Utopia

This is yet another masterpiece from the team of Santo (Snatto), Gliesner and Sitch, the people who brought you the brilliant political satire "The Hollowmen".

Those who don't work within the Public Service of Australia will likely look at this and wonder what is going on, but for those of us on the "inside", the humour can be found.

The basic premise revolves around a Government office (Nat. Building Authority), with its incompetent low-grade staff, it's time-wasting managers, pushy marketing department, and the piles of red tape our "hero" (Sitch) has to wade through to get even the most simple things done.

Like 'Hollowmen', the humour here is very dry, and while there are still the sight gags and silliness we expected from a show like that, there's a lot of subtlety that will be lost on those not familiar with what it's like working in the APS.

To those who enjoyed 'Hollowmen', I would highly recommend this show. It's not quite as good as that show in my opinion, as the 'lead' characters aren't as fully developed (Tony, Nat and Hugh are marvellous though), and at times some of the characters irritate me to no end (Rhonda, oh how I hate you). Although thinking about it, that's probably the whole idea, because aside from the moronic PA, these people would not seem out of place at all in any government department.

The acting (c'mon, it's a small Aussie show, we're not expecting A-listers) for the most part is very good. Sitch, Pacquola, McGregor, Wilson and yes, even Kitty Flanagan do a wonderful job of portraying "Pubes". The small-part characters are also quite memorable, particularly the guy from the iSelect ads. Sadly, some like Lawson, Truslove and even Lehman, just seem to be phoning it in (Lawson's character Scott also feels entirely pointless).

Kudos to these guys for producing yet another Australian gem. The first episode is a little slow (and seemed like it needed an "Intro"), but by episode 2, everything was looking great. Except Rhonda...

An easy to watch, cringe inducing comedy from Working Dog. Anyone who has ever worked for the public service, or for a major organisation for that matter, will feel right at home with this series. It is in some instances almost difficult to watch - it is that spot on. Some of the jokes fall flat in the first season, but it picks up towards the end and is on fire in the second. A commentator above has suggested it is a poor hybrid of The Thick of It and The Office. I think that's a misunderstanding of the show; it certainly has elements of both, but it stand on its own as well thought out and delivered. The series is obviously directed at an Australian audience, but I imagine the that the trials and tribulations of these poor public servants would resonate across borders.

It is surprising that the Australian government allowed the Working Dog team to film in a department headquarters for so long and obtain such candid reactions from their staff. The small group of employees are responsible for developing nationally significant infrastructure (a.k.a. "nation-building"). Clearly, most government departments work the same way as this department reminded me so much of the one in which I used to work. Logical decisions are constantly over-ridden by politics. Long-term planning is defeated by short-term political imperatives. Media advisers outrank experts in the field. The main purpose of the department is smothered by peripheral workplace issues such as occupational health and safety, IT upgrades and social events. The second series is a great improvement on the first. Perhaps the employees were a little nervous in front of cameras for the first time but, in the second series, their true characters are much better defined. All these people would make excellent actors if they ever wanted to give up working for the public service. Kitty Flanagan would certainly make a great stand-up comedian. Some of the projects proposed are very exciting. I am looking forward to the unveiling of the solar-powered train. Also, now that Stage 2 has been "launched", I can't wait for Stage 3, hoping then to have some idea what it is! This is among the best pieces of writing that Australian television has produced.

What a beaut series. The grotesque day to day idiocy of office life set against the biggest stuff we dare to dream or connive. A wincing joy to watch. Thanks

Utopia/Dreamland's fast paced jokes-within-jokes are all equally well written and fit in without the pretension or awkwardness of a "made-for-intellectuals-witty-banter" type program. In retrospect, after watching a clip or episode I realize how well put together and incredibly thought out and ...."planned" the comedy is.

The dialogue and characters somehow embody the ridiculous types of comments, initiatives and people we all encounter in daily life. Those characters then somehow solidify the vague, annoying and counterproductive things we see in work and life into succinct dialogue that almost feels like the satisfying feeling one gets when you finally remember that word that was on the tip of your tongue.

A viewer could start at any episode as if it were a pilot and still find the laughs and totally follow the premise - because even though as many commenters have noted, the media market is quite saturated with The Office like mockumentary series's, I think Dreamland/Utopia is still worth whatever risk a viewer or a studio takes in starting "just another "The Office" government office faux-comedy". It's contemporary, relatable to people who work in conceivably any industry. The subject matter is a perfect blend of creative professions, business, government, and even students working on a group project.

In shorter words, yeah, you've seen shows that pioneered the genre of the workplace comedy, but that takes nothing away from the quietly hilarious and engineered show.