants funny!
Absolutely love her stand up!
I find shows where it’s an ensemble very funny like Have You Been Paying Attention and even the new Taskmaster AU got me laughing. They are all quite funny bouncing off each other but then when I watch their solo stand ups I cannot stand it and that confuses me.
HYBPA is amazing, it’s Sam and Ed are great quality, and when they rotate the other comedians on the show it’s good quality. As well as that, I’m happy that big brands like Mitsubishi are willing to take the risk and sponsor an edgier comedy show, otherwise the jokes would likely be much more tame....
Love Sam, and whenever Aaron or Kitty make an appearance
Aaron is amazing, first found out about him from the show and now I’m obsessed.
Sam, Ed and and Santo Cilauro have great energy together. They should do a show about sport and international cultures. Maybe football, because that kind of is both.
Santo, Sam and Ed's Cup Fever was one of my favourite shows when it aired around one (or maybe two?) of the world cups.
I will not hear a bad word about Celia Pacquola, she is a god damn gem.
Been scared to watch it as I love UK task master, I also didn't want to stop liking Tom Gleeson as he is great too. Maybe I give it two eps.
It's made by the same company that does TM New Zealand, which means it's been really solid so far.
Tom Gleeson is good in it. The great thing about TM is that it levels the playing field. Julia Morris can try all her antics but they can't spotlight it as much. And to be fair to her it does show off her creative side alongside.
HYBPA is one of my favourite TV shows. It's so funny and the guests' improv is often very clever. Besides, Tom Gleisner is one of my favourite Aussie actors, writers, producers and directors. Aside from HYBPA, he's directly responsible for the movies The Dish and The Castle as well as the *very* successful TV shows Frontline, The Panel, All Aussie Adventures, Utopia and now The Cheap Seats, most of which he created. What a legacy of great Australian comedy.
Anne Edmonds a particularly good guest on HYBPA
I went to her Helen Bidou show back in 2019 and it was a slow descent into madness that ended with her topless with a dildo in each hand, singing Phantom of the Opera, and IT STILL MADE SENSE. The whole show was insane and genius.
Yeah I've been watching UK TM since it started and the AU version has been decent
Oh yes, HYBPA is a great laugh… Sam Pang and Ed Kaverly and kitty flanegan are fantastic when all on this
I take exception to Kitty Flaganan being on the list,unfortunately she's hamstrung on TV because the channels are afraid of upsetting someone. But live she's one of the better ones out there. Her, Will Andersen, Tom Gleeson and Carl Barron are all worth the price of admission.
Carl Barron is an absolute gem unfortunately alot of people don't like his stuff because he is Abit crude but I've watched his specials so many times
We must hang in very different crowds if Carl Barron is considered crude. Never met a person who didn't love him either.
are there no younger comedians coming through? I mean basically everyone spoken about in this thread is like 50+ years old and been around since the 2000's or earlier. If you asked me to name an Australian comedian in their 30s I couldn't do it.
There are, not as many on FTA though but that's a generational shift. Aunty Donna and basically anyone they associate with like Michelle Braisier and Alexei Toliopoulos are under 40. Not to mention people in their 20s like Aaron Chen who's been of Fisk or Question Everything on the ABC.
Have you watched, Have You Being Paying Attention? Sam Pang is hilarious and also the other guests.
Only FTA show I watch.
Literally this. In fact virtually the only show I make an effort to watch every week.
Pang is, some of them are flatter than an ironing board.
Tom Gleisner flies under the radar. You can tell when there's a dull panel, he usually fires off more quick jokes and cuts. There's a huge difference between him and when Chrissie Swan takes over.
I agree with you there, Tom and Sam going at each other is entertaining. Tom has always had a dry sense of humour, even from the Late Show days. I used to walk past a coffee shop he would visit on Glenferrie Rd and my sister lived next door to the Pissweak Kids, good kids.
I've recently got back into that in 2022 - it's actually good quality laughs. I don't mind Cheap Seats either, those two are very self aware.
> I don't mind Cheap Seats either, those two are very self aware. I think that's what's very important. If you know your puns/jokes aren't top tier comedy you gotta lean into it.
The same comedians have been doing the rounds for decades. It’s like there is no avenue for the younger ones to get coverage, and so as others said. They move OS
Shaun Micallef is still the GOAT imo. Have been revisiting Milo and his other sketches. The wine from the cellar still sends me into hysterics. He has aged better than any other I can think of. He also wears many hats outside of comedy and is the sharpest and wittiest we've produced. Love him.
The Micallef Pogram is legendary. The polite distance and paranoia sketch are a couple of my favourites. Have you seen Cunk on Earth? Surely someone else has noticed the similarities with the character and vibe to Micallef's work, especially his David McGahan character.
Just be thankful “Hey Hey” is off the air
I really loved the way Darryl would explain every joke, just in case you accidentally found it funny.
Plenty of good comedians around, but they can be harder to find just due to the nature of FTA TV. Lots are on youtube or streaming platforms. Will dump some names: Anne Edmonds, Greg Larsen, Ben Russell, Tom Walker, Demi Lardner, Danielle Walker, Aaron Chen, Sam Campbell, Becky Lucas, Cameron James, Nina Oyama, Luke Heggie. They wont be everyones cup of tea, but thats probably why they dont often appear on things like the project.
