Pacific Heat (2016–2017) User Reviews

Under-rated and unnecessarily hated on

[marktobitt · 7/10 · 9 December 2016]

Everyone's immediate reaction to this is "Oh Archer rip off", as it was mine when I saw it pop up.

BUT give it a chance, watch a couple of episodes, and it's actually well worth sticking with.

The plot is episodic, doesn't tend to carry over, and can be a little thin, but it makes up for this with fast paced humour and dialogue. What some see as messy, actually adds to the humour and creates a constant pace; I never feel that it's been 22 minutes by the end of each episode.

Some of the accents/stereotypical representations of other ethnicities are a little questionable in fairness, but it's satire!

Overall, well worth a watch, and I hope Netflix recommission for a 2nd series and don't duck out due to people not giving it a chance.

Not Just Another Archer

[brendanacebo · 6/10 · 8 December 2016]

My first thought when I saw Netflix had created this series was one that has proved commonplace, "Netflix is pretend it could replace Archer." It turns out the shows are quite different. First, the humor of Pacific Heat is faster. A show like archer sets up its funniest moments making them melodramatic and also highly memorable. The charm of Pacific Heat is that if you aren't paying close attention much of the humor breezes by. Second, Pacific Heat doesn't depend nearly as much on sexual humor as Archer does, which, for some, can hinder its immediacy. Personally, I love watching Archer but this change of pace is refreshing.

There has been a strong voice of complaint decrying Pacific Heat for its seemingly blatant racism and sexism. The characters, whether Arabic, German, Russian, Chinese, or otherwise are satirically stereotypical. Additionally, every foreign accent is hilariously mangled. Australians don't exactly have a strong leg to stand on when it comes to phonetics. If this is interpreted as satire, as Archer is, then the blatant offensiveness is understood as mocking not the demographics represented but rather those who view them in such stereotypical terms.

A note on worldview. I am skeptical of US foreign policy, especially as it pertains to the under-regulated use of drone strikes and covert operations. Therefore, I found it both amusing and fascinating how Pacific Heat touches on these issues. For example, in the Desert episode it is easier for the agents to authorize a drone strike than it is to call their boss. Additionally, in an earlier episode, during an interrogation scene the lie detector lets slip that the government hasn't stopped torturing prisoners. It was a nice reminder that there are those who pay attention to alarming trends in intelligence, even if it was intended as a joke.

I am always being told to decipher the hidden curriculum embedded within entertainment. This is because, as is commonly believed by Christians, All entertainment contains a message. Even a show like Pacific Heat, which is intended primarily for amusement, provides an interesting expression of the worldviews of its writers. It is my impression that the writers of this show find the self-importance fueled by over-complicated defense strategists and operatives to be the producer of negative results.

In Conclusion, Pacific Heat is a little more thoughtful than it seems, and I'd say its worth at least the first few episodes.

Complete.... meh

[Neos_back · 5/10 · 20 December 2016]

To be honest this isn't a bad show... though nor is it any good. Its a time waster. If you have 20min and you're bored and want a chuckle then give it a shot.

Unfortunately you cannot escape the archer comparison and in that respect this is a very poor attempt.

If however you can overlook that, then you will be rewarded with a mildy amusing show with Australian humour that is every so slightly (and by that I mean glaringly) racist. At the end of every show I was left thinking... that was pretty damn racist... is that what they find funny in Australia? Every "bad guy" has a terribly stereotypical racist accent. Every "bad guy" is a stereotype. I am by no means an advocate of political correctness... but I'd say they take it a tad too far here.

Its hard to review it, as you will forget every episode within half an hour. Its just... meh.

One Part Monkey Dust, One Part Archer

[hello-140-628105 · 2/10 · 4 December 2016]

The animation reminded me of the BBC3 animated series Monkey Dust, but the pilot animation is very rough as is the dialogue, story-line and well just about everything.

This is not a replacement for archer, nor is it anything compared to the hilarity that was Monkey Dust. Storyline thus far is weak, characters are not being developed and not very memorable. Some of the Asian characters are borderline racists and the female leads are very one dimensional.

