Fisk

So call it Shabby & Entitled. :wink:

1 Like

FISK

Writer, co-director and star Kitty Flanagan brings her singular and hilarious voice to this highly relatable, fast-paced comedy about high-end contracts solicitor Helen Tudor-Fisk, who is forced to take a job at a shabby, suburban law firm following a humiliating marriage breakdown and a professional fall from grace. Overnight Fisk finds herself in the low rent world of wills and probate, where she deals with highly emotional and irrational clients. Bereaved relatives, long standing family feuds and petty squabbles over money and inheritance make this job as much about being a therapist as a lawyer.

6x30 episodes

P R O D U C T I O N C R E D I T S

A Porchlight Films production for the ABC. With major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria. Written by Kitty Flanagan and Penny Flanagan. Co-directed by Kitty Flanagan and Tom Peterson. Produced by Vincent Sheehan. Executive Producers Greg Sitch, Liz Watts, Anita Sheehan. ABC Executive Producers Todd Abbott and Brett Sleigh.

1 Like

Debuts Wednesday March 17, taking over the 9pm timeslot from Aftertaste.

1 Like

From Wednesday 17 March at 9pm

Helen Tudor-Fisk (Kitty Flanagan) is a contracts lawyer who is not good with people. When her personal and professional lives implode spectacularly in Sydney, Helen runs home to Melbourne and takes a job at Gruber & Gruber, a small suburban law firm specialising in wills and probate.

At Gruber & Gruber, Helen is brought in to replace Roz Gruber (Julia Zemiro), a recently suspended solicitor who has temporarily appointed herself the office manager. No longer allowed to sit in with clients, Roz now has nothing else to do but get all up in Helen’s business.

Ray Gruber, Roz’s brother (played by Marty Sheargold) hired Helen in a fit of laziness because he couldn’t ‘be arsed interviewing any more people’ but also because Helen is a mature lady’ which has proven to be the preferred option for clients who are grieving. Unfortunately, Helen is not that kind of mature lady.

Roz is always lurking, Ray is always skiving off and there’s often a scuffle in reception that Helen is forced to take control of.

With the help of the quirky probate clerk, George (Aaron Chen), Helen attempts to find her feet in the messy world of probate; where the clients are at their most irrational and it’s never as simple as just dividing up the money.

Written by Kitty Flanagan & Penny Flanagan
Directed by Tom Peterson & Kitty Flanagan
Produced by Vincent Sheehan
Created by Kitty Flanagan & Vincent Sheehan

Starring Kitty Flanagan, Julia Zemiro, Marty Sheargold, Aaron Chen, John Gaden, Glenn Butcher
6 episodes

Guest starring Debra Lawrance, George Henare, Bert LaBonte, Georgina Naidu, Colette Mann, Bessie
Holland, Alison Whyte, Annie Lee, Dave O’Neil, Jessica Redmayne, Glenn Robbins, Chi Nguyen, Marg Downey,
Alex Papps, Denise Scott, Ed Kavalee and Sam Pang

2 Likes

Kitty Flanagan’s all new comedy series FISK to air on ABC in March

ABC TV and Screen Australia are thrilled to announce the premiere of the hilarious six-part series Fisk Wednesday 17 March at 9pm on ABC TV and iview. Fisk is a 6 x 30 min comedy series created, written and directed by - and starring - one of Australia’s favourite comedians, Kitty Flanagan.

Flanagan stars as Helen Tudor-Fisk, a corporate contract lawyer forced to take a job at a shabby suburban law firm specialising in wills and probate. As well as the incomparable key cast including Julia Zemiro , Marty Sheargold , Aaron Chen , John Gaden and Glenn Butcher , the laugh-out-loud series is filled with a who’s who of Australian comedians and actors, including Alison Whyte , Glenn Robbins , Debra Lawrance , Denise Scott , Sam Pang , Georgina Naidu , Bert La Bonte ,
Ed Kavalee , Collette Mann , Dave O’Neil and Marg Downey , just to name a few.