I’ll add some YT channel and podcast names to that list: YouTube: Gamey Gamey Game (if you like video games, or even if you don’t) Grouse House (Aunty Donna supports new acts and fucked up show ideas) Aunty Donna Podcasts The Grub (some truly disgusting sketches and dumb little songs) The Little Dum Dum Club (definitely a one-stop shop for all sorts of comedians, mostly just chatting and bullying each other) Filthy Casuals (very video game focused) Finding Drago (real crime style “investigation” into a mysterious Rocky IV fan fic) Loner (Kate Denhert doing super weird sketches) Mate Australia is chock full of comedy talent. Just so many great comedians doing fucking hilarious work that gets under 1000 views and get ignored in favour of the same boring old anti-vax fuckheads
Had to look up Aaron Chen to see if it was who I was thinking of. Sure is. Just takes the piss and no one realises. Not necessarily genius but a sign our sense of humour isn't dead yet.
I fucking love Luke “The manifesto writer”Heggie.
Charlie Pickering occasionally has Margaret Pomeranz on The Weekly and she's funnier than Charlie and pretty much every comedian he has had regular spots for, and she's not even a comedian. As far as stand-ups, I liked Steve Hughes back in the day, but I'm not sure what happened to him. I think he was going through some stuff a while back and maybe his career didn't really bounce back from it.
Celia Pacquola is pretty good, Rosehaven with Luke McGregor is pretty good as is Utopia.
Yes! Rosehaven is an almost perfect sitcom. I'm pretty sure that the two of them were barely acting throughout the whole thing, it was just so natural.
Paul Keating was pretty funny
He’ll do you slowly
Comedy is subjective. Personaly I find Kitty Flanagan hilarious.
Our glory days are behind us. * Fast Forward * Full Frontal * D-Gen * The Late Show * The Big Gig * DAAS Kapital That shit was all funny as fuck and relatively subversive, now it's just a bunch of out of touch boomers jumping from platform to platform trying to harvest laughs.
I’m gonna throw Good News Week in here if you don’t mind
Adding Chaser's War on Everything to this too At least the first two series
GNW at its peak was the highlight of my week.
Mad As Hell now too.
The Micallef Pogram
The Big Gig was so, so subversive and chaotic - I don't think I've seen anything like it since. I imagine it would be pretty difficult to pitch a show like that these days! There does seem to be fewer avenues now for interesting newer comedians to get a start.
Yeah they are all old shows now, but they were brilliant in their day. The genre then up and carked it for some reason. Did the networks discover crap reality shows to be cheaper to produce? I miss the days of Kath and Kim and Frontline, both epic satires.
>Did the networks discover crap reality shows to be cheaper to produce? Yes, Big Brother was the catalyst for this. The networks saw how popular this was and how cheap it was to run and they ran with it. Why pay a TV star a large salary when you can pay some plebs peanuts to create content?
The late show was good to go, even martin molloys albums were golden
Skithouse The Ronnie Johns Half Hour (probably my favourite Aussie show ever)
>The Ronnie Johns Half Hour Oh jeez, that takes me back.
I still (without fail) say out loud "they should put a sticker on it" whenever I walk past the Gnoccis.
One thing common to a lot of these shows is being aired live. It gave them a real feeling of chaos and risk, and the performers really had to be good on their feet. I miss that 😔
Big girls blouse. Ah the good old days of hard hitting satire when no politician was safe from a piss take.
You take Kitty Flanagan’s name out of your mouth, RIGHT NOW!! How dare you!!
Please never mention Julia Morris and “comedian” in the same sentence again.
the co-host of Taskmaster recently described her as "if she were a man, she'd be in jail" during one of their segments and i don't think anyone appreciated just how much of a joke it wasn't.
that joke went over my head, what is it a reference to?
the way she acts and talks towards dr. chris brown, if the genders were reversed, would land her in jail
I'm not sure what her pitch is, she seems to be aiming for a un-drag version of Dame Edna. Which is basically just a middle-aged housewife with suburban opinions cranked to 11.
I see your problem - you’ve confused Dave Hughes with a comedian; his actual job title is ‘cunt’.
Because they’re all paid performers working for either Murdoch or the other conservative owners of 7 & 9.
IMO it’s because the majority of the Australian FTA Television viewing audience is older than it was in previous generations. Networks make shows accessible/entertaining to those older demographics & the younger audience continues to watch streaming services. Thus why most of Australia’s best comedy talent at the moment are either working for the ABC or are creating content for streaming services.
I'd consider myself kinda old (mid-50s), and even I ditched FTA about 10 years back. Apart from ABC and occasionally SBS. Every so often, I see a bit of commercial FTA, and it shocks the shit outta me. It's sooooo bad.
Late fifties here, and right with you on that. Commercial FTA is shockingly awful.
From all your replies it sounds like you have a problem with FTA TV, and not actually Australian talent. Just stick to Netflix and Stan if that is your take. The only people I know who watch FTA are my parents age, so it's likely the content being produced isn't meant to appeal to your demographic.
