By now, everyone on Biff Bam Pop! knows how much I love foreign films, but Netflix has pleasantly surprised me with two hit comedies: Fisk and Wellmania.
Fisk
Fisk is an Australian comedy created by Kitty Flanagan and Vincent Sheehan. Flanagan also directs and stars in this hilarious comedy that is a cross between The Office and Seinfeld. The series takes place in North Melbourne. Kitty Flanagan plays the part of Helen Tudor-Fisk, a lawyer who is restarting her life after her career and marriage fall apart.
The show follows Helen (Kitty Flanagan), who dresses in baggy pantsuits (she owns three identical suits because it is less stressful getting ready in the morning) as she not only deals with a bizarre Airbnb apartment to her getting a job with a law firm that handles wills and probates. This is the perfect job for Helen because the clients are dead and she doesn’t have to deal with people…but over the next six episodes of season one, Helen’s life is anything but peaceful.
Helen’s bosses, Ray (Marty Sheargold) and Roz (Julia Zemiro) are dealing with their own problems, mainly because Roz is temporarily banned from being a lawyer, thanks to Alice Pike (Georgina Naidu) a formidable opposing lawyer who was jealous of Roz. Neither Ray nor Roz think Helen is up to the job mainly due to the wackiest clients to ever need a probate lawyer. One of the funniest laugh-out-loud episodes was focused on Helen’s dealing with Mrs. Popovitch. George (Aaron Chen), the office legal secretary who thinks he is a webmaster, could be a stand-in for Seinfeld’s George Costanza.
Helen’s personal life is not much better as she is now forced to live with her maternal aunt (Debra Lawrance) and uncle (George Henare) and Helen’s ex-husband (Bert la Bonte) has stolen her dog. Adding to this craziness, Helen’s famous supreme court father (John Gaden) surprises the family with his marriage to his friend Viktor (Glenn Butcher).
Believe me when I say, you will love this show.
Wellmania
Wellmania is also an Australian comedy drama streaming on Netflix. This eight-episode series is based on the book Wellmania: Misadventures in the Search for Wellness by Brigid Delaney who is also the creator of the series along with Benjamin Law. Liv Healy (Celeste Barber) is a 39-year-old woman who is working as a New York based food critic. Liv has panic attacks steaming from her father’s death when she was a teenager. Liv has major health issues because of her wild and self-indulgent lifestyle of drugs, sex, and wine. When she goes home to Sidney Australia for her best friend’s (JJ Fong) birthday and brother’s wedding, that is when all hell breaks loose.
Although Liv’s family and friends are delightful, I found myself in a love/hate relationship with the main character. Liv is her own worst enemy. Liv is self-absorbed and constantly sabotages her friends and family, especially her mother (Genevieve Mooy) after she arrives in Sidney. After losing her visa back to the states, she winds up at the hospital.
The American consulate and a doctor refuse to sign the papers for her return trip to the states until Liv gets healthy, which leads into some funny episodes at the gym where her brother (Lachlan Buchanan) works. Liv also has to help with her brother’s wedding to Dalbert (Remy Hii), but will she do the right thing when she also has plans for a big TV gig for a major cooking show?
Conclusion
I loved both Fisk and Wellmania, but unfortunately, we are left to wonder if Netflix will come up with a second season for both series.
I think you should watch Fisk first, and then Wellmania. Both are solid, but Fisk is laugh-out-loud funny good.