Population: 11 (2024– ) User Reviews

Surprisingly a good watch and and brilliantly made.

[sarahlloyd-59064 · 8/10 · 15 March 2024]

I expected this to be just another cheesy outback drama like the tourist. Don't get me wrong, the tourist was watchable but also forgettable. Season 2 was Meh!. This one I found myself really enjoying and stayed up way past my bedtime on a "school night" before dragging myself away and then finished it off the next day. I won't lie, I expected this to be something I'd watch between better options. I'm pleasantly surprised.

I picked up on the Last Stop Larrimah storyline pretty quick, which I enjoyed seeing the characters based on real life people and elements woven in. All very Aussie but have a hidden side that makes you wonder about why they moved to a town so remote and what they were really getting away from. Growing up in a country town, I get how small communities can be. But where most show's will add in stereotype characters and let the star shine, this show gave depth to each character and developed a story for each. This was one of the few shows where the characters were not so predictable. It's great to enjoy the wider cast rather than be annoyed by them.

Loved the film making. Trent O'Donnell is becoming one of those directors who is popping up everywhere. Even the US version of Ghosts!!!! The other people behind this show are also great and have made shows I've enjoyed. I loved that the actors were people who have worked with this crew before. You can see that they are bringing talent with them and it makes for amazing TV.

Some silly fun

[philhayes80 · 8/10 · 19 March 2024]

Find it really hard to make a review 600 words now lol, but here we go.

I managed to finish the series in one night and while I normally don't do that, it was the support cast that kept me engrossed as I chuckled alongside them.

How good was it seeing Katrina Milosevic in a comedy for once? Especially after Wentworth she was truly a breath of fresh air that made me chuckle watching her in a role far from the confines of Wentworth. Geraldine was a hoot who wasn't afraid to cross a line when needed.

It's not supposed to be serious and why are people complaining about that? Acting like you're superior, it's silly fun and if you don't like that, maybe comedic dramas aren't your thing.

Give it a go, it's comedic drama being silly and it's good.

writing writing writing

[A_Different_Drummer · 7/10 · 31 March 2024]

If you are not paying attention to the quality product coming from down under, you are missing out. Mystery Road (the original) is awesome. Mr. In-Between is unforgettable, especially the episode where the protagonist goes after a local who abducted a child. And Deadloch is like Fargo, wacky and interesting at the same time (early Fargo, not recent Fargo!). Population 11 seems to aiming for zany, and hits the mark more often than it misses. The writing is the hook, and there is dialog here that sneaks up on you and, before you realize it, you find yourself laughing out loud. (S01E01 -- Officer Geraldine, claiming the reward after producing a generic and nondescript boot -- "That's for you to figure out. Now's the time for you to cough up the reward money.") Smooth! ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Kinda rolls along

[delicatedave · 7/10 · 18 April 2024]

This for me is one of those you can drop and pick when you wish. It doesn't hook you enough to make you want to binge on it but is good enough and odd enough to make you want to see what's next.

At the start it's hard to nail this down - is one of those odd ball Aussie shows or a more complex adventure in the outback sort of thing. I like it, I like the acting too. But I do hope they don't do a second series as I fear it'll suffer.

Not watched it all yet, as I say, you need to be the right mood for it and let it pass over you. Certainly each character tells it's own story as the main story progresses and its as if the main storyline is trying to break out but the charators keep dragging it back saying "hay! Look at me!"

[5.8] Andy, Jeff and Geraldine

[cjonesas · 6/10 · 30 March 2024]

A very hilarious show up to episode 5, having me LMAO, especially the "Innernet" part, the flow was very satisfying and much intriguing in a comical way up to that episode; unfortunately, after that, the show started to turn in circles, finding the money, losing it, the death of his friend by that unscrupulous "accountant" and finishing on unrealistic notes.

The writers couldn't sustain the momentum with which 'Population 11' started and that's a pity, the very ending shows that admirably.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6
• Production value/impact: 5.5
• Development: 7.5
• Realism: 5.5
• Entertainment: 6
• Acting: 7
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
• VFX: 7.5
• Music/score/sound: 6
• Depth: 4
• Logic: 2
• Flow: 6
• Comedy/crime/mystery: 6.5
• Ending: 4.5.

Great Fun from Start to Finish

[sherpro-13339 · 9/10 · 14 March 2024]

I was very nervous when I saw another Australian TV offering listed for streaming.

So I watched Ep 1 waiting for it to dribble into dross like so many of recent Australian offerings.

