Irreverent

Reminiscent of Lilllyhammer. Mafioso on witness protection takes over quirt Norwegian yown, populated by weirdos snd complete dummies. And vorrupts them in hilarious ways.

I have just started watching the series. As an Australian I am familiar with the image of quirky hillbillies that some movies pretend all Australians fit into. Not ttue ..... for most of us .... But ....

We have a breed of .... clumsy 'unpolished', unselfconsciosly semi-moronic hayseeds we call bogans. Many almost fit the characters in this production. To truly appreciate the humour of this program one needs to understand the often laconic, sometimes completely 'boof-headed', often self deprecatory style of Aussie humour. Some Yanks get it. Probably most don't. Americans tend to take themselves too seriously.

I loved the opening scene in far north Queensland. Yes its a comedic exaggeration of reality, but it does show the beauty and the - possible - terror of that location.

It probably helps that I watched the first episode with very low expectations. The basic premise, criminal switches identity with priest, has been done many times before. Also, despite how funny Australians are, Australian comedies are often awful.

I wanted light entertainment, and thus far, Irrevent is just that.

Many familiar faces in the cast, and luckily none that elicit an "expletive no, not him/her again", reaction from me.

The lead actor I thought very good at playing a reprobate low level criminal with a handsome face. By that I mean his face doesn't work against the role. Pretty, is often pretty bland. Not this time.

So far, good, light, fun.

Really good show..... was unexpected and took me awhile to get to it... but just about binge watched it once I did ... entertaining, a little drama, few twists, a little funny, a little suspense .... Recommended The show starts a little slow, but it's builds up nicely... the Australian actors do a great job, but still over do the Aussie ocher sometimes, but mostly getting better at being normal Aussies The only thing that's annoying .... Most of the world thinks Australia is a super dangerous place and this show makes it even more believable, even though Australia does have lots of dangerous, venomous animals ... it's still a great place to visit .. lol.

Irreverent is a really well-written comedy, gentle and quirky, lots of 'in jokes' that only Aussies will get (sorry Yanks!). Colin Durrell in the lead is SO good, becoming more likeable with every episode. The supporting characters are great, with skilled actors delivering ridiculous lines with deadpan accuracy. This is SMART comedy, very witty & dry, not 'laugh out loud' stuff most of the time, even better than that (I think). I found it an absolute joy to watch, and so uplifting!! Congratulations to all those involved, we need more of this intelligent stuff to enjoy; so much of the rest is just sensationalistic hyperbole; this one is a REAL GEM!! Thanks so much for raising my spirits.

The tension: Between key characters needing to keep an increasing range of secrets, track someone down, and avoid numerous conflicts or people trying to track them down, the tension was there when needed. But it was also paced in a way that left a bit of room for drama and light comedy, which helped both with character building and giving the tense bits more impact when they did roll around.

The comedy: The first episode seemed a bit slapstick and silly in places, but it quickly improved - focusing more on those characters with charisma. Most of the light comedy was then either to do with the awkward situations and coincidences, or the main character's sarcasm. And that's the comedy that worked. Two side characters had a bit of banter that was pretty funny at times too.

The religion: It was a bit torn on how it treated Christianity. At first, I expected it to flat out ridicule and mock those of who believe, as a lot of modern comedy does. For a few episodes I was then pleasantly surprised to find that they struck a kind balance, respecting both believers and non-believers. Unfortunately, as it progressed, I think it turned out even worse than simply mocking us: instead subtly twisting religious belief to fit the directors' personal narratives or agendas. A shame, because it was so close to be a rare, respectful show. (Shouldn't matter to non-believers, of course).

Overall: Decent, light fun that also has a bit of tension to make you want to keep watching. And the ending makes you hope for season 2.