Population: 11

Another deliciously quirky Aussie outback mystery from Stan, following on from the likes of "The tourist" again streamed on Stan.

I didn't realise Population 11 was "loosely based" on the unsolved murder of Paddy Moriarity in Larrimah, Northern Territory. So I urge viewers to take in "A dog act: The disappearance of Paddy Moriarity" on ABC iView (Australia) or even the Netflix series "Last stop Larrimah" for reference and several more quirky outback characters.

Anyway, there's laughs a plenty from the cast, and many Australians will recognise Stephen Curry and Nicole from Muriel's wedding. (Pippa Grandison)

A sharp soundtrack accompanies the series.

We stumbled on this randomly in a desperate search for something watchable on the wasteland that is streaming services.

Well, lucky us because we were genuinely shocked by how good this was.

Initially convinced this was a comedy, Population 11 is actually a carefully crafted mixture of comedy, drama, suspense, and mystery.

Most importantly, all the key elements of a quality show are here.

They developed authentic feeling characters, included multiple twists, and created a believable world, all using dialogue that sounds natural.

This is one sleeper I hope a lot of people manage to find because it is exceptional storytelling.

Well done to writers, cast, and crew.

We started this show with no expectations.

A quirky start as you would expect from a mystery based on a population of 12 -1 in the Aussie outback. Give it a tick, the pace picks up fairly quickly and it's a fun ride.

You could easily pick it apart but keep in mind it's billed as a comedy, so if you were expecting something else, this ain't it.

The absence of DEI, virtue signaling, racial bias is refreshing. So tired of all the shows that promote that.

This was just a fun whodunnit, albeit quirky and if you want to spend 3.5 hours on a fun show this might fit the bill.

We enjoyed the series, hope you give it a go.

If you are not paying attention to the quality product coming from down under, you are missing out. Mystery Road (the original) is awesome. Mr. In-Between is unforgettable, especially the episode where the protagonist goes after a local who abducted a child. And Deadloch is like Fargo, wacky and interesting at the same time (early Fargo, not recent Fargo!). Population 11 seems to aiming for zany, and hits the mark more often than it misses. The writing is the hook, and there is dialog here that sneaks up on you and, before you realize it, you find yourself laughing out loud. (S01E01 -- Officer Geraldine, claiming the reward after producing a generic and nondescript boot -- "That's for you to figure out. Now's the time for you to cough up the reward money.") Smooth! ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

I was very nervous when I saw another Australian TV offering listed for streaming.

So I watched Ep 1 waiting for it to dribble into dross like so many of recent Australian offerings.

But it made me binge watch the whole series at one sitting and I totally enjoyed it!

It's not perfect and there are some elements which are a bit hard to take but it's script is tight and oft times humourous, balance by a team of actors each of whom know what they are doing, and get on and do it.

It's hard to pick out any one actor who stands out but the American actor Ben Feldman is excellent in his role and the script uses his American origins to good effect.

So thank you all, people, for providing me with a very entertaining night in front of the Telly.