But it made me binge watch the whole series at one sitting and I totally enjoyed it!

It's not perfect and there are some elements which are a bit hard to take but it's script is tight and oft times humourous, balance by a team of actors each of whom know what they are doing, and get on and do it.

It's hard to pick out any one actor who stands out but the American actor Ben Feldman is excellent in his role and the script uses his American origins to good effect.

So thank you all, people, for providing me with a very entertaining night in front of the Telly.

Quirky, Silly, Twisty, Well Worth A Binge...

[lewilewis1997 · 9/10 · 14 March 2024]

I didn't really know what to expect but Ozzie stuff is normally pretty good and a bit left field. This didn't disappoint. I got the feel of the Coen brothers and Fargo. All of the characters were very Ozzie apart from the Yank, who was equal parts baffled and an alien (deliberate joke, you'll see).

It's a 'who done it' laced with a huge WTF?! I really enjoyed the unpeeling of this small town, the myriad of twists and unexpected happenings, it kept me guessing until the very end.

Not one bad actor, they embrace and flesh out their parts nicely.

Highly recommended for a Saturday night or Sunday afternoon binge, it'll fly by.

Utter dreck

[samcelroman · 3/10 · 26 March 2024]

Couldn't tell if this was an Australian show meant for American audiences or an American show filmed in Australia. Either way, I couldn't have been more bored.

The premise, though, is intriguing. Hey, it's a tiny town of 12 people (one is missing from the get-go, hence the title) in rural Australia. Okay, cool. At least we'll get some spectacular scenery.

Then, to my horror, I realize the "star" is none other than Ben Feldman, playing exactly the same character that he did in Superstore. You know, always nervous, lots of hand waving, overly polite. Haven't seen his other work but apparently he only knows how to act one way.

Well, the Australians have got to be better, right? Um, no. It's like the producer said "make everybody wacky. No, wackier! No, ten times wackier!" Ugh, the whole thing ends up being more boring than if they all just sat in the bar, watching cricket.

Look, ONE wacky character in a group of normal people is funny and exciting and intriguing. But every single person being weirder and zanier than the rest makes this a comic book (no offense to comic books). The viewer is left to conclude that it's a miracle that these people can feed and dress themselves, to say nothing of paying their bills.

As for the mystery... well I only got 4 episodes in and threw in the towel. I don't really care what happened to the missing guy and whatever the other "woah OMG twists" were. All I wanted was for. Jonah to STFU and go home, already.

But yeah, the few outdoor shots were beautiful. Wow *golf clap* you did one thing right, and literally all you had to do was point the camera because nature did all the work.

Another deliciously quirky Aussie outback mystery

[Jay_boy_ · 9/10 · 16 March 2024]

Another deliciously quirky Aussie outback mystery from Stan, following on from the likes of "The tourist" again streamed on Stan.

I didn't realise Population 11 was "loosely based" on the unsolved murder of Paddy Moriarity in Larrimah, Northern Territory. So I urge viewers to take in "A dog act: The disappearance of Paddy Moriarity" on ABC iView (Australia) or even the Netflix series "Last stop Larrimah" for reference and several more quirky outback characters.

Anyway, there's laughs a plenty from the cast, and many Australians will recognise Stephen Curry and Nicole from Muriel's wedding. (Pippa Grandison)

A sharp soundtrack accompanies the series.

American Idiot Abroad

[tonyowen40 · 5/10 · 18 March 2024]

Started watching, seemed ok, but the more episodes I watched, I realised that the writers had made the protagonist to stupid in his actions, personality and character that I just couldn't root for him to get the money he's after. Maybe they had a reason for that, but I can't see it. The Australian actors/characters are good for their part in the story, and I'm just watching the rest of it purely for closure. I doubt I'll watch a second season, should it ever come to be.

If they'd written it as a pure mystery; there's enough of a plot for it to have been rather good. I think, also, there's enough quirks amongst the town's population to have given it something different to the usual drama we see nowadays. Ah, well.

EDIT: Ok, just finished watching ep12... The unraveling and solution to the ongoing mystery was a surprising twist, and I'll probably watch a second season. Still don't like the protagonist, though, but I'll knock my initial review of 4 up to 5.

Good Aussie humour.

