Micallef Tonight

Shaun Micallef's experiment with variety television has only been done in two episodes so far but it's enough to give me a flavour as to what it's like.

To put it bluntly, it's hilarious, clever and thoroughly entertaining. But I find myself asking a number of questions during each episode.

For one thing, most of the funny parts are Micallef talking in his oddball fashion about current events or politics or, better still, advertising campaigns and slogans. Also his exchanges with voice-over veteran Peter Smith have that same sort of fractured-reality touch that we all used to love about Micallef in his sketch shows.

But the question raised - why is he bothering to do a live variety show when all these elements, at least in part, are present when he does his sketch show? Sure, he's a funny, clever comedian and his interviews with celebrities are enjoyable, light entertainment. But they're just not as funny to watch as his mock interviews that he used to do with regular members of the cast playing various characters.

Secondly, while it isn't a question it's more of a criticism. The program airs on Channel Nine and I find there is quite a lot lacking. For one thing, we have ads in the middle which upset the flow of the show which was always a key part in his shows on the ABC. Secondly, there's a lot more to mock on the ABC with particular reference to their low rating programs and cutbacks and so forth. It also seems to be easier to get away with biting political satire on the ABC than on a a commercial network. And thirdly, there is less editorial eminence and independence given to Micallef since Channel Nine runs a far tighter ship than the ABC. There were so many hilarious sections to his shows on the ABC when he'd actually give you the impression you were watching regular viewing and in actual fact you weren't. For an example, let me use the episode where, during the phase where the ABC logo was 'drawn' on the screen by various normal people in black & white, there was a section, before the show had started, where the same black and white type picture was shown of an Oliver Stone-sendup whereby Micallef, dressed as Lee Harvey Oswald, stepped out to assassinate JFK and as he was dragged off, he drew the ABC logo on the screen with his pistol. I just can't imagine the Nine Network allowing him to send them up like that, and it's a shame, because it's part of the brilliance of Shaun Micallef that he does laugh at the establishment in that way.

Essentially I'm not knocking this show. It's funny, clever, and has the stuff to last. But all I ask is, when each episode appears to be half sketch show, half nothing-out-of-the-ordinary interview, why not just continue with the commercial-free intellectual dandyism?

But I won't complain, as long as Shaun Micallef's on my screen I know Australian television comedy is where it should be.

of course comparisons between rove [live] and micallef tonite are going to come up but all i can say is that the latter is the clear winner.

are people not sick of rove yet? his won his gold logie, i guess he has done his job. he doesnt seem to be able to get over the fact that he actually WON... which makes his show so lame at times.

Micallef is, in my opinion very orignial. i never watched his ABC show so i cant really compare his ABC humour to his channel 9 humour. I love his special guests such as (i think it was in the first show) the chicken parmisiana, because he couldnt get any of the performers from the casino... and just from tonights opening remarks: "I dont know what you made of the news this week, but this is what i made of it..." then goes to a shot of a paper mache like life-sized model of a man. i could not stop laughing.

this is what makes micallef so good. he is silly, stupid, embarrassed at himself, and seems to be extremely unprofessional. and he pulls it off, unlike rove who doesnt seem genuine.

micallef tonight makes me look forward to my monday night tv lineup and i hope that it lasts.

After the slew of new comedy shows to come out in the past 6 or so months in Australia, I had high expectations for Shaun Micallef's latest effort. His ABC shows were genius, easily the best comedy ever to come out of this country.

He never struck me as the kind of comedian suited to a live talk style show though. So it was interesting to see how he'd handle it.

Firstly, the show made me laugh more times in the first 10 minutes than all the Comedy Inc episodes put together. Sure it had some slow parts, but nothing more than what you'd expect from a first time attempt at a live show.

Also, for those who think Shaun getting up on his high horse was a complete rip off of Rove's 'what the...' segment should know that he did the segment in his original ABC series many years ago. If memory serves me, it was before Rove's show was airing on channel 10, correct me if I'm wrong. Truthfully, I really don't see too many similarities between the two... and Shaun makes me laugh more anyway.

Overall, I think it's a great start, and will only get better. Hopefully he'll add some comedy sketches like he had on his ABC series, it was probably the only thing the live show was lacking.

The Jamie Durie thing was pure Micallef also. Let's just pray he doesn't attempt the excruciating Rove style satellite interviews.

There's my two cents. Cheers

The first episode of micallef tonight, i thought was reasonably funny and more original than anything else that i had seen on australian tv. But you notice by about the third episode that he reuses the same jokes over and over again exept he could sometimes re-word them. and you cant help but to see some similatatery's in the set up of the whole show, compared to Letterman's show.

Letterman has that musical Paul guy and his little orchestra, where as micallef has the unfunny guy with the curly hair on the piano with an orchestra with him, fancy that. The layout of the set is pratically the same as well, Letterman has a desk with a couple of chairs next to him and yes so did micallef.

Shaun Micallef doesnt belong on a tonight show he would be better off in some kind of sit-com. Even though it was broadcast live, if they didnt say it was you could probaly never tell. As the whole cast of the show was un-animated and you could easily see that they had tried to perfect every line that the writers had put down on script for them. They could of at least been a little more spontanious.

The Micallef tonight show, did not communicate properly with the audience and shaun himself has no interviewing skill's what so ever. And of corse if was axed becasue no one really watched it, denton's show may not of pulled in the big names but it did pull in the ratings and out rated the unfunny show of Micallef tonight

Only 13 episodes and this show was unfairly, unceremoniously canned. It is evident from the support it gets from fans posting to the Internet that Micallef has a loyal following and deservedly so. He is truly the funniest man in Australia, and possibly the funniest in the world (but I have not seen the comedic talents of the Nepalese or Madagasgarians, so I could be jumping to conclusions here). Either way, the show had brilliant moments, but to try and balance satire and the genuine article is a difficult mix. I think Micallef was restrained by the conventional expectations of what he "should" do on a talk show, but was at his best when he just did what he wanted to do. I think it is clear he did not have complete creative control over this show, nor a budget to do it justice. Shaun, please don't stay away from Aussie telly for too long. You are too good and too loved!!!