Mother and Son

Who thought this was a good idea?

If ever there was proof that Australian TV is a cultural desert, here it is. Also proof that you need a lot more than the inclusion of minorities and "box ticking" to make something memorable in a good way. Not a single laugh out loud moment in the first episode, or any tangible pathos or even a moment of authentic affection. All hallmarks of the original series. Why do we not have any directors who will play a straight bat with the "talent" and tell them that this is not Home And Away and you need to show some skills here. Denise Scott may have pulled it off with a proper script but the casting just didn't work.

Whoever thought they could recreate this classic is ridiculous. I gave it a go, not sure how I sat through the first episode, appalling. Gary McDonald & Ruth Cracknell made these characters to perfection, no one could ever do it justice reinventing. Why can't they leave the classics alone! I certainly will not be watching another episode & telling everyone I know how dreadful this 2023 version is. Even down to the swearing & brief nudity. I'm not a prude by any means, and I know times have changed & this is a modern day version of M&S, however that was great about the show, no foul language & a family show everyone of all ages could watch.

I am a big fan of Denise Scott and was looking forward to this remake of the classic show. When it started I thought it was going to be ok....but as it went on the wheels well and truly fell off!

The story was all over the place and the story line was weird!

I don't think Matt Okene (?) is my sort of comedian and I just found it all very predictable and confused. He does seem to present as a natural comedic actor and has poor acting ability.

This could have been a great opportunity to present this classic to a new audience but this missed the mark.

We seem to think repeating past shows with a modern twist will work....this proves that it does not always work!

Give this a miss.

I should say right now that I'm not actually a fan of the original. Both lead characters really annoyed me. Having said that, at least the entire cast could act and had great chemistry, something that's not evident in the 2023 version.

This show hints at what could've been a great little screwball series about the pull of family and real estate. What if the sister was truly evil and wanted get the ailing mother out of the house so she could sell the property and split it with her brother? And what of said brother had second thoughts about that plan? So many possibilities.

The diverse cast doesn't bother me, but the diversity of acting skills and styles does. Denise has a very physical, theatrical approach, while Matt does his usual lovable loser routine. He's got a lot of talent and I hope he finds the right vehicle for it. Other cast members who will remain nameless are very poor actors which only harms an ensemble comedy like this.

Laughs in the pilot are in very short supply, but the best one being, intentional or not, was when Matt's ex announced that she doesn't want a boring family life so she's taken a job in ... Canberra!

Matt Okine should seriously apologise to the original cast of the original show. This is AWFUL in every sense of the word, it isn't funny, it has NO heart and takes everything away from the original, ABC should send out an apology to everyone that had to endure the first season... And apologize to the audience for the second season it's about to get.

I cannot believe this was greenlighted in the first place. It was one of the WORST shows that aired in 2023 and that's saying something there were some shockers but this one takes the cake.

Nothing good about this being tacky, with two main cast members who are actually good comedians but the terrible writing and script throws it for a loop and out the window.

Truly trash, watch the original instead because it is so much better then what this version served up.