[hotmustard-20210 · 9/10 · 3 May 2024]

I like Australian humour and watching Australian characters be Australian. This series had a good dose of both. Also a good plot and the acting was great. So were the sets. Only drawback was that the lead character was American. He was a great actor and he did his job well, but I just dont want to watch an American. There are plenty of other places inside and outside Australia that the character could have come from. Spoiler alert here - the series finishes with the Australian town earning income from the yank which puts the yank in a position of power and that left a bad taste in my mouth. Other than that it was quite enjoyable.

Last Stop Population 11

[jldowsing · 3/10 · 19 March 2024]

Last Stop Larrimah was a truly engrossing doco featuring an intriguing murder mystery the epitome of the old saying 'the truth is stranger than fiction'. It had to be seen to be believed that such people and such towns exist on Earth and how such a tiny community of bizarre characters can devolve into a hopelessly tangled mess of spite and mistrust.

To so blatantly take myriad elements and weave them into a fictional series was a flawed concept from the get-go. If the producers loved the real life story so much then they'd be better to turn it into a dramatisation of events. Or alternately, employ a little more imagination and separation from their inspiration.

If you can make it past episode one then good luck. For what Population 11 is it's kinda watchable, but ultimately a pointless exercise. I'm as annoyed at whoever pitched the series as those equally lacking good judgement to green light it.

Do not beleive these glowing reviews

[seacargm · 1/10 · 27 March 2024]

Ok, so this dumpster fire of a show is based on an interesting premise, but it doesn't take long for it to degenerate into a poorly written, Scooby doo piece of Hollywood trash.

I find it amazing that in this day and age that they can produce something like this and no one pops up their head early on and asks simple questions like "Who is the audience supposed to identify with? And Why are there absolutely no likeable characters?" You might think I'm exaggerating, but I defy you to find a character in this show that isn't a dirt bag for one reason or another (or so minor that their collective screen time doesn't add up to 5 minutes). They are all horrible people doing horrible things to other horrible people - who cares !!!

Anyway, skip this trash. You'll be glad you did.

Tries too hard to be everything.

[waynejoh-84101 · 3/10 · 19 March 2024]

Oh god - it's got to get better - no it didn't

This is a TV show that tries too hard to be everything and in the end it's a nothing show.

If it was just drama it may have succeeded but trying to be a comedy, drama, thriller and more it falls flat.

The acting is second rate (and that's being generous) and the storyline is barely passable.

I'd recommend that you wait until it's free to air (and even then that's too expensive) to watch this tripe.

A much better movie is Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (OK a movie not a TV series - but still a much better story line).

This is an honest review of the series and if you do pay to watch this junk, then it's at your peril.

I am so over this.

[destiny_west · 1/10 · 19 March 2024]

The last time I checked it was 2024 not 1984. I am beyond over the need for Australians to be portrayed this way. Why can't we move on from this? Is it because filmmakers feel that the rest of the world thinks that is what Australians are like. The stereotypical Paul Hogan Crocodile Dundee misconception? So they feel the need to entertain the masses with this rubbish.

Yes, you get 'odd' and 'characterful' people in the Australian outback, but it is getting beyond a joke. I couldn't even move past the first episode.

We need to do better and stop catering to the Koala Blue and Ken Done era. Time to move on.

I was hoping for more

[allonsytoutdesuit · 4/10 · 10 April 2024]

I was hoping for more, a lot more. When I heard about this series and saw that it was Ron Laflamme, I expected it to be quite funny. Maybe not Silicon Valley funny but still, I did expect it to be a lot funnier than it was. First episode failed to grab my attention completely. A man goes to a very very small town, if you can call it that, where the population is 11. Unfortunately the entire cast of characters is just weird for weirdness' sake. There's no rhyme or reason to their ultra strange behavior. It's just random weirdness and I guess some people find that funny but I don't. There's no wit or real humor here.

Tough to watch

[Xavier_Stone · 2/10 · 28 March 2024]

I made it until the end of the second episode and had to bail. Nothing interesting and it seems almost like a Seinfeld show where it prides itself on making entire episodes about silly nonsensical stuff.

There was an idea here somewhere and then it just peters out fast. Bumbling around and all of the characters get tiresome really fast. Not much else to say. If you make it as far as I did then you know what you're in for. Even this show doesn't deserve 600 chars explaining how bad it is.

I made it until the end of the second episode and had to bail. Nothing interesting and it seems almost like a Seinfeld show where it prides itself on making entire episodes about silly nonsensical stuff.

There was an idea here somewhere and then it just peters out fast. Bumbling around and all of the characters get tiresome really fast. Not much else to say. If you make it as far as I did then you know what you're in for. Even this show doesn't deserve 600 chars explaining how bad it is.