Les Norton

For a start I haven't read the Les Norton book(/s?). I have enjoyed this show and liked the performances of the characters. I only started watching at the end of September 2019 and I'm up to episode 9, would recommend this show

Great Aussie story and unique humour set in a nostalgic time.

Les Norton, a show that follows the titular character through many turbulent situations - usually stemming from his "fish-out-of-water" background, or his criminal boss' assignments. Straight up -the plot of this show is not deep, and that works to it's advantage. What this show lacks in plot, it makes up for in character interaction and beautiful cinematography (especially when showcasing areas outside of Sydney city).

This is a very easy to watch (and even easier to enjoy) adaption of the Australian novels. Many have complained about Les' fighting ability/aggression being toned down for the show, however, I don't find that to be a negative. Les continually smacks people down, and easily arcs up. I find this iteration of the character to be perfectly fitting for the tone of the show and Alexander Bertrand does a great job of portraying him.

Unfortunately, the acting is not always the best in this show. Sometimes, it actually works very well - for example, Les has a "mate" named Gazza (George Harrison Xanthis) who is more of a cartoon character than a real person, with very cheesy/corny lines and a delivery style from Xanthis as if he was on the stage instead of on camera. Normally, this would stand out like a sore thumb but in this show, it fits in well and adds a very comedic element to what may otherwise be a dull scene. The worst offender by far, however, is the very un-talented Rebel Wilson. In this show she does not act, she just remembers lines. She does not play a character, she plays herself... saying lines (and usually pulling a face like a pig being punched in the bacon-maker whenever it's someone else's turn to talk). The worst part is, her character is integral to the show! The thin plot that does exist is driven almost entirely by her character! By far, she is the anchor holding this show back.

Over all, this show is a wonderful piece of Australian television that is giving so many of our talented and unknown artists and creatives a place to shine. This show really could compete with some of the other prime time shows in America - if you're on the fence about it, switch your brain off and give it a watch. At the very least, you'll enjoy the scenery and at the very best, you won't be able to stop laughing.

This was always going to be a tough character and series of books to bring to life on any screen, big or small.

Finding the right actor to play a character like Les was always going to be even tougher.

Have they hit the nail on the head? Well, maybe not quite, but I think he's probably going to be as close as we can realistically expect, and I can't nominate the perfect actor for the right price either. He does a pretty good job playing Les as a naive new import, his fight scenes aren't awful (although they need some work to match the books!), and between being a fish out of water and when he fires up, he shows that he's not a bad actor, so all in all not too bad. Not really Les, but he'll do.

The biggest name here is probably Rebel Wilson, in what might be silly casting for the Madam, but maybe there's more to come. David Wenham, though, is a surprising get, an inspired choice for Price, and a real feather in the cap to have.

The rest of the cast was somewhat surprising, none more so than Eddia Salita, but I think they are close enough to the books to stay true enough and still work for the show. Switching up Lozza (the roommate) to be a woman seems a little unnecessary, but I can see it getting a bit bloke-heavy otherwise, so I think that will work too. They are all pretty good actors though, with the possible exception of Billy, so no real complaints there.

The use of a narrator seems to annoy a lot of people, but I think it's another realistic choice that was necessary to help the story be understood overseas, and even for a lot here at home. The show's about as ocker as humanly possible - thank the stars that they didn't make Les a Yank or something! - and I think the Narrator does help propel the story and tie things together. It might be considered lazy, but it's probably necessary, and I think it works.

The production values are pretty high, certainly not the lowest the ABC has put out before. It's not what we've been spoiled with by the likes of some of the shows that are coming out these days, like Daredevil or Game of Thrones, but if you rein in your expectations to realistic levels you should be pleased enough. It does look good, and it does look like the Cross back in the day. The steel XXXX cans are my favourite touch.

I'm very happy with the choice to go with a tv series instead of a movie, as we get much more time to develop the characters and tell multiple stories, which will help a lot.

All in all, after 2 episodes I think this is shaping up to be a really good, fun series that should open up the world of the big red boofhead to even more readers.

I think they've done a really good job in an impossible situation, and I am enjoying it. I've gotta go dust off my copy of 'You wouldn't be dead for Quids' for another read now.

As a fan of the original books by Robert G Barrett I was both excited and concerned when I heard this series was being made.

I was excited because I've always wanted to see how Les would go on the screen. I was concerned because the source material would definitely need some tweaking to survive an audience in modern day. (Mr Barrett was obviously a 'blokey bloke' and whilst certainly good natured, some things won't pass muster today).

Obviously some purists will disagree, but I thought they did an outstanding job on this. The spirit of the books is definitely there, nods to plot points of the books are alive and well (they were largely all short stories and these, if my memory serves, have been blended a bit for episodes).

Definitely worth a watch, whether you're a fan of the books or not.