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.
Add a Review
-
John_of_Lenah_Valley24 October 2014
-
jamesmoule28 September 2013The 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.
-
Echtzeit_17 May 2017Loved it from the first episode, season 2 was already better than the first, but in season 3 is all comes together beautifully and better than I expected.
In essence, I would call it "The Australian Modern Family". Both in quality and in spirit. 'Nough said! -
sluggr-231 January 2015I am an American and fell in love with this show instantly with the first episode. I am a professional by trade but had a father who owned a construction company that employed numerous "Bogans," and while it is more correct to call them red-necks in the states, other pejorative terms are becoming more popular since they adopted rap music (think Eminem). The humor in it comes from the clash of values and also from a recognition that things aren't really that different between the classes, as much as each class thinks and wants it to be that way. The setups are extremely good, sort of like Seinfeld, where an innocuous comment at the start often grows into the focal point by the end. The themes are universal and if Hollywood discovers it, I'm sure they'll make a poorer version for the States (its just what they do) hot off their failure with Rake, which I also really enjoyed. In some ways, it is very similar to The Beverly Hillbillies, albeit with more modern and cruder humor. I'd only seen Robyn in Rake so to me all the actors "are" the characters that they play and I think the casting was excellent, with parallel members in each family. It is truly a series that will make you laugh and cry at the same time.
-
sheepshearer9 September 2018Classic Aussie comedy. Would love to see more. Not a weak character in the show.
-
cameronbalcombe9618 October 2013A real work of art that I would definitely compare to American family comedy, Modern Family.
This 8 episode series really shows the contrast of Australian society and in a way breaks down stereotypes that all Australians are 'bogans' and drive utes.
The series includes great Aussie comedy and jokes and does not seem to fail in the line of comedy. This series genuinely made me laugh and I wish that the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) continued with the series.
To find such a good Australian comedy is rare and definitely needs more recognition. For these reasons I have stated above I give it a 10 out of 10. -
The quality of Upper Middle Bogan across all three seasons was superb. The world of this series was a brilliant and original concept that was entertainingly teased out across several years. Before the third season aired on ABC TV, I wondered if the frequent laughs could be maintained. They were. The writers, cast and crew delivered quirky stories and hilarious moments that fired up water-cooler conversations for months. Some of the funniest situations came in the third season. I ended up buying the complete DVD set just to dip back into certain favourite episodes with ease.
-
rachaelsfun15 February 2020But Im from new zealand and we also have Bogans here but we call them westies .. funny thing is Robyn Malcom who plays Julie Wheeler in the show .. also played a westie called cheryl west in outrageous fortune (think was 2005-2010)
but yeah whether ya from new zealand or australia .. Bogans / westies are the same breed .. and pretty much like they are depicted in the show usually love their cars (fords or holdens 99% of the time) but would be a rivalry on the fans of both cars and dont show up to a house if ya know they are a holden family in a ford and vice versa lol -
cscott233112 May 2021Holy $hit this show is hilarious. I've gone back and rewatched many episodes. Admittedly I had to turn the CC on once or twice, as the accents are hefty. Didn't bother me one bit though, was happy to do it and rewatch the scene. This show was cast perfectly. It's dry humor and you have to have the delivery for this type humor. It's all about the mannerisms and facial expressions. I'm really glad I ran across this show, it's really funny.
-
Headturner114 January 2022Which is very good for me. I started this after I finished Outrageous Fortune and googled similar shows. I stopped after a few episodes because I didn't like bess but I saw her in something else recently and she was my favorite character. Long story short I finished all 3 seasons last night and really liked it! I can't believe this isn't done by the same people who did O. F. Down to the house( looks identical) and Robyn Malcoms character is basically the same. And there's a few other Kiwi actors from tht show in it too. I really liked the adopted mother( forgot her name) she was hilarious and Kane. Any ways wish there were more than 3 seasons. On my way to find something similar again... Edit to add.. Please quit with the Modern family references. I live in the US and have watched Modern family and I don't see any comparisons. Quit pretending to be an Ozzy and going on about Modern Family!!!
-
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.
-
ronaldalamascus-905061 September 2021Great premise and has it's moments which are overshadowed by the foul mouths and frenetic pace. The lead character is a disaster that has to be overlooked most of the time to keep from wanting to strangle her!
-
jdkco30 October 2019The story is funny but I just can't get past the awful filming. The camera shakes around all the time and gives me a headache. If it just stayed still I would concentrate more and enjoy it.
Had to give it only 5 stars. Would have been 7 as the characters are entertaining. -
chrisg6011 December 2021I'm American. 1st 2 seasons of America's Modern Family were awesome. Great writing and timing. Then, they tried writing more dialogue for the children, and the series went off the rails. They have zero clue how to write dialogue children/teens would say.
UM Bogan got it right from the start, with a perfect cast including Robyn Malcolm from Outrageous Fortune, a New Zealand treasure. Midway thru the entire series and I am dreading running out of episodes to watch. Very funny. -
ameliajaynehoare10 January 2020This show is amazing! I love it so much. My favourite character is bess because she never gives up and always keeps trying.
-
trab_sug15 November 2021Every time I finish watching this show I can't understand why they haven't made more episodes. How do shows like this get left behind and replaced by a plethora of stale, boring, lifeless, narcissistic garbage that infests free to air tv now days.
