Outrageous Fortune

I am binging on this show. Of course I am ashamed of constant watching of TV when I could be reading all of the great books I have ignored these many years. The inventiveness and the freshness of the show mixing comedy and drama is amazing. I'm on episode 80 or 81 and it has turned dark and Shakespearian. I have never seen a comedy/drama show that didn't pale after 10 episodes. The acting is excellent and the enormous cast, each of whom are pitch perfect gives a base of characters to wrap ever new story lines around. The female characters are such a great blend of evil and wit, smart and amazingly thick. I welcome the variety and nuance in the women of the cast. Thanks New Zealand.

Re-watching this show makes me appreciate why it was such a hit in New Zealand and makes me wonder why it hasn't been more heavily promoted in the U.S. Binge watchable for sure.

All the cast is just perfectly cast.

A few of the main actors in the show have gone on to U.S. productions, like Antony Starr (Banshee, American Gothic), or Grant Bowler (Ugly Betty, Defiance), but leading lady Robyn Malcolm, has unfortunately not made the jump across the ocean.

There are about... 6 TV shows I value very, very highly. Of those, Outrageous Fortune is the only one I started watching again, from scratch, as soon as the last episode of season 5 was over. I've done that about 3 times now, and I'm not planning to stop at 4. It amazes me I don't get tired or bored of it. Nor do I ever start feeling like my initial "wow" reaction was misplaced. It really is as brilliantly written as I thought the moment I first laid eyes on it, which was 2 years ago.

I translate TV series and movies for a living, and as such, a lot of crap has gone through my hands. Outragous Fortune is solid gold. It comes once in a few decades, if that. It follows the lives, tribulations and evolving personalities of a family of career criminals, a handful of their friends, and a cop who falls in love with the strong, stubborn, ever caring matriarch, Sheryl West. I'd say the show falls into the comedy-drama (dramedy?) genre, and even though it's deliberately over the top at times, it feels amazingly true to life.

The writing is very brave, not only in its bluntness and razor-sharp wit, but in its treatment of social norms we've been struggling to alter for years. For example, I've yet to see another show where people in their late 40s and 60s are represented not just as somebody's parents /grandparents, but as human beings with sex lives of their own (which are going splendidly well, too).

The male characters are beautifully multifaceted, each and every one of them (which men in television and real life are rarely allowed to be). The female characters also break taboos about how women "are supposed and expected to be" by being independent and tough as nails, each in her very own way. (Check out the magnificent Ngaire Munroe who's plain fierce.)

The acting is superb, and it's a pity that because of US's hegemony in every cultural sphere, audiences worldwide (minus Nz and Oz) aren't already familiar with these actors. We should have all known who some of them are long before the show aired. Many are no spring chickens, and are certainly brilliant enough to deserve the international recognition American stars get so easily, including those that are objectively mediocre.

With that said, it's the writers' work and specifically the character development that's the spark of genius making the show one of a kind. There's no flatness, no predictability, personalities grow and change, revealing sides the viewer was previously unaware of - some good, some terrible. Same as in real life, which is exactly where many writes fail (in books, too). To date, all story lines have been worth following and every single episode has been memorable, some to the point they shook me and stayed with me for days. I pray that Outrageous Fortune won't stop at 6 seasons. If it does, I'll try to move to New Zealand in hopes of living to see the day Kiwi television produces another gem like that.

It's hard to believe there are people out there who don't appreciate this avant garde show. I doubt they got past a few episodes - if they had they would know that it is just about the best series I have seen in a LONG time. Maybe it's the accent, the copious amount of sex and profanity that puts people off - I don't know. I do know I avoided it for a while myself as the previews and clips absolutely do not do it any justice, but I recently borrowed the series from a friend after much nagging, and have been watching it almost 24/7 since.

Highlights for me are: The character development is sensational. Anthony Starr's acting is beyond reproach, and Robyn Malcolm, Antonia Prebble and Frank Whitten are almost as excellent. The other thing that amazes me is how you can be crying real tears one moment then laughing to the point of crying moments later.

The whole show is just a roller-coaster of entertainment. Plot lines are on the whole plausible and engaging. Sometimes you have to suspend belief, of course, with some of the characters like Falani and Sparky being even more over the top than the others, but they absolutely add to the show.

There's no real way to describe this show because it IS unique. About the only similar show we have in Australia is Packed to the Rafters, which I enjoy, but it's really not a patch on OF. I can't think of a single US show that comes remotely close - but then anyone who has read any of my reviews would know that I am no fan of US television on the whole. Trying to think of a UK series that compares, but can't off the top of my head - I have a feeling some of the ones on my "to watch" list will be great, though.

Just do yourself a favour and get this series even if you have to beg for borrow or steal it!

So, just watched the series finale. As an American it was experience. Not much in the ways of culture shock, there was a bit, but the ride itself, with the characters and their lives and loves, was amazing.

There are highs and lows, both emotionally and regards to quality, but all said and done, it was worth it. You love these characters. You love these actors. You feel what they go through. It was something I have looked forward to every week for all these years, and looking beyond what it can do to you personally, it really is a good show.

It is a worthy show.

Best hours of television for me in such a long time. I'm glad I saw it, it gave back to its audience. The show was choice, and let me leave it at that.