Overall not one to watch unless you need to fill the void via Netflix, which to be fair has way better alternatives.

Extremely underrated, under appreciated, and overlooked.

[RafiSteinger · 8/10 · 4 January 2017]

To start, everyone has been and probably always will compare this show to Archer; while it is clear that Netflix executives probably intended to offer pretty much the exact same product, the creators did a brilliant job creating a new show that actually is very different than Archer in both delivery and humor. Most people will not see this as the animation is strikingly similar however the jokes, representation of characters, comedic style, and premise are much different. The premise is the most obvious; instead of the obvious stereotype of an ultra super spy, Pacific Heat follows a team of law enforcement agents in Australia who ultimately are forced to work together despite only one of them actually being capable of her job. As many reviews will compare the differences between this show and Archer, the show in and of itself absent of Archer maintains an original and hysterical perception of Law enforcement.

I would rather have to not address this point, but many unforgiving reviews falsely and ignorantly accuse the show of being racist and bigoted by comparison to Archer. However, in reality many of the cultural stereotype jokes are either similar or much more mild mannered compared to that of Archer (many times executed in much better test), which also is not a racist or bigoted show. If anything, (it's difficult to explain to someone who isn't smart enough to comprehend this) the racial references of both shows are quite humorous because they don't actually intend to make fun of the races being portrayed, but instead to poke fun at those who are ignorant enough to actually believe the stereotypes or make those types of bigoted remarks. The best example of this would be comparing some of these jokes to when Cartman of South Park makes fun of Kyle for being Jewish (or some variation); the actual humor is that Cartman is ignorant, and the show makes fun of those who would actually be dumb enough to believe in making fun of Jews in the personification of Cartman. The same goes for characters in Archer and Pacific Heat. An example in Archer is when Malorie Archer shoots a member of the Yakuza and says "That's for Pearl Harbor!" The humor lies with the fact that Malorie Archer is bigoted enough to make that type of remark, and not that there's anything correlating Asians (specifically Japanese) to the actions taken at Pearl Harbor.

The same goes for Pacific Heat in it's representations of Asian or Middle Eastern criminals or bad guys; many jokes in pacific heat again poke fun of the main character's ignorance rather than the racial backgrounds of people who are actually Asian or Middle Eastern, although it's more subtle than Archer and in some forms juxtaposes those cultures against mainstream western culture. It should also be noted that Pacific Heat only has one season, so the depictions of "bad guys" are much more limited than the many seasons of Archer. If anything, Pacific Heat portrays "bad guys" in a multitude of diverse backgrounds for only having one season.

Steering away from bad reviews and Archer comparisons, Pacific Heat offers viewers a great experience and hysterical jokes that are original and well delivered.

I would suggest giving this show a chance and watching it with an open mind. If the viewer can't get past the visual resemblance of Archer then it won't be worth it, but I highly suggest giving this show a chance.

A Poor Mans Archer

[dougmacdonaldburr · 6/10 · 22 June 2017]

The comparisons are obvious. Both are adult oriented animated comedies about teams of agents. It is not as well made, written or acted as Archer. However, I still think it is funny. The jokes are crap, but, there are so many of them and delivered in Australian accents. It kind of wears you down until you laugh along with it. If you like Archer and don't go into this expecting too much, you will probably like it.

Just very bad

[AdrianSurdu1234 · 2/10 · 3 December 2016]

I've watched the pilot. 20 minutes of nothing. Jokes are bad, the production is bad, you often don't understand what they're saying. The characters lack complexity. You have a bad version of Archer portrayed by a pretty boy, a big muscular stupid guy who can't comprehend words, and not in a funny way, 2 stereotypical hot chicks and a Asian boy looking IT girl. Throw them together, add some bad acting and you have "Pacific Heat". A lot of people watched it cause of the similarity to the Emmy awarded show Archer, I don't think that you should. There's nothing to it. If you watch an episode of archer you laugh at least 2-3 times per episode. I've watched this garbage with a straight face and struggling to understand what they were saying because of the bad production. You can't compare. It's like putting a pair of round glasses on your face and say you look like Jhon Lennon, you don't. It's just your head with a pair of round glasses. This show is pretending to be a good show. If you want something similar to Archer watch Sealabs 2021. That's my opinion. 2/10. I cant give 1 star cause I don't hate this show, I just think it's really bad. And no one deserves 1 star, not even this show.

