Aunty Donna's Coffee Café

I've been a fan of the Aunty Donna boys since late 2014. I don't follow them nearly as avidly as I once did, but watching this show (produced by the ABC) felt like I was finally seeing something they'd always wanted to make, in a place they'd always wanted to put it. It transported me back to their roots and why I originally fell in love with their work, the style I feel they'll always been best at, honed and refined through their years of dedication and hard work producing for stage and screen. I strongly feel episodes 2-5 of this show is some of the best work they've produced, with the Noughts and Crosses and Hit n Run Arcade sketches perhaps being the best examples of their work ever put to screen. There was one moment in Episode 2 that had me laughing harder than I have in quite a long time.

Their absurdism has always been a tough sell for some folks, and this show definitely isn't for everyone. The rough edges of the final episode still betray their lack of finesse when it comes to longer narratives, and their occasionally too-heavy reliance on improv, and some of the jokes are definitely overplayed (cake), but the three main performers have a far better performing ability now than they've ever had. Zach in particular was stealing scenes left and right, while each performer were still given moments to shine. Mark in episode 2 was exquisite, and the way side characters are given smaller stories too really Helps everybody feel involved and included. Just like most of AD's work, there's no ego in the show, an absolute sense of open vulnerability in their ridiculousness that makes them so easy to invest it. The amount of sketches within the constraints of the show is astounding. There's so much solid gold comedy in here and it's all so damn perfectly delivered so much of the time and so easy to have fun with.

All in all, there's no question these six guys know what they're doing and who they're trying to reach. Their mastery of this particular style is unmatched right now, a brand fully their own, and that Australian television has finally given them the space they deserve (and have deserved for years) to show what they can do is a treat to see for a fan like me, even if I'm not blind to the shortcomings of their work or the somewhat divisive appeal. An enourmous congratulations to them for creating some dense, hilarious television that's full of the same naughty, endearing energy that they've always had. I admire how they've never strayed from that same core approach and style - it really won my heart back in the day and provides much needed solace today as well.

As a fan of the trio's content, I can happily say that this miniseries is a great step up from their previous show "Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun".

Unlike their Netflix series, in which each episode technically had a plot but it felt more like extremely thin threads to connect one sketch to the other (still funny and enjoyable though), Coffee Cafe succeeds in forming coherent stories and managing to develop both A and B plots while still keeping the creators' absurd/surreal sense of humor, making each episode a lot more enjoyable.

The 2023 show also shows off better lighting and photography for most of its scenes, although it suffers for an overabundance of digital zooms.

The main problem (if you can even call it such) that I have with the show is the underutilization of Gaby Seow's character "Stephanie" who in the first episode is introduced as apparently important but ends up sporadically appearing only in a few scenes, at best, each episode. I feel the character has a lot of unused potential.

Overall the show is extremely funny and a great way to spend your time, too bad it's only available in Australia, which limits the show's reach and forces their overseas fans to watch it by using a VPN or by illegally pirating it. I hope it gets a wider release soon.

Some of the best youth oriented Australian comedy going around. If you don't rate this 10/10 you are a filthy real estate agent and I hope your navy suit gets infested with wasps.

Full of incredible characterisation as always and it doesn't linger on an idea for too long, pushing for a joke after joke format. I cant wait to see what non-Australians think of this show when it has its broader release, because the specificity of some of these jokes are incredible.

As always the Donna extended universe is brilliant. Michelle Brasier, Mish Wittrup, Frankie McNair, Lena Moon, Patrick Durnan Silva.....

If you like Auntie Donna, you'll like this. They're in it quite a bit.

The humour is purposely obvious which is the point, you either like that or you don't. Its very winky to the audience which makes for quite a communal viewing experience. You're waiting for the joke to happen and that's the fun.

I think Auntie Donna are quite famous for throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. There's more cooked spaghetti here than not, most of it works and you'll laugh out loud quite a lot i think.

The gags fly by pretty quick so the occasional misses aren't a big deal. These guys are excellent actors and very charming which is another factor why this show so watchable.

Its free its on iview what you got to lose? Give it a go!

Must watch TV, brilliant from start to finish.

There is so much to love about this show so I'll try to summarise its strengths as best I can:

• Laughs per minute: The show is so often funny at such a consistent pace that you find yourself holding in your laughter to ensure that you don't miss a step, and then at the end of the scene letting it all out at once.

• Physical and visual comedy: Under-utilised nowadays, Aunty Donna are masters of incorporating both physical and visual cues to heighten the viewer experience. I can only imagine that there were still plenty of things I missed on this front, which only makes me keen to watch the series again.

• Narrative structure: Compared to the Netflix series, I really enjoyed the fact that (while still absurd and boundary-pushing at all times), this felt like a genuine sitcom. The B-plots in each of the episodes were really effective in breaking up the high intensity of everything else going on, with the Episode 2 subplot a standout.

• Characters and Performers: Needless to say the array of characters featured were so ridiculous yet relatable throughout. Having Gaby Seow's character as more of a straight man and allowing the three boys to do their thing was a great choice. As usual, the extended cast of Donna-adjacent performers were brilliant, with a special shout out to Michelle Brazier and Patrick Durnan Silva. In addition to the usual suspects, the guest stars were a very welcome addition and added another dimension to a few of the episodes. Sally-Anne Upton in particular was outstanding.

• Music: The theme song and the catchiness of all of the musical numbers show the depth of talent within the Donna crew and deserve a mention.

• Production: The refinement in the production of the show while capturing the essence and absurdity of everything happening on screen is a difficult balance to find I imagine, though it was done to perfection.

• Self-awareness: The inclusion of Zac breaking character on a few occasions, poking fun at themselves by implying a bit or a joke only to abandon it as not funny, and the many deep cuts included for the fans shows that they aren't taking themselves too seriously and allowing themselves and their audience to have fun and be in on the whole process.

The only criticism of mine is perhaps that the first half of the first episode was a bit heavy with exposition as well as introduction to the boys and the concept, though I can understand that for viewers not familiar with their work, this sort of thing is pretty important.

It's great to see the ABC supporting genuine Australian talent and very clearly giving them the creative license to do what they do best.

This is comfortably one of the best television shows produced in Australia in a long time. This show and Kitty Flanagan's "Fisk" are helping to revive Australian comedy on TV in a manner it has so desperately needed for the last 10 years. Aunty Donna deserve all of the success and notoriety that the world can offer them, and hopefully enough people watch this for that to happen.