''Lunatics'' is an Australian

mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

television series that premiered on

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on 19 April 2019. The ten-part series, written by and starring Chris Lilley, continues the mockumentary style of his previous

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

Synopsis

''Lunatics'' is a mockumentary series that explores the lives and narrative of six different characters, all played by Lilley. Each character has his or her own eccentricity in terms of lifestyle and behaviour. The characters include fashion retailer Keith Dick; estate agent Quentin Cook; 7-foot college student Becky Douglas; 12-year old Gavin McGregor, who is an heir to an

earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

dom; ex-pornstar Joyce Jeffries; and South African Jana Melhoopen-Jonks, a celebrity pet psychic who is also a

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

. A review notes that ''Lunatics'' follows Lilley's previous series, ''

Summer Heights High ''Summer Heights High'' is an Australian television mockumentary sitcom written by and starring Chris Lilley. Set in the fictional Summer Heights High School in an outer suburb of Sydney (based on Summer Hill), it revolves around high-school ...

,'' but the universe expanded past the school.

Cast and characters

There are six primary characters featured in ''Lunatics'', all portrayed by Chris Lilley. *Keith Dick - a fashion wannabe who is in love with Karen, a cash register *Becky Douglas - a 7-foot-3 girl who has moved to California to attend college with her non-identical twin sister *Gavin McGregor - an obnoxious 12 year old destined to become the future earl of an English country estate *Jana Melhoopen-Jonks - a South African lesbian pet psychic to the stars *Quentin Cook - an incompetent real-estate agent who dreams of one day becoming a famous DJ and artist *Joyce Jeffries - a former adult film star who has become an extreme hoarder

Other characters

* Leena Arora as Patika Dick *Amanda Murphy as Marilyn * Anne McCaffery-French as Helen * Philip Keogan as Ken * Joe Murray as Dylan * Harry Radbone as Oscar * Millie Morice as Clementine * Emma Wilson as Colleen *

Ariana Doolan Ariana Doolan (born 31 January 2002) is an Australian politician in the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland. Doolan is a state MP for the Electoral districts of Queensland, electoral district of Electoral district of Pumices ...

as Rashish * Chloe Stout as Lucy * Dylan Gavasse as Jack * Alyssa Macintosh as Sharnay * Cameron Leonard as Aaron * Tracey McGown as Becky's Mum * Darren McGown as Becky's Dad * Katy Ferguson as Renee * Evie Ferguson as Renee's 1st daughter * Milly Ferguson as Renee's 2nd daughter * Jessica Rockliff as Ingrid * Bianca Daniels as Kylie * Michelle Smit as Client * Brock Thornburgh as Ethan * Jett Thornburgh as Dustin * Steve Minton as Brian * Kim Kemp as Lyn * Judi Young as Rhonda * Antony Turrisi as Con * Kane Sheehy as Harrison * Min Suk Chin as Lingers (Tsun-Ling) * Cassie Wang as Nancy

Episodes

Production

Development

In March 2018, it was announced that Lilley had been signed by

to create a 10-part series. The series was filmed on the

Gold Coast, Queensland The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, GC, is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland, Australia, located approximately south-southeast of the centre of the list of Australian capital cities, state capital, Brisbane. It is ...

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Lilley would star in the lead role.

Release

On 11 April 2019, the official trailer for the series was released. The first season was released on Netflix on 19 April 2019.

References

External links

* * {{Chris Lilley 2019 Australian television series debuts 2010s Australian comedy television series 2010s LGBTQ-related comedy television series 2010s satirical television series 2010s Australian television miniseries Australian LGBTQ-related television shows Australian mockumentary television series Australian television sitcoms Australian satirical television shows Cross-dressing in television Australian English-language television shows Netflix sitcoms Television series about brothers Television series about dysfunctional families Television series about twins Race-related controversies in television Television shows set in Australia