Not what others are saying, worth a chance

[KirbyKaz · 9/10 · 9 February 2017]

First of all, this show is not "trying to be Archer". The two have very similar concepts, but so do a lot of shows & movies. Also, in the Trivia section it clearly states "Despite being compared to Archer the concept for this show dates back to 1996 with the Working Dog radio serial Johnny Swank."

Secondly, for the people saying that it's offensive, it is no where near as bad as South Park, which millions adore. It's a comedy. It is certainly not the first or only comedy/comedian to have jokes like that.

It's not as good as Archer, but it is more ridiculous. It's quick-fire, outrageous, and daring. It's at least worth a chance.

Commentary

[rmneth · 23 October 2018]

This isn't a review, I just think it's hilarious how so many people literally wrote the same thing. Over. And over. And over. And over.

We get it. It's not Archer. Thank you, oh super hero reviewers. You've made it obvious that not all heroes wear capes... Though, I'm pretty sure some of you wear helmets... To bed... To protect what, I'm still unsure of. But I'm pretty sure they're of an off-brand manufacturer.

Fun Show let down by it's Artistic resemblance to Archer

[ironlak-85502 · 6/10 · 2 February 2017]

Okay so i'm going to start this review straight off the bat by saying that I really enjoyed Pacific Heat (the two episodes I have seen.)I think a big selling point is that it's got Australian characters and is set in the Gold Coast something Aussie viewers can really appreciate,an appeal that is probably lost on many foreign viewers.

Unfortunately the show stylistically resembles the American series Archer albeit the quality. I just finished watching episode 1 of both Archer and PH so i'm going to break them down as Archer is commonly cited to criticize this series.

* Archer has two tone shading throughout the show, PH has only about two scenes of it. * Compared to Archer PH never shows anyone below the waist when walking, (legs crossing etc) which seems like lazy animating. * The characters in general don't look as anatomically correct as Archer. * Characters in Archer had a bit more depth to them. * I found the setting and story to be more exciting as an Aussie and the show had quite a few funny moments compared to Archer which I found entertaining but nothing that made me laugh out loud.

Overall a fun entertaining show that could have saved itself much criticism by coming up with it's own artistic style and bumping up it's artistic quality minus the heavy reliance on racial jokes.

Australians making fun of OTHER accents? Now that's a laugh!

[mungeeman · 2/10 · 5 December 2016]

This show is terrible. Full disclosure, i am not white, but at the same time I can take a well crafted race joke that doesn't knock people down. Archer (the series to which this show is most compared to) manages to be clever, dumb in all the right ways, insightful and also just plain funny. You are never in doubt as to whether it is satire or not.

Pacific heat is TIRED and unfunny. The jokes fall flat about 75 percent of the time, and when they do work, they are voiced without any feeling whatsoever.

I had to laugh though when Australians, who you know, pretty much mangle English such that most of us can't understand them, have to make up entire bouts of foreign language to make non-white characters sound even more stupid and foreign. If that sounds offensive to you, then you've hit the nail on the head. The show is so unaware of its own ridiculousness that it's the only thing worth laughing at.

Watch it if you have the stomach for it - but it's dated, ignorant, racist and a product of a feeble mind. None of which makes me angry, just sorry for people that have to think at that level.

It may look like Archer, but it's totally different.

