Sometimes producers of Australian television drama get it so wrong and other times they get it right. Each to their own and everyone’s tastes are different but sometimes you just like to watch a program and be entertained by it. Not shocked or left saying “is that it”. A new program to grace our TV screens is “The Time of Our Lives” with an absolute stellar cast of well known Aussie celebrities. Its a story about the goings on of an extended Australian family living in Melbourne, Victoria, all facing the same issues us everyday people face. As boring as that may sound, it was actually very entertaining. I could easily see a bit of myself in every female character and it made me laugh and realise just how I may have seemed at various times of my adult life.
Justine Clark (Bernadette) is warm and friendly and the second wife of Shane Jacobsen’s character, Luce Tivoli. He has an older daughter from a previous marriage living with them along with their twin daughters. Both characters are warm and friendly and so easy to get along with. The program showed the same conflicts as those with children from previous marriages face.Justine is well known for being a star from the popular Australian kid’s TV program “Play School” and you warm to her immediately. It will be interesting to see where her character goes over the 13 week series. I have a feeling it will be a case of “why do bad things happen to good people”.
The wife of another of the Tivoli boys, Caroline (played by the gorgeous Claudia Karvan) is so much like me in regards to her so called ‘gifted’ son Carmody. I can remember saying, word for word, things she said in the program. Things like how you should word things when you’re playing with your children because I had ‘read all the books’. It wasn’t until a couple of months realising I should just enjoy my child, one day at a time that I realised this stuff didn’t matter. I’m sure I’ll be able to relate to the pain she feels as shown in the preview of next week’s episode.
The two part mini series “Paper Giants: Magazine Wars”, also just recently screened on the ABC, was well worth watching too. The tale of two of the biggest names in popular women’s magazines, editors Dulcie Boling and Nene King and the emergence of the ‘trash mag’ here in Australia. Brilliant acting and realistic documentation of the times.
“The Secret Life of Us” was a program that I resonated with when I was in my mid to late 30’s and now the co-creator Amanda Higgs and writer, Judi McCrossin have joined forces again in this production. I can’t wait to see how the show unfolds and it gives hope to what to watch on a Sunday night. I’ll be having the time of my life watching. Thanks ABC for getting it right. Click here for a preview. “The Time of Our Lives” screens on Sunday evenings at 8:30pm on ABC TV in Australia. You can catch reruns here.