Side note... There should be way more of Glenn Robbins on tv. -
rwessel-9018825 December 2019I really liked this show but it is called Bess Of Both Worlds on Hulu so I almost didn't find anything about it on here. I watched both seasons on Christmas because nothing else is on
-
The first two seasons of this show are some of the best Australian TV I've ever watched. A lot of heart, love and humor right from the getgo. Easily worth a watch for the first two seasons alone. However, I feel like a majority of the third season is painfully unfunny, depressing and mean-spirited.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this show up until the third season and I recommend both for casual viewing. Very entertaining and a great, accurate representation of Australian culture.
My only gripe with the first couple of seasons is Bess' husband Danny. From the getgo, his character is a selfish jerk to his wife and his children. And throughout the show, he never had an ounce of character development. There were multiple times where he was outright abusive to his family and it became uncomfortable to watch.
Especially with the season three premiere. It's Danny at his absolute worst. And the total lack of consequences for his actions is also a massive turn-off for me.
I'd rewatch this show in a heartbeat, but only for season 1 and 2.
9/10 for Season 1 and 2.
5/10 for Season 3. -
dontspamme-7607825 April 2021I just binge-watched the complete series (Bess of Both Worlds in the U. S.) on Hulu and I can honestly say there wasn't a single episode that I didn't like. I really got a kick pausing shows to look up the Australian terms, locations and personalities they mentioned. My only complaint is that 24 episodes weren't enough.
Because Margaret brought it up in one episode, I'm watching Underbelly next. -
darth-moose7216 July 2023Found the show to be pretty funny and entertaining.
Would have given a 9 if they had not used a drunk person with no experience on the camera. Constantly zooming in and out, shaking all over the place and making me feel motion sick.
A pitty as it was funny. Lots of laughs. I am still halfway through season 1 and hope that they don't do the same thing in season 2.
And why does imbd want me to write 500 words now? Can't people just get to the point now instead of just filling up space with useless dribble? Must be by the same people who do Marvel movies now and just make them long for the sake of it. -
kiera_harvey18 August 2020I really loved the series, I wish there had been more seasons!
Her biological family, are all classics. They aren't the lowest form of bogans around, but they are rough around the edges, but lovely people.. The most common stereotype of a bogan, which we actually have a LOT of where I live, are smokers/drinkers/ drug addicts who lack even basic hygiene and basic public etiquette, they usually drive cars that are cheap- sorry Holden and Ford, but they're the most common and they drive like idiots and they either pop out kids for money or post statuses online for someone to give them a lift to Hand in their dole forms and I've seen some say they'll pay In ciggies...
My parents have seen bits of it as they've past by while I'm watching and stopped in their tracks because they said I am just like Amber, just more foul mouthed. Lol.
I absolutely LOVE Margaret. She is upper class and has the attitude to go with it but once she gets a taste of how a different half live, she adapts to it like a fish to water. Love the episodes of her at the races, Especially when she gets drunks with those randoms and eats a more than likely greasy kebab which she'll pay for the next day. Lol.
I love all of the characters except one- DANNY. I CANNOT STAND HIM!!!! HE is an arrogant, obnoxious, snotty, sooky. often lying, ALWAYS WHINGING, Hypocritical, self-Indulgent, 'holier-than-thou', over dramatic, overbearing, cocky, sex pest (to his poor wife, whom I can't understand what she sees in him!). I often fast forward through the scenes he's in. Thankfully he doesn't represent ALL AUSTRALIAN MEN.
I actually hoped that Bess and Amber would form somewhat of a better relationship throughout the series- a perfect opportunity missed in Season 3 when Amber was looking for someone in the house to go for a mani/pedi or hang out.
Overall the characters all work well together and I'm sure we all know someone who is nearly like all of the characters Involved.
I've watched the series several times now and still love it. -
houseofjwick13 February 2022I'd rate this comerdy higher if it stopped this stupid "handheld" camera look - it's so hard to watch and pointless - what look were they going for? The comedy is ok, if you close one eye then it's somewhat watchable.
But sheesh.. who wobble the camera like someone having and episode? -
hamishgale6 September 2019Why was this not renewed again and again???? Another great show lost to reality tv
-
shaun-3523820 February 2023Joys of reviewing comedy is that different people have different funny bones.
A lot of reviews have it as side splitting comedy which I did not find, it was funny though and watched 1 season per day.
Correction from other reviewers for overseas viewers outside Australia is that it bears no resemblance in any way to Modern Family, other than lacks political correctness. I can compare it to an overseas show though it's more like Colin From Accounts, A Moody Christmas, etc. Needless to say it's very Australian with some very Australian language you'll need to look up possibly before watching. For example bogans means an uncouth or unsophisticated person regarded as being of low social status.
Give it a go as it's quite watchable unless you're a political correctness person perhaps. Ironic as the show originally aired on a now PC Network. -
scutfargus-117 July 2017The only spoiler here is about 15 minutes into the first episode.
"Upper Middle Bogan" has a number of issues. It has way too many characters to begin with. I think the show would have been better done by spending an episode on one family, an episode with the other family, and THEN, throwing the two families together. More could have been done to differentiate the families.
Because the writing is so clever and the actors are so good, these problems could be set aside. However, the biggest problem for me is, this is the kind of show just designed for parents and their kids to watch together. However, the writers could not help but pepper many episodes with the f-word and with profanity, thus making the show inappropriate for most kids (depending upon the values of the parents). There are also some references of a sexual nature from time to time.
Because the humor works for adults and children both, the writers should have set aside swearing in order to gain a wider audience; or, in the alternative, released an edited version which could be viewed by families.
Each season gets better than the previous season.