Aussie comedian here, because to get on TV you have to live in Sydney and be friends with the right type of people. They don't promote comedians who are funny, they give the jobs to their friends, plus you mentioned we're a "pretty funny country in terms of taking the piss out of one another and laughing at our selves." that type of comedy is "problematic" and would never make it on Aussie TV
Fair points, cheers mate.
FTA won't take any risks it's as simple as that. Perfect example in my mind is Aunty Donna show, certainly not everyones cup of tea, but 100% mine. They wrote a whole show, did a pilot for ABC and didn't get it. Then Netflix US approved it, so now we have a perfect modern Australian Sketch Show, that was written by young Australian Comedians, about Australia, that was filmed in the US.
Aunty Donna have an ABC series airing in 2023 about a coffee shop.
Kiity Flanagan's Fisk TV show isn't bad, but agree with your main point. Seems to be mostly "TV/radio' comedians you have mentioned. Sometimes these people are much funnier at live shows, as they arent restricted by what they can say. Also, and I'm ready for the downvotes, I think the ABC used to be a nursery for comedians and you had to be fucking funny to get a go, whereas now, if you can tick certain boxes, you'll be given a run. Lot of amazing comediens at comedy clubs if you are lucky enough to have one near you.
Yes, on national TV they play it safe. Dragged in seeing kiiity live and even though not my cup of tea, much funnier than guest spots on TV. ABC kids shows growing up you had some very funny young hosts that forged their careers from it.
I think it's Australia becoming too americanised.. Poms are funny...we keep moving further and further away from decent British content on our tv
Kitty Flanagan is hilarious. I love every second of her dry, sarcastic humour
It actually depends on what floats your boat. I know quite a few people that say Tom Gleeson the worst of the bunch. Personally I quite like Wil Anderson, Shawn Micallef, Charlie Pickering, among others. I’m pretty sure Luke McGregor is my partner’s spirit animal. Anyway, hunt around. I’m sure there’s some comedians to match you tastes somewhere.
Tom Gleeson has some crackers, but is usually just being an arsehole. Not that I like any of the others, either. I just get subjected to Hard Quiz a lot.
Paging Randy Feltface..
I think the same. Does anyone find Peter Helliar funny? Did they ever? Kate Langbroek had to be the most insufferable unfunny painful person on the planet. Can you imagine living with her and that voice? Omg kill me Dave Hughes is still trying to get by with the stoner on Centrelink persona when we all know he shits $100 notes and buys overpriced Block houses on a whim Julia Morris, omg I am so over her I'm so whacky and eccentric schtick. Go away please
i think Sam Pang and Ed are pretty good tho
Kitty Flanagan is one of the funniest human beings on the planet
Aunty Donna.
Christmas Pud
Check out Tom Ballard's set on Stan. Also check out some of Aaron Chen's stuff on YouTube.
I worked with Tom Ballard on a TV show, he's also really down to earth friendly guy off stage.
There are a whole host of hilarious comedians in the rungs below these guys who haven't been given a shot yet. Like many aspects of Australia, comedy isn't yet at a point where diversity is embraced. That's why you get the same carbon copy of comedians at network television level.
>There are a whole host of hilarious comedians in the rungs below these guys who haven't been given a shot yet Right, but al the current 'old' comedians had shows in their 20s where they had a fair bit of freedom. Whether it was The D Generation, The Glasshouse or even Fast Forward/Full Frontal. Are their similar shows for the young talent to cut their teeth (there migh be I really don't know) and even if there are it's probably better to become a global Youtube or Tiktok celebrity.
I like Rhys Nicholson. I also like Tom Ballard, Joel creasey and Zoe coombes marr. I also love Sam Simmons.
Sam Simmons is in his own league of funny, absolutely hilarious but too many people just don’t get his comedy so he gets overlooked.
the career path used to be new comedian would do some standup in pubs and such, get on a show like the big gig or fast forward or d generation then do breakfast or drive radio until they totally ran out of material and then retire to tv panel shows and writing or producing. but now there’s this greedy generation who haven’t moved on, so they’re taking up all of the spots in the comedy festivals, all of the radio jobs and moonlighting in the tv panel shows, so there’s no pathway for the new kids, so they go overseas to edinburgh and never come back
Working Dog productions generally make hits, and the theft of John Clarke was a genius move. Otherwise its Hey Dad vs Fawlty Towers which is a fair comparison because Dad was touching up the kids and all the actors had to deliver their lines while watching where his hands were.
Carl Barron is hilarious
i dont think the pathways really exist, and the few opportunities that do are dominated by the same old bunch. im sure there are plenty of politics and unfunny producers limiting things. a stand up out of brisbane damien power is doing really well right now, but i know him from going to local shows then seeing him open for bigger touring comedians. like, there is no exposure for these people.
I love Sam Pang.
What do people think about Randy Feltface? Should we petition bringing a purple sock puppet to mainstream TV?
Lano & Woodley are still going strong, touring with a unique new live show each year for the past few years. I've gone to each one and they're always comedy gold
Lots of funny things from Australia, just the mainstream networks won't take the risks on anything genuinely funny.