Helen (Flanagan) is a contracts lawyer who is not good with people. When her personal and professional lives implode spectacularly in Sydney, Helen runs home to Melbourne and takes a job at Gruber & Gruber, a small suburban law firm. Helen is brought in to replace Roz Gruber (Zemiro), a recently-suspended solicitor who has temporarily appointed herself the office manager. No longer allowed to sit in with clients, Roz now has nothing else to do but get all up in Helen’s business.

Ray Gruber (Sheargold), Roz’s brother, hires Helen in a fit of laziness but also because Helen is a ‘mature lady’ which has proven to be the preferred option for clients who are grieving. Unfortunately, Helen is not that kind of mature lady.

Roz is always lurking, Ray is always skiving off and there’s often a scuffle in reception that Helen is forced to take control of. With the help of the idiosyncratic probate clerk, George (Chen), Helen attempts to find her feet in the messy world of probate; where the clients are at their most irrational and it’s never as simple as just dividing up the money.

2 Likes

Wills, probate law and making an Australian legal comedy series | Fisk

1 Like

I admit to being a fan of Kitty’s so was looking forward to this series. And it doesn’t disappoint. Extremely funny and very original. Sometimes it feels like you are watching excerpts from her stand up routines based on her real life as per her recent book. The ensemble supporting cast headlined by Julia Zemiro, Marty Sheargold, Aaron Chen is also good but I got the feeling that anyone would have shone in this production.

I hope it succeeds and we get to see more.

3 Likes

That’s good to hear because I wasn’t too impressed by the promos they are running.

3 Likes
2 Likes

Totally agree. Really enjoyed it. I’d commission a second season just based on that first episode.

2 Likes

It was great. Very funny. I’m looking forward to the other episodes.

I would give it 10/10. In comparison, Rosehaven is about 5/10, but that’s only because Celia Pacquola is always good.

Solid debut, as expected given the cast.

2 Likes

I like Rosehaven too but this show in comparison was more fast paced and packed in twice as many laughs. A lot better than Aftertaste too which I struggled to stay interested in.

2 Likes

That was… disturbing. I enjoyed the dynamic between the characters but elements of the storyline were a bit much for me. Have been in law offices like that so it felt authentic and thought the coffee shop and air b&b set ups were well done. Glenn Robbins kind of tarnished it even though I’ve enjoyed him in other things. Love to see an Aussie sitcom succeed and this looks promising. The banter and the pacing kind of reminded me of Utopia.

1 Like

Glenn Robbins with a very subtle “Look at me” while doing the penis painting. :grin:

2 Likes

I enjoyed it. But then I could probably listen to Julia Zemiro or Kitty Flanagan read the phone book (or whatever the current day equivalent is!) and I’d still enjoy it. But some good gags here and, Mr Robbins, well, he loves a bit of nudity. I seem to recall a Kath & Kim episode and I’m sure he was not shy in Fast Forward, either. Full credit to him for having the bravery to still put it out there!

I did also notice the “look at me” reference :slight_smile:

4 Likes

Same. On the whole I enjoyed it. I’d been eagerly anticipating it since it was announced and it lived up to expectations.I know Julia is an acclaimed stage actor but I was surprised by how good she was. I expected Kitty to portray her character in a similar way to how she portrayed Rhonda but she gave Helen a completely different vibe.

2 Likes

I loved Fisk episode 1 “portrait of a lady” (what an appropriate pun). Magnificent writing: I was very reminded of the great show Northern Exposure (another “fish out of water” comedy series, formative to the Doc Martin series).
The laid-back development of Fisk story and relationship arcs was wonderful, for example the Fisk interaction with the character played by Alison Whyte, where the crackling dislike gave way to real shared understanding over one dollar coffee. And the continued low-key jokes like the café proprietor saying “it’s okay to drink my coffee sitting on milk crates even though I’m not a takeaway shop, but no looking at porn”
It takes courage for Kitty to play a character – on the face of it Fisk is an unlovely person, a foil for the humour - so well and to give us understanding. Ditto Julia playing her character straight and that hairstyle (!?!). The characters not being ladies (riffing off the lines that Marty Shergold had) were very good: Glenn perhaps dialled his performance two notches further than the others …
I’m looking forward to the series. It’s much more attractive than most Oz comedy and I care about the characters already.

8 Likes

Along with Glenn Butcher, John Gaden and Debra Lawrance guest star.

2 Likes