[dustinhedstrom · 8/10 · 9 December 2016]

The impulse is to compare this with Archer, because the aesthetic and premise are similar, but the shows are structured differently. Pacific Heat has a much faster joke delivery; it's easy to miss the jokes if you aren't listening. It relies more on wordplay and dialogue jokes instead of the esoteric reference jokes found in Archer. Also, unlike Archer, there is no one obvious protagonist. The characters are understated and static, but this is only the first season, so that may change as the show finds its groove. If you come in hoping for a rehash of Archer, you will be disappointed. If you accept it as a totally new show, you may enjoy it.

Pros: Snappy dialogue, funny characters,fast delivery, lots of potential

Cons: Audio sometimes is muddled or unintelligible due perhaps in part to production value, the speed of dialogue, and the thick accents. Also, Asian/Middle Eastern character voices/accents are cringe- worthy and come off as a bit racist.

Occasional joke... buried in the muck.

[hminiarj · 2/10 · 1 April 2017]

Every once in a while they make a pretty good joke, too bad it's only once in a while.

The main attempt at humor in this series relies in the same tired old racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia and fatphobia that has been used excessively for cheap laughs over and over and over for so long that even if it wasn't bigoted it still wouldn't be funny.

To be fair... when the good joke shows up it's bloody hilarious by comparison.

That along with the consistent quality of the voice acting and animation is the only positive points for this series.

Just doesn't work

[Drat1964 · 1/10 · 29 May 2017]

To start, have to say I am a fan of the creators of the show and their past work like 'the panel' and 'front-line' but have to say Pacific Heat just isn't funny. Lots of denial in other comments about comparing this to Archer, yet every review I've seen make the connection. I have to say before seeing those when this show appeared recently on free to air TV the first thing I thought was this is a pale clone of Archer and I've seen nothing that changes my mind. While I'm not a big fan of Archer if it was a choice between the two I would watch Archer.

Classic Aussie TV series Part 2

[sydneyswesternsuburbs · 10/10 · 13 December 2016]

Creators and actors, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner & Rob Sitch who have also created other classic TV series, Funky Squad 1995, Breaking News better known as Frontline 1994-1995 & 1997, The Hollowmen 2008 and Utopia 2014,2015, 2017 & 2019 as well as the classic comedy dubbing, The Olden Days/Bargearse 1993 have created another gem in Pacific Heat.

I enjoy the one liners and seeing Australian made animation.

These guys have made Australias best television comedies and never overstay their welcome before moving on to their next creation. Keep up the great work.

If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic TV series, Ash vs Evil Dead 2015-2016 & 2018, Into the Badlands 2015 & 2017 & 2018 & 2019, True Detective 2014 & 2015 & 2019, Westworld 2016 & 2018 & 2020, Romper Stomper 2018, Dracula 2020 (Season 1 episode 1 only), Mystery Road 2018 & 2020, After Life 2019 & 2020, Gangs of London 2020, The Mandalorian 2019-2020 & 2022, Stranger Things 2016-17, 2019 & 2021, Breaking Bad 2008-2013, Sweet Home 2020, Into the Night 2020-2021, Animal Kingdom 2016-19, Vikings: Valhalla 2022 and Doctor Foster 2015 & 2017.

This is a poor series

[samuel_gale · 1/10 · 24 March 2017]

I've never sceen archer but it kinda looks like it but different, when I first saw this on netflix I wanted to watch it so I did. It's really bad first 10 minutes I turned it off and watched something else because it wasn't funny and unnecessarily rude. Do not watch this and watch something good. it tried to be funny but failed and when you watch the trailer you want to watch it but when you do, it's just awful. I suggest you to watch archer because this is just a remake of it. The certificate/age rating should be a 15+ not a 12+.

Why don't people like this??? It's great!

[macguffin54 · 10/10 · 5 December 2016]

I have no idea why people are hating on this show. I love it's dark humor (Monkey Dust is a personal favorite of mine), the rapid fire delivery (so you never know when a joke is coming (just like Harvey Birman, Attorney at Law). Yes, a lot of the jokes are dumb, but so are they in most comedies. The animation style is rough, true, but who cares? If you are watching a show for beautiful animation ... what show ARE you satisfied with? And the animation is rough in other shows, too, like The Life and Times and Tim and South Park, etc. That doesn't make them bad shows. And if you can't understand what they are saying that is your problem. True, the fast line delivery and the fact the characters talk over each other does make some of the dialogue difficult to make it, but that is its comedy style and I love it. It is one of those shows that will pay off on multiple viewings where you will catch things you missed on the first viewing. If you love twisted, dumb, dry humor you should like this a lot. Thank you Netflix for bringing the show to my attention.

