Jonah from Tonga

These spinoffs from the Summer Heights High TV show feature one of the characters in depth rather than switching between them. This gives us more focus but at the expense of wearing the material thin. I think I liked the original format more because it kept things fresh. I'm surprised that Jonah and Ja'mie got spinoffs but not Mr. G considering that he was probably the most popular character. This show demonstrates why. Although Jonah is a funny and endearing character, it is only entertaining up to a point and there is a finite limit for his much they can get out of this one character.

So I've been a fan of Summer Heights High, but mostly the character Jonah Takalua. As a teenager pacific islander his character really appealed to me. Jonah from Tonga is hilarious, and I think that if you're a pacific islander teenager or young adult they will find it more hilarious than those who aren't because they can relate to Jonah's character. There's a Jonah in every school I think. I love Jonah from Tonga, it displays the peer pressure of gangs on pacific islander students and the behaviour shown by pacific islanders. I think that Chris Lilley has done an amazing job at not only making Jonah from Tonga funny but has also portrayed the reality of the lives of some pacific islander students. I have friends that are very much like Jonah and his crew. Thank you Chris Lilley! One word. Fobalicious!

I think Chris Lilley is a comedic genius and I've loved all of his shows even though I've pretty much loathed all of his characters. Unlike, say Frasier or Niles Crane or David Brent and Michael Scott, Lilley's characters are simply NOT appealing human beings. Not only would you not want to know them, you'd likely want to avoid them or even kick them in the throat. Jonah is the second of Lilley's "Summer Heights High" characters to get their own show -- J'amie was the first -- and he is the most annoying of the three characters from SHH. The problem a lot of people -- specifically Americans -- is that the story lines don't resolve in the Hollywood way and the characters are so abhorrent. If there's any justice, Mr. G will get his own show as well!

Well, this was definitely better than J'amie: Private School Girl, but that honestly isn't that hard. Jonah as a character had a decent amount of depth, and there were some genuinely heartwarming moments scattered throughout the six episode series. But there was little to nothing in the way of character development and the humour was very repetitive and unfortunately not very funny to begin with. Like with J'amie, there was just too much focus on a single character for the series to really work that well. Summer Heights High is still Chris Lilley at his best - three strong characters, an engaging plot, and just incredibly funny. Unfortunately he hasn't managed to even get close to it since, and whilst this was a small step in the right direction, it's something I'll have forgotten about very quickly.

Another reviewer here put it very well: Summer Heights High was balanced and engaging, but when Chris Lilley ventures off with single characters, the stories and character development falter.

Jonah is not an unrealistic character; he is that hyper, intensely irritating, in-the-name-of-all-that's-holy-STFU teenager that we've all seen somewhere, even if only in passing. He's pure, concentrated annoyance, desperate for any kind of attention or reaction. And I give Chris Lilley full points for being able to recreate that. But unless you're a social worker or a teacher specializing in behavior disorders, do you really want to spend time with that kid, even from the safety of your living room? Seriously, when the teacher breaks a chair against the wall or Jonah's father chases him across a bowling alley with a steady stream of obscenities and death threats, you understand completely.

And that's probably Lilley's point: How do you deal with someone so profoundly and unrelentingly obnoxious, but who is, after all, still a kid? I like that there are no Very Special Episodes (at least not so far) in which Jonah learns his lesson and vows to do better. Instead, we're only given brief glimpses of his possible humanity, e.g., his love for his younger brother or his semi-endearing delusions regarding his dance skills. But while it's more realistic for Jonah to carry on with little forward movement, the lack of development does mean that the show is repetitive and circular.