There’s something about discovering these Australian shows. First it was Mr. Inbetween, which was my inaugural “YOUR WEEKLY BINGE” recommendation, a dark but deeply engaging show that I just couldn’t believe the whole world wasn’t talking about, and then came Colin from Accounts, another under-the-radar Aussie import, a comedy that I fell in love with head over heels, as did everyone I suggested it to. These shows are the kinds of shows I created this feature for: hidden gems that nobody is talking about, nobody is awarding, no publicist is pushing, but are so much better than most of what we are
watching. I feel it is my honor—nay, my duty—to find as many of these as possible for you, my loyal reader, so you too can discover these rare gifts that lay beneath the surface of your television landscape. They are there…you just need to know where to look.
And I’m so happy to say I’ve found another Australian miracle. It’s called Fisk, and it’s on Netflix. There are only two seasons currently available on Netflix, even though the third season just dropped in Australia and the UK, but those two seasons are tasty enough. And knowing that a third season is indubitably coming is beyond exciting.
Fisk is a half-hour comedy created by and starring Australian comic Kitty Flanagan, who plays Helen Tudor-Fisk, a Larry David-type curmudgeon. Fisk totally rocks that Curb Your Enthusiasm vibe, and yet still carves its own distinctive tone, thanks to Flanagan’s wishy-washy style. Where Larry David comes off as a confidently crotchety stiff, Flanagan portrays Fisk as an insecure, non-committal wet noodle, hemming and hawing her way through life. And yet she’s a lawyer, still the smartest one in the small family law office she works in, after having been fired from the big firm she last worked for. Helen’s not dumb, she’s just irritated. And Flanagan is downright hilarious in her portrayal of this woman, forced to deal with a world filled with people who annoy her.
It’s the matter-of-fact sensibility, the lack of any true bitterness or malice that truly sets Fisk apart. There’s nothing mean-spirited about this show, yet, at the same time, there is zero effort to drive sentiment or to elevate humanity. This is simply a show designed to entertain you and make you laugh. And I can tell you I laughed harder than I had in a very long time.
The whole cast is great, the writing is great, but it is Kitty Flanagan that makes Fisk what it is. I am now fully a fan, both of Flanagan and of Fisk, and I can’t wait for more.
The first two seasons of Fisk are currently available on Netflix. There is a third season, but no date has been announced yet of when it will be available.