Upper Middle Bogan

Classic Aussie comedy. Would love to see more. Not a weak character in the show.

I am an American and fell in love with this show instantly with the first episode. I am a professional by trade but had a father who owned a construction company that employed numerous "Bogans," and while it is more correct to call them red-necks in the states, other pejorative terms are becoming more popular since they adopted rap music (think Eminem). The humor in it comes from the clash of values and also from a recognition that things aren't really that different between the classes, as much as each class thinks and wants it to be that way. The setups are extremely good, sort of like Seinfeld, where an innocuous comment at the start often grows into the focal point by the end. The themes are universal and if Hollywood discovers it, I'm sure they'll make a poorer version for the States (its just what they do) hot off their failure with Rake, which I also really enjoyed. In some ways, it is very similar to The Beverly Hillbillies, albeit with more modern and cruder humor. I'd only seen Robyn in Rake so to me all the actors "are" the characters that they play and I think the casting was excellent, with parallel members in each family. It is truly a series that will make you laugh and cry at the same time.

Don't let the title "Upper Middle Bogan" put you off from watching this comedy about upper middle class and doctor by profession Bess Denyar (Annie Manyard) who finds she's adopted and her real parents Julie and Wayne Wheeler who are drag racing "bogans". If Americans understood the term "bogan", definition being: An uncouth or unsophisticated, regarded as being of low social status". Rather than making fun of the lower class, this sitcom is classy with a superb fine talent led by Thespian acting legend Robin Nevin who plays the adopted mother of Bess, Michala Banas, Madeleine Jevic and Rhys Mitchell play Bess' long lost bogan siblings Amber, Brianna and Kayne, Lara Robinson and Harrison Feldman play Bess's chalk and cheese twins Edwina and Oscar and Dougie Baldwin plays Amber's son Shawn and Patrick Bramwall plays Bess's neurotic stay at home architecture husband Danny.

A real work of art that I would definitely compare to American family comedy, Modern Family.

This 8 episode series really shows the contrast of Australian society and in a way breaks down stereotypes that all Australians are 'bogans' and drive utes.

The series includes great Aussie comedy and jokes and does not seem to fail in the line of comedy. This series genuinely made me laugh and I wish that the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) continued with the series.

To find such a good Australian comedy is rare and definitely needs more recognition. For these reasons I have stated above I give it a 10 out of 10.

The term 'bogan' is peculiar to Australia but its origins are unclear. I first heard the term when visiting Parkes NSW in the late 1970s when my friend reported that residents of the town referred to Bogan weather (originating from the west near Bogan Gate). The term slipped from meaning poor weather to meaning second-rate people. This was popularised by the comedienne Mary-Anne Fahey in her schoolgirl character Kylie Mole in the 1980s. The TV series "Upper Middle Bogan" is a sit-com. An upper-middle-class doctor discovers that she was adopted as a baby and finds that her birth parents are "westies" or "bogans". (Non-Australians might have been told that Australia is a classless society but the very essence of the comedy of this show demonstrates the opposite). The comedy develops from the comparison of the values and activities of the "latte set" with those of the showy, superficial, populist bogans. I wonder how people from outside Australia will take this series. There are surely parallels in other societies so not much of the humour is likely to be lost (except on Americans as some of the humour is subtle). The writing is excellent, though a couple of the later episodes were not as strong as the earlier ones. The cast is outstanding, featuring some of Australia's best actors, including a rare TV performance from "royalty" of stage acting, Robyn Nevin. Ms Nevin proves once again what a fine comedy actress she is (remember "A Toast to Melba"?). The visual humour of her calisthenics is wonderful, (even if she didn't intend it to be humorous). The actors portraying members of the Wheeler family of drag racers (the bogans) are very convincing, to the extent that the viewer could believe that they are bogans in real life (which is possibly the case as 80% of Australians are bogans to a greater or lesser degree). This is a refreshing production, showing that Australia can still produce top quality shows despite the budget limitations.