By TANIA PHILLIPS
House Husbands,
Channel 9, Sunday, 9pm
SERIES three of any show is usually that make or break year. Will it kick on and become something special, or has it run out of legs?
Some of the better-written shows (including MASH and The West Wing) didn’t come into their own until series three or four. So will that be the case for House Husbands?
It premiered two years ago in a hail of publicity – something different – a largely male main cast in a more domestic environment.
It had an impressive line-up and smart, sassy writing.
Last year built on the first (though if I’m honest I didn’t watch that much of it) – I thought that the concept really didn’t have the scope to survive – there are only so many dads struggling with child-raising situations that you can do, right? And as much as the concept is fairly original for a television drama – how many times have we seen dads (or career women) in movies struggling to put on a nappy and deal with the everyday.
And yet the sheer quality of the cast here has probably lifted it above the norm, along with the cleverness of the writing.
Yes, some of the situations are silly but when it’s delivered by someone like Gary Sweet or Rhys Muldoon then it somehow makes it so much more believable.
Though for mine it is Gyton Grantley – with his big puppy-dog eyes and similar persona and the no-nonsense Julia Morris (who is finally proving she is not only funny but incredibly adept at being the everyman/woman). In fact as a woman, it’s probably Julia’s Gemma that I identify with most – she is our window into the world of House Husbands.
So it built on a great first year with a strong second – but what about year three? Do you know what? From what I’ve seen so far (that has gone to air and is coming up) I think here is a second Australian drama (along with Offspring) that is just getting better.
The characters are now established and the writers are having fun shaking things up. The original core cast is basically intact and we know these characters well. Add an actress of the calibre of Rachel Griffiths – to shake things up between main characters Gemma and Lewis (Gary Sweet), throw in a new pub and it could be a fun year.