Mostly Flat & Unfunny

[Nomad007 · 4/10 · 21 October 2018]

As many others has mentioned animated is stylisticly similar to Archer and good.

Jokes are written in constantly, like every few moment. Most however are just flat. You can see what they're trying to do but it just doesn't come through.

While there is constant back story the characters feel very underdeveloped.

The show is only mildely entertaining and just comes across as poorly executed, flat, and boring.

Laughing the third time around WATCH THIS SHOW

[camillemartinez-10130 · 9/10 · 30 May 2017]

I was in here months ago and saw so many negative reviews, mostly all of them jumping on the "Pacific Heat is trying to be Archer" bandwagon (talk about unoriginal, guys!). Snore.

But as the pro-PH reviews explain, this show isn't trying to be Archer. At all. It's making fun of itself that it's not Archer! Plus, another important distinction is the tone of the humor: Archer is biting and sarcastic and the characters make fun of the Other, whereas the humor in Pacific Heat is innocent and silly and the characters are making mistakes or being airheads. Both shows are funny as hell, but they have different slants.

And for the Archer fans who are calling Pacific Heat racist, just...what??!! Every episode of Archer (and every other comedy out there, incidentally) is oozing with offensive humor aimed at one gender or demographic or another. So, you know. Stop.

Since there's only one season and I find it so delightful, I'm watching Pacific Heat now for the third time. One of the things I love about this show is that the banter is so constant and delivered so under-the-breath, as it would be in real life, that I'm STILL hearing one-liners that I missed the first two times around (the accent is heavy, too, which is another reason. I'll confess, I've used the subtitles more than once). It just makes me giggle so much.

Final analysis: Pacific Heat is silly and fun and clever and weird and I am hoping against hope that there will be more.

If Archer had a baby, but they had kept the placenta......

[matthijsalexander · 3/10 · 28 July 2017]

It is clear to me that who-ever produced and created this has seen Archer but forgot about it. Woke up and thought he had the best idea ever.

Even if this show wasn't the horrific placenta of the Archer concept, it still fails. It fails to be funny, it fails to be interesting and it fails to be original.

I had a whole bunch on my watch-list, but deleted it instantly. I guess so many people watch so much television that they now miss out on things, so when they accidentally start watching this disaster they might think they've stumbled onto something new and original.

Like with food. Entertainment is mass produced and quality is no longer a criteria.

So sad, so, so sad.

Archer substitute.... Not

[txswimmerjdw · 3/10 · 4 December 2016]

Its seems as though the show is trying too hard to be the next Archer, unsuccessfully I must say. Good idea poor execution, It lacks comedic timing that makes other adult cartoon shows work and the jokes seem stale. Its only redeeming quality is that the animation quality is pretty good. Netflix doesn't often get a miss, and Im not saying its a miss, but its close.When compared to other Netflix animated hits like Bojack horseman this one just doesn't stack up. I only watched the pilot so maybe it gets better with each episode, and i do hope so. Its a shame for good animation go to waste because the story wasn't adequately developed in preproduction. If this was a soap opera I would have probably watched all of it, but for what it is I cannot continue to watch it.

Australian Archer; Nobody can compete with Archer :D but this series is good

[amputeetango · 10/10 · 4 December 2016]

I've seen Archer several times (the whole series) and love it so very dearly. Pacific Heat has elements that are similar but it's its own thing and expecting it to live up to that which it may have copied for money is foolish.

