Ronny Chieng: International Student streams on CBC Gem.CBC Gem
Hello, and here we are; another week and what’s going on? Prices rise, but inflation slows, they say. Health care systems are in crisis, currencies crash, there’s an ongoing war with new threats of a nuclear strike. A hurricane is followed by power outages. Finger-pointing in the House of Commons and do we go back to the office, yes or no? There’s nothing to laugh about. Herewith, four comedies, the droll and the daft, to lighten your mood and make you smile.
Ronny Chieng: International Student
Ronny Chieng: International Student (streams on CBC Gem) features the Malaysian-born Chieng playing a version of himself as a young man from Malaysia attending law school at a university in Australia. Chieng, you might remember, was a correspondent on The Daily Show and here he’s all vim and vigour in what is a sometimes delicious slice of satire. Australia, college life and pretention are the targets. Ronny starts out as a know-it-all, a guy who finds the rituals of university life a dumb waste of time. He’s also got his mom to worry about. She constantly phones or texts him and monitors his social media constantly from Malaysia. Mainly, she doesn’t want him to make any young woman pregnant.
That’s unlikely, because Ronny’s disdain is the main engine of his life. If there’s looming tension it’s about his friendship with fellow student Asher (Molly Daniels), whose deadpan approach to everything suggests she’s a good match for Ronny. Mind you, her top task is explaining Australian slang and stay stone-faced as obnoxious guys try to tease or bully Ronny. It takes a few episodes to find its stride – one season of seven episodes so far – but this is a fresh, funny and rude exercise in mocking stereotypes.
People Just Do Nothing
People Just Do Nothing streams on CBC Gem.Courtesy of CBC Gem
People Just Do Nothing (streams on CBC Gem) will remind you of Trailer Park Boys. It’s been a cult hit in Britain for several years, streaming on a BBC service, and you can see why. A mockumentary-style comedy, it follows the delusional lads at Kurupt FM, a pirate radio station somewhere in West London that exists to make DJ superstars of these lads. Mostly, they rap hopelessly, smoke a lot of weed and boast. Meanwhile, they all have personal lives, dealing with girlfriends, wives or moms.
They worry a lot about what sneakers they should be wearing and while waiting for fame and fortune dream up dodgy schemes to make money. Allan (Seapa) Mustafa stars as Anthony (MC Grindah) Zografos, the MC and leader of the radio station crew. Around him are guys whose knowledge of embarrassment is, well, zero. At times starkly hilarious, it also shows great affection for these idiots. Four Season 6 episodes available, and you will certainly need closed-captioning to grasp the vernacular of these characters.
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Off the Hook
Off the Hook streams on Netflix.Photo Credit: Marie Genin/Courtesy of Netflix
Off the Hook (streams on Netflix) comes from France where, it seems, people of a certain age and background are as obsessed with social media as they are here. We meet Léa (Tiphaine Daviot) who seems to be watching her boyfriend’s every move online. Except, he’s her ex-boyfriend and she’s been doing this for a year. When he blocks her, she behaves very stupidly and is arrested.
Her roommate and best pal Manon (Manon Azem) is also obsessed with online content, as part of her continuing mission to be a singing star. When she tries a dumb stunt to get attention, her mistake goes viral.
Chastened, the pair get drunk and decide to stay offline for a month. This isn’t easy and it’s where the charming humour resides after social media is mocked. Léa and Manon try new things, such as reading books or meeting with people instead of texting them. It’s goofy but in a smart way. One season, six episodes, in French with English subtitles.
Servant of the People
Finally, given events in Ukraine a reminder about Servant of the People (streams on Netflix), the comedy series from Ukraine (in Russian with English subtitles), that made its creator and lead actor, Volodymyr Zelensky, go from TV star to President of Ukraine. Gently satirical it’s a sly comedy in which Zelensky plays Vasily, a high school history teacher, a bit earnest but liked by his students. One day, while talking to a colleague, he unleashes a rant about corruption in politics. A student is watching, records the rant and puts it on YouTube. It’s a big viral hit because he’s articulating the frustrations of ordinary people. Next thing, Vasily is on his way to winning an election. The comedy is very droll, especially about the fakery of politics and it remains remarkable viewing as a way of understanding Zelensky. One season of 23 episodes.