Fisk

Television ABC
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New Screen Australia funded project for ABC TV

Entitled

A six-part series for the ABC written, directed by and starring comedian Kitty Flanagan. This comedy is set in a shabby, suburban law firm that specialises in wills and probate - a messy world of inheritance and entitlement. Entitled is co-created by Flanagan and Vincent Sheehan of Porchlight Films ( The Kettering Incident ). It is produced by Sheehan, co-written by Penny Flanagan and co-directed by Tom Peterson ( The Weekly with Charlie Pickering ). Executive producers Greg Sitch ( The Letdown ) and Porchlight Films’ Liz Watts ( True History of the Kelly Gang ), Anita Sheehan ( Jasper Jones ) are also attached. Entitled is financed with support from Film Victoria.

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Fisk

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The ABC and Screen Australia are delighted to announce filming has commenced in Melbourne on the new six-part comedy series Fisk (previous working title, Entitled ) by one of Australia’s most popular comedians, Kitty Flanagan.

Produced by Vincent Sheehan ( Operation Buffalo, The Kettering Incident ) written and co-directed by Kitty Flanagan, Fisk also stars television favourite Julia Zemiro ( Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery, RocKwiz ) and celebrated comedians Marty Sheargold, Aaron Chen and Glenn Butcher as well as award winning actor John Gaden.

Starring Flanagan as Helen Tudor-Fisk, a contract lawyer who is forced to take a job at a shabby suburban law firm specialising in wills and probate, Fisk is a fast-paced workplace sitcom that taps into the everyday world of inheritances and squabbling relatives.

Kitty Flanagan says “This is the dream. My own show with all my favourite people both in front of the camera and behind it too. I’m thrilled to be making this in Melbourne for the ABC. We have such amazing, creative people in Australia, the more local content we can turn out, the better.”

Todd Abbott, ABC Head of Comedy says “Kitty Flanagan is, quite simply, one of the funniest humans alive, and a show created by and starring her is long overdue. Every page of these scripts is laugh-out-loud funny, and the cast and crew that she’s pulled together guarantee this series is going to be a ripper. What a treat for all of us.”

Fisk will air on ABC TV and iview in 2021.

Production Credit: A Porchlight Films production for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. With major investment from Screen Australia and financed with support from 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.

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Fisk?

I thought Entitled was a great title for a show.

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Show sounds great, change of name not so much.

It doesn’t sound like a very strong name to carry the show.

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It really is ridiculous. Fisk says nothing about the whereas Entitled gives you some idea about what it’s about.

Reminds me of Sando, which was also an awful title. We’ve had some very ordinary titles lately like Operation Buffalo and Total Control, which do nothing to spark interest in them.

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Another example is With Intent, formerly Breathless.

I wonder if they change for legal reasons with trademark protections on the working title? But surely you’d think that would be taken into consideration earlier in the process.

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(In short) you can’t copyright or trademark the title of a TV show; so the change would have to be for some other, probably creative reason.

I found a movie and TV show with the name Entitled - there may be more.

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So call it Shabby & Entitled. :wink:

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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.

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

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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.

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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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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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.

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Solid debut, as expected given the cast.

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