sluggr-2

I am an American and fell in love with this show instantly with the first episode. I am a professional by trade but had a father who owned a construction company that employed numerous "Bogans," and while it is more correct to call them red-necks in the states, other pejorative terms are becoming more popular since they adopted rap music (think Eminem). The humor in it comes from the clash of values and also from a recognition that things aren't really that different between the classes, as much as each class thinks and wants it to be that way. The setups are extremely good, sort of like Seinfeld, where an innocuous comment at the start often grows into the focal point by the end. The themes are universal and if Hollywood discovers it, I'm sure they'll make a poorer version for the States (its just what they do) hot off their failure with Rake, which I also really enjoyed. In some ways, it is very similar to The Beverly Hillbillies, albeit with more modern and cruder humor. I'd only seen Robyn in Rake so to me all the actors "are" the characters that they play and I think the casting was excellent, with parallel members in each family. It is truly a series that will make you laugh and cry at the same time.

I kept watching, just hoping it would get better. Three A-list principals, it just has to be good, right? IMHO, the writing was on par with a Quincey MD episode, the acting was either forced or flat, and the writing, editing, and directing abrupt. Just because it had the atmosphere of Foyle's War or The Bletchley Circle did not make it so. Glamour and style do not make up for a lack of substance. There were so many blatantly obvious hints about the "event which might be considered by some a twist" that by the time it arrived all I could say was "well duh-UH!" In fact, twist is too strong a term, as is reveal. Think of this as being on the opposite end of the spectrum from an Inspector Morse.

I saw this on A&E when they actually broadcast arts and entertainment. I have not seen it since, and almost suspect it may have been squashed by the powers-to-be as it really could inspire others to pull off the same stunts. I would say it is as relevant today as when it was made. The protagonist rivals Jimmy McNulty when it comes to moral ambiguity. ;-) The other part that I liked is that no character is completely clean. Eventually they all reveal a chink in their integrity armor which makes them complicit in the crime. In a way it is similar to The Shield where the writing is so good that it confuses right and wrong and we often find ourselves rooting for the criminals.