The Strange Calls

... 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.

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 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!

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

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.