The Secret Life of Us

I dunno, everyone raves about this show but for me it is too self-conscious. It seems that the show was developed in order to appeal to a specific demographic and as a result picks up on what is required in order to "be cool". Perhaps I am being too critical of the show, perhaps Australia needs a twenty-something show, but for me it is just another run of the mill soap-opera. Now, I have has people try and convince me it is "deeper" and more "intellectual" than a soap-opera, but to me "Twin Peaks" was a soap-opera and more intellectually demanding than "The Secret Stylised Life of Us". Overall the show is competent,but nothing more...It just seems too calculated, but maybe I am just out of date.

I think that "The Secret Life of Us" is a brilliant show. I watched it from day one and was fascinated by the character dynamics. The storylines are fresh and interesting and I love the fact that it's set in Melbourne (not Sydney as one reviewer claimed). I particularly like Deborah Mailman as Kelly and think she deserves every award she gets. Behind the scenes, Christopher Pettifer is the composer and his music is just perfect for the show. I rate the show 11/10. Not a disappointing moment in any episode broadcast to date.

Never before have I seen a drama series so realistic. Everything is done flawlessly - the plots, the acting, the scripts... FORGET Reality TV. NEVER FORGET the Secret Life of Us. This series revolves around the lives of 8 twenty-somethings in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda as they aim for (to quote Kelly) "a good work life, a good home life and a good love life". NOTHING in the plot is overdone and over dramaticised, unlike some US TV shows that I have seen (read this, Aaron Spelling!), and nothing as trivial as some of the stuff they put in soapies like Home and Away and Neighbours! This is definitely my type of show, and I follow it avidly, just short of religiously!

This is the only show that every one of my friends and I can all agree on. We're all around the age of the characters, and this is the first show that we feel has reflected us back to ourselves. It has excellent writing and it never cops out or goes for the simple solution. The characters are complex and believable. The cast is uniformly brilliant, and its good to see under used Australian actors like Deborah Mailman being given the chance to turn in consistently good performances.

The premise might seem cliched (8 twenty-somethings, their lives and loves etc.), but it brings an amazing originality to that. I'll admit I was reluctant to watch it in the beginning. At first it seemed like it might be one of those shows that tries too hard and insults its audience, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I think it will be a long time before we get to see another drama of such high quality, so I hope people continue to get behind it.

Unlike Mr Spedding I disagree that this is better than 'This Life', although very much in the same vein, and whilst 'The Secret Life of Us' is very entertaining, the first series of This Life was far and away superior to "The Secret Life of Us' The characters are well written and acted and the plot skips along well enough to keep you interested, but it lacks the element of surprise that 'This Life' had in every episode. Whilst Claudia Karvan is a very talented actress, the lack of Daniela Nardini is the main problem with comparing 'This Life' and 'The Secret Life of Us'.

Worth a visit if you have an hour free on a Monday night