At Home Alone Together (Wednesday on ABC) was the TV show I have been waiting to see ever since this pandemic began. Nobody takes the piss better than a bunch of Aussie comedians and they delivered, deservedly winning their timeslot too.
Ray Martin’s deadpan delivery was perfect, and the skits and fake ads were great. But could we make it less difficult to see who was behind it? “For a full list of credits, please head to our website” should never be seen on the ABC. Leave that disrespect to the commercial networks and run a full credit roll, especially to highlight all the writers.
Ryan Shelton in At Home Alone Together
Not surprisingly, the social media reaction was “mixed” but when isn’t it when it comes to Australian comedy? For a first effort, under extenuating circumstances, this show should ignore all the haters and just keep on working to provide more laughs.
If At Home Alone Together is the perfect show for lockdown, then HBO’s I Know This Much Is True (Monday on FoxShowcase) is probably the most ill-timed. Mark Ruffalo plays twins, one of whom is a self-harming schizophrenic and he’s superb. But throw in a dying mother, distant stepfather and manic translator (Juliette Lewis) and it’s all pretty bleak.
HBO also brings us Bad Education (Sunday on FoxShowcase), a one-off movie starring Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney as school administrators involved in the biggest embezzlement in American school history. It’s good but not great, but given these dark days of closures, it’s a timely reminder that good journalism is always needed to expose evil corruption, even if it comes from a student newspaper.
Get into full Eurovision party mode (even though there is no Eurovision this year) with Eurovision 2020: Big Night In (Saturday on SBS, with Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey) and Eurovision 2020: Europe Shine A Light (Sunday on SBS, and again, there is no Eurovision but when has that ever stopped Eurovision fans).
Animal lovers will love The Dog House (Saturday on 10), a UK love-fest which pairs rescue dogs with perfect parents. It is pure joy to watch, as opposed to the endless hours of Ambulance and 999: What’s Your Emergency that follow. Why not watch new Aussie band series Mint Condition (Vimeo) instead, starring Sibylla Budd and Gary Sweet, or Love In Lockdown (YouTube) with Lucy Durack and Eddie Perfect.
Finally, gritty drama lovers will be addicted to Zero Zero Zero (Thursday on SBS and SBS On Demand), a stunning Italian cinematic crime drama from Sky, Amazon and Canal. It’s about one shipment of cocaine, but from different perspectives of those involved, from Mexican mansions to Calabrian goat farms. Must-see.
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Top Photo: Hugh Jackman and Allison Janey in Bad Education Photo: HBO