I can't help thinking Myers Freak, who made the last post, has not quite caught on that 'Shark Bay' is meant to be a spoof of 'Home and Away' - hence the appearance of Dieter Brummer and Tina Thomsen. Okay, so it's not rip-roaringly funny, but it's not terrible and will raise the odd smile if you've grown up on Aussie soaps, and it's quite good fun to watch the likes of Brummer and Thomsen, plus Rowena Wallace (Pat the Rat of 'Sons and Daughters') and Raelee Hill (Ren of 'Neighbours') send up their well-known roles. A classic it ain't, but 'Shark Bay' is okay. Just don't judge it as a soap or drama, as it isn't meant to be one!
Reviews
7 Reviews
The Scarlet Letter
(1995)
Truly disastrous - a classic turned into a travesty
22 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Why? That one word could sum up everything that makes this movie so bad. It was made primarily because a lot of Americans got fed up with people suggesting all the classics are English - so what do they do? Change the ending and most of the rest of the plot too! As well as swapping the tragedy at the end for a typically Hollywood lovey-dovey ending, the story is told through the eyes of Hester's daughter Pearl, and halfway through the film the villagers are still guessing that Hester has been having an affair with the minister - even though the novel opens with Hester wearing the Scarlet A for adulteress! The only reason to watch this is to enjoy the irony of a studio thinking 'we'll show the world America has classic novels too', only to rip out everything that made it a classic. If you need any more proof of what a disaster this was, look at what Demi Moore, once Hollywood's highest paid actress, has done since...
The Golden Palace
(1992–1993)
Not all spin-offs work...
31 January 2005
After the brilliant 'Golden Girls' ended when Bea Arthur - always the show's biggest star - left, the company behind it decided to try and continue the magic with the remaining girls. As the show wasn't the same without Arthur, they producers created a new situation, with the girls buying and running their own hotel. Sadly, this series just seemed a bit desperate. Although there were some funny moments, the brilliance of the Golden Girls was its simplicity, and the chemistry between the four leads. With Bea Arthur gone, the comic balance was lost, and new characters seemed out of place. Also the situation was unbelievable - where did three women who could only afford one house between them get the money to buy a swanky hotel? Why did they buy a hotel anyway? Far from awful, but certainly disappointing.
Sam's Game
(2001)
Truly dire - comedy means more than a star name!
31 January 2005
For a period in the mid nineties in America, you could have your own sitcom, with your name as the title, as long as you were famous - regardless of whether you were actually funny. For some reason ITV decided it would be a good idea to copy this, and gave Davina McCall (a popular and likable TV presenter, but by no means an actress) her own show. They didn't go as far as calling the show 'Davina', but presumably we were meant to think this show, and Sam, were based on her life. Maybe they thought Davina McCall was popular enough that people would enjoy watching her and not notice she couldn't act for toffee... it didn't work, and unsurprisingly, Davina has stuck to presenting since this embarrassingly unfunny show died a death. It didn't do much for the career of her co-star, popular stand-up comic Ed Byrne, either.
After Henry
(1988–1992)
Sometimes touching, often surprisingly biting and poignant
28 January 2005
A sitcom about a widow, her mother and her daughter living in three flats under one roof would never get made today - some producer with an eye on the under 25 market would probably insist on it being three young girls flatsharing. But back in the 80s, After Henry was the sort of gentle yet clever sitcom that thrived on British screens. The relationships between Sarah, Eleanor and Claire were so realistic you could imagine they really were related, with Prunella Scales successfully shaking off memories of Sybil Fawlty. Joan Sanderson as Eleanor is the real star here though. Sanderson may have ended up typecast as the slightly snooty, abrupt old woman, but like many typecast actresses, she ended up that way because she played that part so well.