It's a bit slapsticky, it's vaguely racist but Pacific Heat isn't a bad show. The voice acting is quite good; the flow of the show feels very Australian. I had trouble understanding the accent (Even though i'm living in Mexico atm, i'm a native-English speaker from da USA; aka as the World Police HQ) years ago watching Rake (one of the best shows i've ever seen) but you get used to it after you've seen enough Australian programming.

Anyway, about this show; I get how some people can watch an episode of something and dislike it. I read "dont watch this show" on someone's stupid blog then read the reviews here that were all angsty; if you haven't seen much from a certain country it's easy to jump the gun and dislike it. It's easy to hate what one doesn't understand; but its sad. I really like this show. I'm only a couple of episodes in but it's funny and it uses the individual ignorance of characters to make jokes. Some of the jokes are sorta stupid; in Archer stuff is relateable and it lands. You have to google half the things because the pop cult references are all over the place :D but personally I've learned a lot from archer about random subjects i would have never heard of otherwise. This show is much simpler but still has merit.

I doubt i'll re-binge watch it while drugged out the way I have done Archer but it's definitely a good experience :D I hope they make more seasons. Archer was so tight from the very beginning, but I feel like if this show gets renewed the production value would go up and it'd find it's stride.

Australian shows I'd recommend; WATCH RAKE (it's one of the best shows I've ever seen and I watch a lot of series and films), housos (an Australian trailer park boys sorta), Swift and Shift (by the same ppl who did Housos), umm.. there's another show by the housos people that isn't super great about Pizza but meh..

Everyone should watch Feed. It's a film :D it's really twisted and beautiful. There is so much amazing Australian cinema; i can't remember half of it i've seen but they have a really unique take on comedy and they are OUT THERE quite often. Oh, UTOPIA :D is really good. It's about the ineffectual aspects of government (applies everywhere). Also "little deaths" or "La petite Morte" something like that; about fetishes people have and :D everyone is really happy and the atmosphere is weird; and really weird crap happens. Anyway; I wish everyone could enjoy more things. Our preconceptions tend to ruin a lot for us but with an open mind the world is so much more beautiful. This was a long rant rather than a review; i hope nobody reads it ever. Have a good night

If Archer lacked the charm or wit, this would be the result

[mjplysaght · 1/10 · 9 January 2017]

I can't be the first person to say that this show is merely just an Archer ripoff.

However, while Archer succeeds with its humour and wit, Pacific Heat just falls flat. The jokes are horrendously unfunny and it seems the writers don't know where to continue with character development other than making it clear as day: THE PROTAGONISTS ARE IDIOTS! Not only that, if you were to question me about the characters in Archer, I could go into detail about each and every one of them. Pacific Heat on the other hand? I can go any further than saying, "The two blokes are incompetent, the blonde woman is skilled when the plot needs her to be, and the second woman's accent is difficult to understand at times." And that last comment makes me worry about being sexist or racist, but don't worry, the show does it for you! Every foreign character in this show is portrayed as the most racist stereotype for whatever ethnicity they are. The jokes are repetitive, the characters are completely forgettable and I can easily sit through an episode without pulling a smile.

What were you thinking, Netflix, when you supported this?

Absolutely Hilarious

[ollemoy · 10/10 · 20 August 2018]

Put this show on to have in the background while playing some games, after 2 minutes i stopped all the other things I was doing and was laughing out loud watching this show.

It has stupid, crude and insensitive humor, which is much needed in today's overly sensitive society. The story is nothing special, but it doesn't need to be interesting when their comedy and characters draw you in.

Was laughing out loud through the whole episode and cannot wait to watch the rest of the season! I highly recommend this show to anyone who find inappropriate and crude comedy hilarious!

Funny trailer, but it flops quickly

[teriferrell · 2/10 · 29 April 2020]

This show had a great trailer. Funny, quirky, and clever. Unfortunately, that was the best of the best, and it quickly devolved into repetition of the same gags, obvious jokes, sexism, and racism. I got through the first episode, despite the limpness of the last 15 minutes. The second episode was even more boring - bland would be a step up. Trying to give it an honest shot, but it is not funny, and very predictable.