The Elegant Gentleman's Guide to Knife Fighting

Really just not good enough. Certainly not good enough for prime time on ABC1. It would barely pass muster tucked away late at night on ABC2.

The fundamental problem here is that almost every sketch is based on a "Wouldn't be funny if..." premise, and then goes on to illustrate that premise in a deadly unfunny manner with as few jokes as possible in order to beat any possible humour out of the concept. The gag twists are always painfully obvious and can be seen coming a mile off. It's acted and directed like a series of faux-dramatic vignettes, allowing for little comedy to arise from the presentation of the material.

This series been promoted as containing dark, edgy humour. The writers seem to think that shoehorning the occasional reference to AIDS or cancer makes it so, but there's precious little genuinely dark comedy on display. One promising sketch in episode two, set on an aircraft with two annoying kids, had the potential to go much further and much darker, which would have given the punchline more power, but the creative team pulled their punches instead.

Ultimately this is a joyless, jokeless wasteland. I thought the ABC had reached the nadir of sketch comedy with the ill-fated Flipside, but The Elegant Gentleman's etc has plumbed a new low.

Next time, ABC, before you commission a sketch comedy show, get the writers to sit down and watch some of the successful comedies of the last 50 years to see how it should be done.

Where to start? Ever since I played my eyes on the iconic show "The Elegant Gentlemen's Guide to Knife Fighting". I truly understood the meaning of life. This is my favorite show, and no number of words will describe the love I have for it. With it's dark but bittersweet humor and its relatable characters, I knew I would be one good ride. The relatable characters, dark humor, and one good story, this is the peak of television. My favorite episode, Kid in Cockpit, deliberately summarizes this show as a whole. Kid In Cockpit not only has great writing, lovable characters, and great comedy, but a Great and Relatable storyline that will keep you wanting more, and quite frankly, you do get more, you get exactly what you wanted with this show. Great Comedy, Great cast of Characters, And an Iconic Story. This is worth the watch.

Television needs a chance to find it's rhythm and creating a sketch comedy show in Australia - especially on a network like ABC where the average viewing age is 40+, creating something that is daring is going to be met with even more criticism. I feel that EGGKF gets better with each episode. By episode two, there was the introduction of darker, more subversive characters - like the children's TV clown with the squeaky voice - that were indicative of where this show could go if given time to grow. In a country that is 1/20 the size of the US, if a large part of the population doesn't tune into something, it's considered a failure and thus, so few television shows have the chance to respond to their audience and mature. The expectation that season 1 episode 1 will be a masterwork is ridiculous.

Finally, edgy comedy that goes beyond what's safe and expected. I haven't seen anything this brilliantly funny since Python or 70's SNL. I found myself say, 'oh no they didn't' or 'oh no they aren't', only to respond 'oh yes they did'. The Prius skit, the terrorists in first class, yes those were unforgettable, but the British naming of the islands had me gasping for air and wiping tears from my eyes. So simple, yet so beautifully composed and performed. I purchased the series so I can watch it whenever I want or need to. So many shows labeled 'comedy' are just not funny at all. Treat yourself tonight to your next guilty pleasure.

You know how some comedies like to slowly descend into the insanity of the show? Eg, the way Sunny in Philly goes from bar life to terrorism in around 20 mins? Well, this show is made up of bits, each one about 2 to 5 minutes long, and they start at insane and move up from there. You don't have to wait for the talking dog, the dog is talking from the beginning and he might actually be the straight man for the skit, because that's the level of outrageous, audacious mind-boggling nonsense this is. That's how insane this is.

Think about the glory days of snl. And multiply that by about 15.

This is perfect. Utterly perfect for anybody who liked Frisky Dingo, Sealab, Wilfred, Sunny, League... that kind of stuff. It's awesome.

PLUS - Australian accents. Everybody loves Aussies. What more can you want? This is a guaranteed laugh. You have to check it out. The 3.9 rating is profane. This is 10 star gold. Watch and see. I dare you not to laugh. This was engineered for laughter. If you don't like this, your sense of comedy is broken beyond any hope of redemption or salvage.