What's it about?
Writer/performer/director Chris Lilley, creator of the outrageous comedy SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH returns to HBO in the new series ANGRY BOYS. With ANGRY BOYS, the wildly inventive Lilley brings to life six different characters; identical twins Daniel and Nathan Sims, from WE CAN BE HEROES, and four new characters; former Surfing World Champion Blake Oakfield; US rapper S.mouse; Japanese mother and manager of a skateboarding champion, Jen Okazaki; and Juvenile Centre worker Ruth Sims, aka Gran.
(Synopsis from HBO.)
So, how was it?
Fans of SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH (Puck you, miss!) will be delighted to see Chris Lilley back in his usual horrifically offensive fashion. ANGRY BOYS shares all the same DNA and is the same show in many respects, but also has enough differences to set it apart. As someone who couldn't get enough of SHH, I appreciate the fact that these differences have to be there, and yet found myself slightly disappointed at points of the pilot because of them.
For one, this time Lilley is playing not three but six different characters, and instead of being all located at one high school, they are scattered across the world. By its very nature, this show feels more scattered than its predecessor. Of course, none of Lilley's characters can interact because he plays them all himself (and this isn't THE PARENT TRAP), but at least in SHH they all existed within the same small universe of one high school.
Lilley is apparently trying to curb the scattered feeling of the show by introducing the characters gradually rather than all at once. In the first episode we only meet the twins, Daniel and Nathan, and Ruth Sims, aka "Gran." This is actually a great idea because now viewers have to tune in again to meet the rest of the characters. The characters do turn out to be loosely connected by the end of the first episode (Gran is actually the twins' grandmother, and S.mouse and Blake are two of Daniel's heroes), so I have hope that as we meet more of the characters, they will turn out to be more connected than they first appear.
Regardless, as was the case with SHH, the real delight of the show is in watching Lilley's chameleon-like abilities. He manages to utterly disappear into each character, straddling the line between caricature and reality with ease. The fact that he not only plays six different characters, but also writes and directs the show earns him countless kudos.
Rating:
*** Solid. I'm interested and will definitely keep watching.
While the first episode was not, by itself, as brilliant as any SHH, I still have faith in Lilley and can't wait to meet the rest of the cast of undoubtedly hysterical and offensive characters. I will definitely keep tuning in with high hopes, though I can't say I'm certifiably addicted yet.
What about you, Fellow Addicts? Did you enjoy the first episode? Or were you let down after SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH? Have you even seen SHH? (If not, then puck you, and go watch it right now.) Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!
(For the complete rundown of when all the new shows are premiering, check out my 2012 Midseason TV Preview.)
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