aew-10 I am an Australian and I appreciate the Australian sense of humour. I gave this a go based on the positive reviews on IMDb. I watched the first three episodes and found them to be singularly unfunny; I laughed perhaps a couple of times all told.What turned me off straightaway is that the first episode started off with erection references, which were not funny, and then continued by poking fun at the son because he had an erection – funny not. I am not a prude, but I don't need to see this on my TV.I do not like the main protagonist; some of the other characters particularly in the Wheeler family are much more entertaining.I dislike making comparisons with other programmes. Nonetheless, when "Modern Family" started, it was fresh and genuinely funny with natural acting, while avoiding the clichés commonly found in American sitcoms. Moreover, the writers incorporated critiques of contemporary society in a subtle understated manner.

John_of_Lenah_Valley We enjoyed the first series and the second series is proving just as good. I won't go into the premise of the show, as that's well documented here by others, but I will say that the concept is excellent and makes for some wonderfully funny situations, especially involving the wonderful Robyn Nevin. The second episode of this new series, about sex education and related topics was totally hilarious. Great performances by everyone, and as usual, well scripted. If you haven't seen it, don't assume it is written at the expense of either upper-middle class or bogans (A peculiarly Australian term for people who are "uncultured" and enjoy life without regard for the social mores. Close, but not quite the same as the US term "red-neck"). The well-crafted characters are all endearing, even the foul-mouthed single mother played by Michala Bana, whose heart-of-gold often shines through the bluff exterior. This is a good quality, intelligently-written comedy, in my humble opinion a credit to the scriptwriter.

Chloe Hughes Don't let the title "Upper Middle Bogan" put you off from watching this comedy about upper middle class and doctor by profession Bess Denyar (Annie Manyard) who finds she's adopted and her real parents Julie and Wayne Wheeler who are drag racing "bogans". If Americans understood the term "bogan", definition being: An uncouth or unsophisticated, regarded as being of low social status". Rather than making fun of the lower class, this sitcom is classy with a superb fine talent led by Thespian acting legend Robin Nevin who plays the adopted mother of Bess, Michala Banas, Madeleine Jevic and Rhys Mitchell play Bess' long lost bogan siblings Amber, Brianna and Kayne, Lara Robinson and Harrison Feldman play Bess's chalk and cheese twins Edwina and Oscar and Dougie Baldwin plays Amber's son Shawn and Patrick Bramwall plays Bess's neurotic stay at home architecture husband Danny.

jamesmoule The term 'bogan' is peculiar to Australia but its origins are unclear. I first heard the term when visiting Parkes NSW in the late 1970s when my friend reported that residents of the town referred to Bogan weather (originating from the west near Bogan Gate). The term slipped from meaning poor weather to meaning second-rate people. This was popularised by the comedienne Mary-Anne Fahey in her schoolgirl character Kylie Mole in the 1980s. The TV series "Upper Middle Bogan" is a sit-com. An upper-middle-class doctor discovers that she was adopted as a baby and finds that her birth parents are "westies" or "bogans". (Non-Australians might have been told that Australia is a classless society but the very essence of the comedy of this show demonstrates the opposite). The comedy develops from the comparison of the values and activities of the "latte set" with those of the showy, superficial, populist bogans. I wonder how people from outside Australia will take this series. There are surely parallels in other societies so not much of the humour is likely to be lost (except on Americans as some of the humour is subtle). The writing is excellent, though a couple of the later episodes were not as strong as the earlier ones. The cast is outstanding, featuring some of Australia's best actors, including a rare TV performance from "royalty" of stage acting, Robyn Nevin. Ms Nevin proves once again what a fine comedy actress she is (remember "A Toast to Melba"?). The visual humour of her calisthenics is wonderful, (even if she didn't intend it to be humorous). The actors portraying members of the Wheeler family of drag racers (the bogans) are very convincing, to the extent that the viewer could believe that they are bogans in real life (which is possibly the case as 80% of Australians are bogans to a greater or lesser degree). This is a refreshing production, showing that Australia can still produce top quality shows despite the budget limitations.