The Strange Calls (2012) User Reviews

Eerie, Indiana + Hot Fuzz = Fun

[SapphireMind · 8/10 · 26 June 2016]

I read one of the previous reviews and could not disagree more! I loved the lead character, the down-on-his luck, Toby Banks. He is sent to Coolum by his dad, a high-up in the police dept. Toby is disappointed to realize that not only has he been sent to a small town in rural Australia, but no one bothered to pick him up at the bus station and he has been relegated to live in a caravan where a strange old man intrusively inserts himself into his life.

He starts getting strange calls during his night shifts and the old man, Gregor, insists that the strange occurrences need to be taken seriously and becomes his sidekick. They end up facing all sorts of strange and wacky and yet touching goings-on in Coolum. If you like Bryan Fuller comedies (Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies) I think you'd like this show. I wish there was more than one season!

Americans love 💘 this too! Murf the Surf

[m_winship · 8/10 · 18 March 2019]

My Aussie buddies recommended this new Aussie show to me. Haven meets Hot Fuzz as a young constable arrives in town bootless and tasting chicken blood that tastes like BBQ sauce. I know! Crazy enough to be an American show, right? He then proceeds to analyze the late night happenings from a trailer with an old man side kick, that is into DnDragons as a detective. The insanity makes sense, as a new show this gains ground as a 7.5 already. Good reviews too, pax, Murf

Funny

[amlcart0y · 8/10 · 14 March 2019]

I love this type of humor. Outside the USA like the U.K. ,Australia and NZ they seem to be able to catch this humor on screen very well. Once in a while Hollywood USA is able to capture a similar feel like in the tv show Battlecreek. But then they canceled the show.... I wish this was a tv series instead of a mini series so it went longer than 6 episodes. Oh well, I enjoyed it. I only gave it 8 stars because of the occasional vulgar language that's seems to be no big deal in other countries outside the USA, in a show that is otherwise family friendly. Well done.

Delightfully quirky.

[narellejoyc · 10/10 · 24 February 2015]

Have to love Toby Truslove's sympathetic portrayal of Officer Toby Banks, perhaps the only sane person in the eccentric town of Coolum. The series manages to be very funny and truly bizarre, at the same time as evoking real empathy for the hapless Toby.

Barry Crocker and Patrick Brammall don't hold anything back in their deliberately off-putting characterisations of Gregor and Sgt Lloyd, creating great foils for Truslove to work with/against.

The sections that show Toby responding to the miscellany of inane, strange calls are a highlight.

The show reminds me of a grown-up "Round the Twist. It also has shades of series like "Twin Peaks" and "Northern Exposure".

I can help you understand this show: everyone's crazy...! ....

[canuckteach · 7/10 · 30 March 2022]

... Right out of their minds. Cuckoo. Looney bin. It begins with a (very) junior Police officer Banks demoted to a small resort town on the ocean. He forgets to bring his shoes. He longs for his old girl friend, but when he calls her, she has taken up with a loser who already has a girl friend.

Whilst manning the police trailer for the overnight watch, an old guy, Gregor, shows up & hits him with the water spray (this plot point is never explained). Gregory follows Banks everywhere. They meet a guy who has eaten so much fried chicken, that he is turning into one. All these people are wacko. Typical Aussie show. Delightful.

Andy Griffith in the Twilight Zone

[Fortune_Sparkles · 9/10 · 29 August 2015]

I really like this quirky little show. I hope they make more but it doesn't look like it.

The show revolves around a young man who is a cop that is given an assignment in the boondocks. The residents of this location are a bit eccentric. Therefore, the calls he receives are out of the ordinary. When I say eccentric and out of the ordinary, I mean the type you only find in the Twilight Zone. However, even though the calls are strange they turn out to be hilarious.

For example: A man eats so much chicken he turns into one, A commercial jingle hypnotizes people into mowing lawns continuously, A long dead murderous cat comes back and continues his serial killing where he left off.

I found this show on Hulu so I watch the episodes over and over.

Brilliant, creative, would love to see more!

[dugdal · 9/10 · 27 July 2018]

I loved the series and can't imagine anyone who could watch without laughing! I am no fan of "Hot Fuzz" or that type of humor however the majority of the humor in this series is witty enough to actually be funny! The 'strange' is the best part! I think I can say that the show seamlessly weaves together spoofs of some epic classics in a manner that is unique, brilliant, hilarious and genuinely entertaining! Plus the characters are quite well developed and portrayed, especially Toby but also the "strange" characters and entire cast IMO! I agree the budget could have been increased yet I never found it lacking... the show would be ten stars if there were more episodes/seasons and a bit less of what I consider unsavory language/humor (though to be clear on that last thought it was still so much better than so much of the 'popular' shows out there... short stints and not nearly as much to endure, also more relevant to character and not just crammed in to gain ratings of the skin flick seekers, which is definitely refreshing) Overall this show is a rare little jewel, so sick of overdone nonsense and glad to find this! We all laughed and enjoyed it then disappointing to see it just ended! Looked it up here to see if new seasons were coming and find it doubtful. I am intrigued to see the "Strange Calls" movie (2015) but the main character, Toby Banks, is played by a different actor...so just won't be the same without the original lovable Toby!

A weird show, with lots of heart and ambition but lacking funds and plot.

[kuuk3 · 5/10 · 10 August 2015]

The first thing that hits you upon watching the pilot is how strong their accents are. You know instantly where this is set and the tone of the show.

To label it as a comedy would be inaccurate, but thats the closest genre it fits in. There is no laughter track, and the music is subdue. You can tell they are trying to be funny with the situations and plot, but then the ruin it with ridiculous character actions that a police officer, or even a fellow human being would not do.

It feels very much like a Tuesday afternoon cable TV show, shot on a tight budget with a limited cast and crew. The beach surroundings are given limited screen time, as shooting at night they found was cheaper and had less problems. Thats fine, I suppose. But makes the show dark and the world quiet. Its hard to get absorbed into a world that you barely see or hear.

But our main character is barely interesting enough to hold your attention, being depressed for most of his scenes. His night guard / partner has his moments though and together they make the show watchable. But the way they portray the police department is embarrassing at times and how they disrespect their fellow officer is not funny.

I will say this show deserves a chance. Watch the pilot and decide for yourself whether its your cup of tea or not. I have to give the show a rating, but honestly this is one of those shows thats like marmite. Some people will love it, while others simply wont "get" it. But it ticks a lot of the right boxes and you can see the people making this have ambition to at least try and make it work.

Fun

[bkroberts-51683 · 8/10 · 23 July 2021]

I just love this quirky series. Barry Crocker reminds me of my late neighbor and Toby reminds me of one of my old housemates from college. Just enjoy it.

Not popular among our regular crowd

[concours-13531 · 4/10 · 16 August 2016]

Not sure where all the great reviews come from. While I'll give you the show is quirky and different that doesn't necessarily relate to good. For me the comedic timing for the most part was way off and the acting as well.

I'm guessing there was a reason why it didn't last more then the number of episodes that it did. I guess there will always be someone that likes this type of production but it sure wasn't our crowd.

I'm guessing that this was someone's first attempt at writing and or producing as it had the feel and look of an amateurish production throughout the series.

As well I am also not sure why IMDb requires so many lines of text for a review. Sometimes less is more in my opinion.