Bro'Town

Bro'town was over-hyped and over advertised. Sure, there are certain areas where it would provoke a small giggle from me, but mostly I found the humor immature and dry. I do however, applaud the writers for helping us to try and laugh at the stereotypes we give each other. Advertising it as New Zealands own SouthPark?.........no, not even close. Unfortunately, most non New Zealanders would not get this at all. It has many Polynesian themes that even some New Zealanders would not understand either. Most episodes seemed to have been rushed and not thought out well at all. On a positive note, I liked the theme music, nice bass line.

Not good for kids or adults. Might go down well with doped up teenagers or the mentally retarded.

This show tops most of the American and Australian TV output of recent years. The animation is rather uninspired but that's because the animation industry in New Zealand is (according to the Naked Samoans) only just getting off the ground. And indeed, because of this, this show will probably later on be hailed as a landmark in NZ television history. However, the Naked Samoans excel in coming up with clever and meaningful story lines with spiritual significance, as well as writing blisteringly funny one-liners ("Is he gonna live, doctor? I have to give him a hiding for getting run over!"). They have also created extremely lovable characters who, while unashamedly stereotypical (this is actually what make it so easy to relate to anyway), are all given specific episodes in which they feature more than the others (think the flashback episodes in "Lost"), which allows them to be developed in greater detail. These are kids you could find in any school in the world. There's Valea, the leader of the pack who loves nothing more than picking up hot chicks; his twin brother Vale, the quiet and conscientious one who keeps the peace; Sione, the smooth ladies' man who constantly gets stuck in humiliating situations, mostly in front of girls; Jeff da Maori, the Bob Marley-idolizing Maori who was fathered by eight different men; and Mack, the chubby and clearly gay one the gang use to get out of trouble. It's very easy to argue that with the central group of boys it tips its hat to South Park, but that show gets laughs from its obscenities. bro'Town gets laughs purely from its wisdom and heart. I actually hope it doesn't air in the US, because if it does the Americans will buy the rights to it, receive artistic control over it, and in doing so, Americanise it, and commercialise it. I love it just the way it is. And anytime you've got Helen Clark and Russell Crowe on your side, you know you've got something special. And lastly, how many animated shows from ANY era or country can you think of which had some sort of spiritual moral interwoven into each episode?

MORNINGSIDE 4 LIFE INDEED, BRO!!!!!!

Even though many may find this series immature and even sacrilegious at times, i believe that this show is a true pioneer for all that New Zealand and more generally The South Pacific has to offer. Seeing as this region is plagued with the stigma of producing a population of thick heads or the supposedly more affectionate term *coconut* did you really think that NZ would produce a ground breaking series about the fundamental errors with the theory of relativity? Hell no! It produced something that every islander can relate to: a comedy of escapism showing a life wit the boyz, fanatical to irresponsible parenting, corn beef, the occasional taxing of goods at the local convenience store and much much more... so to you gang who wanna bring down this awesome show about life in morning side... ask yourself this... when was the last time America produced an animated series on world peace? (futurama doesn't count), when was the last time the French produced a series about there love of England? such things will never be just as there will never be a series like bro town to let us islanders laugh at our own stupidity without the rest of the world reminding us how stupid we are... so to you gang who find it beneath you... enjoy it for what it is.. not all you believe it should be, coz its a sweet show aye.. MORNINGSIDE 4 LIFE!!

PS. To the person who finds the whole series a waste of time... fair enough, that is your opinion.. but there's no need to make crude references to the show and poor comparisons to other series... yes the line "does that mean he's homo ow?" may not be a stroke of genius in your eyes, but did you not think to see the underlying relevance of this line highlighting the ignorance of some islanders to the wider array of sexuality due to religious upbringing or the fact that living with the stigma of stupidity anything different from this such as Vale's new found intelligence may lead to other issues of difference, in this case homosexuality?... and please don't use the excuse that being an Australian makes you unable to the follow the story... you seem to follow the satire and ironies of South Park and The Simpsons just fine even though there are many references specific to America? When was the last time you saw an Amish person waltzing around our countrysides? So please don't try and pass off cultural referencing as a valid excuse, it makes our nation seem ignorant to anything that doesn't have George Bush written all over it and that would be further degradation to our nation...

I caught the first episode of Bro'Town on a flight from Heathrow to NZ.Didn't expect a huge amount but I was bored (It's a loooong flight.....).Was I ever wrong?I laughed.Long and hard,loud enough to annoy other passengers.Okay,there were a few things I didn't get (the whole Brother Ken thing for example,but after Googling.....)but on the whole I found it hilarious,as did my wife who watched it as well.So much so that we bought all three seasons on DVD when we arrived in NZ.I will admit that it has its ups and downs,but show me something that hasn't.As for being offensive to minority stereotypes,get real,they have a go at EVERYONE,including we Scots! I doubt it'll ever be shown on British TV but who cares?We've got the DVDs! To quote (South African stereotype) Joost Van Der Van Van-"Masterful Rex,masterful!"

i dunno what this other fulla is on, but all i can say is, "Not Even...Ow!!!!".

Bro town is a timely and pertinent look at the cultural diversity that New Zealand can now finally boast after years of stumbling around in a pseudo-bi-cultural daze.I believe kiwi's are ready to see themselves on screen as they are, and to laugh about it. Sure there are stereotypes present in this show, but that's what makes it so funny. No-one is spared, Maori, Pakeha, Islanders, South Africans, Indians and more are satirised expertly. and as an educated Pakeha, i can say - I laughed. This show is topical - focusing on issues currently causing debate in NZ like CYFS, gambling and racial discrimination.

or as JC puts it best - MARVELLOUS!

After two excellent series i look forward to many more.

MORNINGSIDE FOR LIFE!!