Irreverent

I loved the opening scene in far north Queensland. Yes its a comedic exaggeration of reality, but it does show the beauty and the - possible - terror of that location.

It probably helps that I watched the first episode with very low expectations. The basic premise, criminal switches identity with priest, has been done many times before. Also, despite how funny Australians are, Australian comedies are often awful.

I wanted light entertainment, and thus far, Irrevent is just that.

Many familiar faces in the cast, and luckily none that elicit an "expletive no, not him/her again", reaction from me.

The lead actor I thought very good at playing a reprobate low level criminal with a handsome face. By that I mean his face doesn't work against the role. Pretty, is often pretty bland. Not this time.

So far, good, light, fun.

The tension: Between key characters needing to keep an increasing range of secrets, track someone down, and avoid numerous conflicts or people trying to track them down, the tension was there when needed. But it was also paced in a way that left a bit of room for drama and light comedy, which helped both with character building and giving the tense bits more impact when they did roll around.

The comedy: The first episode seemed a bit slapstick and silly in places, but it quickly improved - focusing more on those characters with charisma. Most of the light comedy was then either to do with the awkward situations and coincidences, or the main character's sarcasm. And that's the comedy that worked. Two side characters had a bit of banter that was pretty funny at times too.

The religion: It was a bit torn on how it treated Christianity. At first, I expected it to flat out ridicule and mock those of who believe, as a lot of modern comedy does. For a few episodes I was then pleasantly surprised to find that they struck a kind balance, respecting both believers and non-believers. Unfortunately, as it progressed, I think it turned out even worse than simply mocking us: instead subtly twisting religious belief to fit the directors' personal narratives or agendas. A shame, because it was so close to be a rare, respectful show. (Shouldn't matter to non-believers, of course).

Overall: Decent, light fun that also has a bit of tension to make you want to keep watching. And the ending makes you hope for season 2.

Small sample sun so far as the series isn't complete but here goes.

One reviewer mentioned a croc at the Gold Coast which didn't happen it was near Cairns in north QLD though the international flight did arrive at Gold Coast airport. Also it's nothing like Banshee Muriel's Wedding or other things mentioned.

So far over all it's not bad at all. Being an Australian it's a bit painful sitting through some of the exaggerated Australianism which are usually inserted in our export productions. People usually don't talk like that in reality but there are exceptions.

Enough other reviewers covered the plot story etc so I'll conclude with its light heated quite watchable despite the afore mentioned. Don't take it seriously and you just might be entertained.

Okay I approached this with trepidation. Looked like a series trying to have more cliches than Crocodile Dundee. But surprisingly the more I got into it the less I thought of it as stereotypical Australian tv show. Yes the mob guys are a bit unrealistic, the original ex rev going Zumba is stupid, but the character development of the rest of the cast as it goes on is good and the scenery is great to watch. Worth more than the low ratings it has received. Overall it is worth a watch if looking for something to invest a bit of time in. With different characters it keeps it interesting and makes a nice change from the normal tv series.

Reminiscent of Lilllyhammer. Mafioso on witness protection takes over quirt Norwegian yown, populated by weirdos snd complete dummies. And vorrupts them in hilarious ways.

I have just started watching the series. As an Australian I am familiar with the image of quirky hillbillies that some movies pretend all Australians fit into. Not ttue ..... for most of us .... But ....

We have a breed of .... clumsy 'unpolished', unselfconsciosly semi-moronic hayseeds we call bogans. Many almost fit the characters in this production. To truly appreciate the humour of this program one needs to understand the often laconic, sometimes completely 'boof-headed', often self deprecatory style of Aussie humour. Some Yanks get it. Probably most don't. Americans tend to take themselves too seriously.