Please Like Me : Series 1
By Sean Lynch
When Channel 10 hit the demographics jackpot with the family friendly game show Talkin' About Your Generation, networks were keen to get themselves a piece of the pie in any way they could.
Ten took control of Charlie Pickering on The Project, gave Micallef a stab at a light hearted detective series in Mr & Mrs Murder and secured the "talents" of Amanda Keller for lifestyle show The Living Room (aka the Cadbury's Favourites box of network contracted personalities with nothing else to do).
Sadly, this left little room for Gen Y break out star Josh Thomas. For some reason Channel 10, long known as the "youth focussed network", had NO idea what to do with a personality which technically represented their required demos (a similar problem they faced when they had Hamish & Andy under contract).
So the only genuine risk takers in television - the ABC - took Thomas under their wings and let him develop a sitcom. That show, Please Like Me.
However, showbiz isn't always as simple at giving a weird looking twenty something a show. In the process of pitching to production, Thomas "discovered" he was gay, rewrote the direction of the whole series, had the finished product get delayed from airing and ultimately bumped from ABC1 to ABC2 as it "didn't suit the main broadcast channel".
This all a long winded way of saying... Channel 10 made a big mistake, because Please Like Me is one of the most interesting, lush, accurate representations of the modern Australian youth yet seen on TV. There isn't a single forced "hey, I just got poked on The Twitter" reference, or name dropping of bands like Good Charlotte, it's just young Aussies bantering as they do.
The result of which means it may not be as "laugh a minute" as comedy fans might expect - but in return you get so much more. It's got more in common with HBOs Girls than Will & Grace and it's a genuine shame more people didn't get a chance to see it on TV.
There is a significant level of forced drama squeezed into the short six episode series, but it allows for you to really be taken on a journey with these characters which slowly but surely engraciate themselves into your brain.
The cast is excellent, with Debra Lawrance as Josh's chronically depressed mother leading the pack. Her performance is so subtle, so sincere and incredibly empathetic it would be an absolute sham if she doesn't get nominated for an award.
You get the feeling that the potential for Please Like Me to succeed on UK TV is far more likely than it is here, which is not just a shame for the Australian TV industry but a sad insight into the lack willingness of Australian audiences to try anything more challenging than Celebrities Diving (which, oddly, is a show Josh Thomas also appeared on).
There's some fun special features on offer here too, so if you like your TV shows realistic and culturally aware - then give Please Like Me a whirl. If you're the sort of person who owns a "Bazinga" tshirt, then you are best to stick to being an accountant (which you most certainly are).
Conclusion: Movie 80% Extras: 60%
