Optics

There are some comedies so bad that you feel sorry for the people involved. No private investment would have come within a 100 miles of this shocker. The industry in Australia is so small that the writers and performers could rely on their friends giving it good reviews in the expected places but - like a children's eisteddfod - the only people watching will be the cast and their families. I think they are aiming for farce but its hard to tell. Charles Firth is just appalling but its not his fault. Did the director actually give any direction? Or just say "go" and "cut". If production standards were lower it could have succeeded as car-crash entertainment - Plan 9 From Outer-space style. But it even fails at that.

This is 'comedy' made by po-faced public servants that have studied comedy as one would the distant history of a foreign culture.

I don't understand all the negative reviews. Maybe because the two female leads speak so fast and use a lot of PR jargon, making it somewhat difficult to comprehend. I believe it is part of the theme to have these characters speak as if they're in their own little world. Their thought processes are fast and displayed in front of the bamboozled clients. Otherwise, the series is well scripted and the acting is great. Charles Firth is excellent as the disgruntled former boss. He's ably supported by the office receptionist and his clueless PR assistant. My wife and I enjoy watching this series immensely.

I seen the trailer for this and seen all the cameos and went "Oh yeah sweet" but got into the episodes when it released, maybe I don't understand the humour but I didn't really enjoy this and got through all the episodes and laughed about twice. But maybe I'll watch it again and give it another go later.

But the cameos made it better, seeing Kate Walsh, like Grey's Anatomy Kate Walsh just pop up in an episode was really cool though and it was good to see her first role in an Australian comedy.

Jenna and Vic have a great career ahead of them for sure to make a whole TV series, I won't knock them for trying because we know how hard it is for a show to come together and work.

It's fine but for me I think it requires more then one viewing.

I thought that I was going to enjoy this. Actually, I was quite sceptical about enjoying it. Rarely does Australian comedy hit the mark for me. Usually it's a problem with the scripting, not enough money going into development, and this shows. I think there is a lot of telling rather than showing, and some basic problems which could easily be fixed with a good edit. For example, a small point, in the first episode, we know the sports person is called Bundy, but just about every time someone talks to him, his name is used in the line, he knows his name is Bundy, we know his name is Bundy there's no need to keep repeating it. If you were having a conversation with someone, say John, you wouldn't say, 'John how are you, John?' No, you would just say, 'How are you?' This kind of basic stuff brings the quality down. Having said that, some of the observations and lines are very witty and sharp, but the lead actors are unfortunately not experienced enough to pull it off. The comedic timing is off, something that could be adjusted with better editing, and I found it annoying having the two main characters in the same shot side by side all the time, echoing each other's thoughts, it would work better if the two characters were condensed into one. They seem to have the exact same job, do they? It is a double act, but for me, it doesn't work. And why would they promote two women if they are reluctant to even promote one?

I'm sorry to say but Optics does not compare to top of the range comedies, unfortunately the Australian industry is too small for those inside it to be honest about the quality of some of the shows. So, a cycle of average gets churned out and everyone slaps each others' backs, at the expense of honest criticism. I don't think it's a lack of talent, it's a lack of money, and the way the industry is funded, grants awarded by bureaucrats to those who have already received grants. That combined with the fact that many of our talented people leave the shores for America.

There was some enjoyable bits in it, and the writers are clearly extremely observant and intelligent, but this does not necessarily translate into good comedy.

It's a big shame that this wasn't better, the premise is very promising.

The writing and acting of Optics is as incompetent as the character Ian in the show.

It is a good concept. And the PR industry provides plenty of opportunities for comedy; clearly the farcical issues, people and business the PR industry deal with is ripe for a satirical comedy show. And the difference between traditional PR approaches compared to PR in the new social media world provides plenty of comedic tension that could be exploited.

But unfortunately it is very badly executed and a missed opportunity. The comedy and jokes are clumsy and mostly the set-ups are stupid and boring. The actors playing the main characters have no comic timing or rapport and are just bad.

It is a pity this wasn't done by working dog team who would have taken the opportunity this provides and created something g actually funny.