The show seemed to be running slightly short on ideas in its final run, but was still well worth watching. Sadly, Joan Sanderson died just before the 1992 run was transmitted, so the decision over whether to commission a further series was made for ITV. In a way, this may have saved the show from an undignified end, as suburban sitcoms suddenly became very unfashionable in the recession struck early 90s. A shame really, as all ITV's attempts at 'modern' urban sitcoms were appalling.
The show seemed to be running slightly short on ideas in its final run, but was still well worth watching. Sadly, Joan Sanderson died just before the 1992 run was transmitted, so the decision over whether to commission a further series was made for ITV. In a way, this may have saved the show from an undignified end, as suburban sitcoms suddenly became very unfashionable in the recession struck early 90s. A shame really, as all ITV's attempts at 'modern' urban sitcoms were appalling.
Honey for Tea
(1994)
England's revenge on America!
28 January 2005
American shows are notorious for including supposedly 'British' characters played by American actors making appalling attempts at an accent. (Think Anthony La Paglia in 'Frasier'...) TV pundit Victor Lewis-Smith once described Honey for Tea as 'Britain's revenge'. Felicity Kendal plays a pushy American mom desperate to get her son into a posh boarding school, and her accent is so bad it makes you want to cut your ears off. The woman sounds like she's never even heard of America, let alone come from there. The atrocity of Kendal's accent caused a critical slating, but it disguised the fact that the show itself was badly scripted and horribly unfunny. Not surprisingly, this didn't get a second series.
Roseanne
(1988–2018)
Groundbreaking in early years, falters badly later
28 January 2005
Warning: Spoilers
For years 'Roseanne' was one of the world's biggest sitcoms, and fully deserved its reputation. The character of Roseanne was the antithesis of typical US sitcom moms; acerbic, flawed, and equipped with an often biting wit. Some of the show's lines, particularly from the early nineties, will remain classics forever - the scene when Roseanne's sister Jackie tries and tries to tell their deaf aunt that their father is dead, eventually giving up and saying 'he's fine, he sends his love' is unforgettable. While Roseanne Barr/Arnold is undoubtedly the star, her chemistry with co-stars John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert really mad the show a classic.
Sadly, the brilliance of the show's early years will be forever overshadowed by the horrible decline of the final few seasons. New ideas were very thin on the ground, with an increasing reliance on theme and spoof episodes (including Roseanne going back in time to discover the meaning of Thanksgiving) and guest appearances. Also Roseanne Barr/Arnold's personal life began to seep increasingly into the script to detrimental effect: for example, Roseanne and Dan are told their unborn baby will be a girl, but this is later ignored and she gives birth to a boy, purely because the actress had a boy in real life.
This showed lack of respect for the viewer, as did the constant recasting of daughter Becky. Originally played by Lecy Goranson, Sarah Chalke took over in the mid nineties, before Goranson returned two years later - but then Chalke would take the part occasionally as Goranson nipped in and out of the series, and eventually, Chalke took over full-time again. The ridiculousness of this, and plots such as Roseanne's traditionalist mother coming out as a lesbian, were the final nail in the coffin of a once great show.
Sadly, the brilliance of the show's early years will be forever overshadowed by the horrible decline of the final few seasons. New ideas were very thin on the ground, with an increasing reliance on theme and spoof episodes (including Roseanne going back in time to discover the meaning of Thanksgiving) and guest appearances. Also Roseanne Barr/Arnold's personal life began to seep increasingly into the script to detrimental effect: for example, Roseanne and Dan are told their unborn baby will be a girl, but this is later ignored and she gives birth to a boy, purely because the actress had a boy in real life.
This showed lack of respect for the viewer, as did the constant recasting of daughter Becky. Originally played by Lecy Goranson, Sarah Chalke took over in the mid nineties, before Goranson returned two years later - but then Chalke would take the part occasionally as Goranson nipped in and out of the series, and eventually, Chalke took over full-time again. The ridiculousness of this, and plots such as Roseanne's traditionalist mother coming out as a lesbian, were the final nail in the coffin of a once great show.
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