“It might be funny when you’re a kid, not when you’re seventeen!”
I’m paraphrasing a bit, but Adelaide angry boy Daniel pretty much summarised the entire show while complaining about his brother Nathan pissing on him from the roof.
Five episodes into Chris Lilley’s twelve part odyssey Angry Boys and you can maybe see the threads of a storyline coming together – the characters are being drawn together for a ‘going away’ party for Nathan before he leaves the South Australian farm for deaf school. In another seven episodes we may see an Austin Powers style scene, with a plethora of Lilley characters together. Considering the quality of the show so far, seven episodes is a long time. You have to wonder if the payoff is really worth the distance.
Rather than developing this theme, this week’s episode was burning time with little forward movement, an obligatory episode if you will. Daniel tries to get payback on Nathan for pissing on him, Smouse! (now with added exclamation in his name) fights with his girlfriend and works on his new album, and the unconvincing Asian lady recycles script material from previous episodes. It all adds up to a piss joke told twice, a fart joke told twice, and Smouse! cutting his hit new track ‘Big Black Balls’. It’s hardly striving for ‘intellectality’.
In some ways Angry Boys is a victim of Lilley’s previous success – while attempting to make a show that will appeal to the largely different cultural markets of ABC Australia, HBO America and BBC UK it’s become large, unwieldy and impersonal. Relating to all the characters are impossible, so you’re likely to spend at least a third of the episode bored – especially if the only character you like is Gran. You’re out of luck until next week.
There’s also a chance that being the director, writer, producer and star of this series, Lilley has surrounded himself by yes men who aren’t brave enough to tell him that his material isn’t funny, less they anger their star. It’s hardly changing his previous mold of taking realism to an absurd level – but it’s managed to take the comedy element out of it. It keeps the extreme characters, but struggles to make them likeable.
While it was deemed a ratings hit in the first two weeks, the numbers have eroded since – last night’s fifth episode pulled in 848,000 viewers, coming in at sixteenth place for the night. Now that the novelty has worn off, Australian viewers are turning back to Glee, and even channel 9 repeats of The Big Bang Theory in droves. While it’s a shame that an Australian made comedy program isn’t doing as well as hoped, it still needs to be worth your time.
17 Comments
I generally agree with this assessment. And you’re right, it is worth the time.
I don’t know if i’m just getting used to the angle its pitching at or if it is getting better. Either way, it’s becoming more watchable.
Why would the ABC think this show was worth putting on. Just goes to show how the ABC has so little ability to make any shows, they may as well just buy BBC junk and save at least 2 cents a day and close down Ultimo.
There’s something missing: the characters are all “angry” so it is true to its name, but the humour is as lame as a 14 year-olds – hence the “boys”. I can’t get into it the same way as Summer Heights –
Angry Boys is Bob Katter to Summer Heights’ Sophie Pantsoffphallus!
Austen Tayshus or Chris Lilley. Man, talk about your Morton’s Fork of scheduling. Cheers, Aunty!
I’d say its got a few good laughs an episode – worth watching, but hardly unmissable.
I like it – makes me squirm, like watching a train wreck, because everyone knows someone as futile as these characters. You even feel sorry for their lack of vocabulary and subject material at times. Just like the real thing. Can’t wait for the DVD – I missed episodes 2 & 3.
I find the humour mostly too technical to engender any actual laughs.
Most of the time I’m thinking “I can appreciate what you’re doing – and it’s clever – it’s just not very funny”.
The funny is more the makes-the-sides-of-your-lips-curl kind.
Hmmm, seems like I’m in a minority but I love the way it’s going. Typical Lilley – gradually becoming darker and more twisted but so slowly you barely notice. Enjoying it more every week.
This show is simply a vehicle for Lilley’s ego. If this material was played by normal actors rather than Lilley, there would be very little comedy to it at all. The main hook is that Lilley plays all the characters, but it’s not enough. It feels to me that he figures that whatever crap he writes is funny because its him doing it. As such I think you are spot on about the “yes men” angle.
I saw half of ep 5 last night, which was my first experience of it. I laughed out loud quite a bit.
Thumbs up from the start and i like Smouse! and Gran , the Twins. It grows on you. I watch wednesday nights ABC at 8pm till lateline and turn off quickly.
Angry Boys has premiered on BBC3 here in the UK and I watched the first episode last night. Previously Lilley’s work has been clever and shocking, now it seems he’s aiming just for the shock factor. Anyone can say terrible things about juvenile offenders, but that doesn’t make it funny. Couch it in satire or absurdity and I might see the value in it. That said, I want to watch the whole series and still think Lilley is very talented.
You’re probably right that “while attempting to make a show that will appeal to the largely different cultural markets of ABC Australia, HBO America and BBC UK it’s become large, unwieldy and impersonal.”
I’m still waiting for the ‘Mr G dancing in a lycra cocoon’ LOL moment. I agree with Rohan, I get it too….but funny? They jury’s still out.
I think the main thing here is if you dont find this funny … dnt watch u are probs to old to enjoy this sort of humour. I dnt think any of this is supposed to be over thought like most of you have been and the main ppl this show is targeted for is ppl around my age 13-17.
Hi, Jake.
I think you’re exactly right – Angry Boys is aimed at your age group, despite the late night time slot.
Incidentally, I admire you for posting on Crikey. It needs some young blood around here. You should go and tear things up on Poll Bludger.
i love angry boys and i think you cant be a mature person to find Angry boys funny because everyone i know in my school year 6\7 Love angry boys and where not mature because where only 13 or 12 but i guess you can be older but i just hope they will let him come back and make more shows because normal TV that was like the only thing they can watch teenagers would love and i have fox tell and i taped this every night COME BACK ANGRY BOYS