Kath & Kim
The first season of Kath & Kim premièred on ABC TV on May 16, 2002, with three further seasons following, while a television movie, entitled Da Kath and Kim Code, was broadcast nationally on November 25, 2005. The series also airs on broadcast networks internationally, including RTÉ Two in Ireland, TV3 in New Zealand, TV2 in Finland and LIVING and BBC Two in the United Kingdom. In the United States the first two seasons aired on Trio in 2004, while the Sundance Channel aired the third season. Kath & Kim has garnered much critical acclaim since its debut, winning two Logie Awards, for "Outstanding Comedy Programme" and the "Best Television Drama Series" award at the Australian Film Institute Awards. In Australia, it has become a pop culture phenomenon, and is a success with audiences nationwide. Internationally, the series has spawned a cult fanbase, and in 2006 it was announced an American version of the series will be produced, to air on NBC. The show is set to begin airing during the fall of 2008. Riley and Turner are serving as executive producers on the US version. The American version was also picked up by Seven, which will debut the program on October 12, 2008, just three days after its debut in the United States.
The fourth season of Kath & Kim began airing on the Seven Network on August 19, 2007 at 7:30pm, due to contract expiring with ABC. The first season four episode attracted an Australian audience of 2.521 million nationally, making it the most watched television programme in 2007 and the highest rating ever for a first episode in the history of Australian television. The shows creators are currently writing for a fifth series which is expected to be released mid 2009.
Premise
Kath & Kim follows the day-to-day Australian suburban life of Kath Day-Knight (Jane Turner), her only daughter Kimberly Craig née Day (Gina Riley), Kim's husband Brett Craig (Peter Rowsthorn), Kath's love interest and eventual husband "purveyor of fine meats" Kel Knight (Glenn Robbins), and long-time family friend Sharon Strzelecki (Magda Szubanski). Kim and Brett have a baby in the final episode of the second series whom they name Epponnee-Raelene Kathleen Darlene Charlene Craig, shortened to Epponnee-Rae.
The series is set mainly at Kath's townhouse residence located in Fountain Lakes, which is actually a house in the waterfront street of Lagoon Place, Patterson Lakes, Victoria. Kath and Kel are rarely alone, as Kim frequently occupies the house due to her rocky relationship with Brett (most of which appears to be due to her own childish and spoilt behaviour), and Sharon visits frequently. Later events, such as in the second series when Kim and Brett's apartment suffers structural damage, and in the third series when their house is repossessed, lead to both couples living under the same roof to further comic situations. Kath often finds herself and her space invaded by Kim bombarding her home. When not at home, the show documents the characters' daily lives around suburban Melbourne, visiting places such as the Fountain Gate Shopping Centre (actually filmed at Southland Shopping Centre during the first season), the local IKEA store, Target, and various local restaurants.
Most episodes follow the characters day-to-day lives, and documents personal struggles, the banality of their achievements and aspirations. Kath & Kim satirises the mother-daughter relationship and the habits and values of modern suburban Australians, and emphasises the kitsch and superficial elements of contemporary society, particularly the traditional working class which has progressed to a level of affluence (or "effluence" as quoted by Kath) which previous generations had been unable to achieve. It also occasionally mocks Australian (and international) popular culture, such as popular television shows like Big Brother and Australian Idol. It sometimes makes statements about Australian politics and political issues. The strong and intelligent script, crass and embarrassing behaviour of the characters, and their gaudy, out-dated fashion sense are popular features of the show. The highly developed alternative vocabulary (including mixed metaphors and malapropisms) and mis-pronunciation of words by the two main characters are much-repeated by the show's fans: "Look at moiy"—which is used during arguments and "Its noiyce, different and unusual"—which is used when the characters see something they have an interest in.
History
The characters of Kath, Kim and Sharon were originally developed in the early 1990s in a recurring skit in the popular comedy sketch series Fast Forward. The characters returned in the 1994 series Big Girl's Blouse as "Kim's Wedding", a weekly feature in the programme's six week run. It featured Turner, Riley and Szubanski as the only regular cast members.
These skits, a send-up of fly-on-the-wall type reality TV series Weddings, followed the activities of a young woman as she, her mother, and best friend, planned her upcoming wedding. The characters continued to evolve "Kim's Baby", seen in the short-lived comedy series Something Stupid (1998).
The original skits rarely featured any characters other than Kath, Kim or Sharon. Brett Craig was not seen, appearing only at his and Kim's wedding and played by Jane Turner. The character of Kath's fiancé Kel, first appeared in "Kim's Baby", the follow-up skits seen in "Something Stupid". He went under the name of Nev, but the character was not further developed and the series ended on the announcement of Kath and Nev's engagement, after the birth of Kim's baby.
Characters
The central characters of Kath & Kim are a suburban family living in Melbourne. Kath Day-Knight, played by Jane Turner, who just turned 50 is a housewife and mother living in her suburban Melbourne townhouse. She is proud of being high maintenance, while her husband Kel Knight, played by Glenn Robbins, is a somewhat metrosexual butcher. Kath's twenty-something daughter Kim Craig (neé Day), played by Gina Riley, is a young woman who worked in a call centre—a position at odds with her careless, spoilt and self-absorbed personality. Kim constantly complains over trivial aspects of her life and is obsessed with food. Her failed attempts to go (and stay on) a diet are frequently lampooned throughout the series. Her husband Brett Craig, Peter Rowsthorn, is a loving man who finds it difficult, although manages to put up with his argumentative wife. The two have a daughter: Epponee Rae. Kim's 2nd best friend, Sharon Strzelecki is played by Magda Szubanski.
The show includes an array of quirky, stereotypical characters: co-workers, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople and local celebrities. The creators originally intended many of these characters as one-time jokesters or for fulfilling needed functions in the town. A number of them have gained expanded roles. In addition, the two female leads often play other characters, namely two "affluent", snobby shop assistance staff Trude and Prue.
Overview and cast list
- Kath Day-Knight played by Jane Turner: One of the show's central characters, who is at the centre of most situations. Kath has done several TAFE courses, is proud of her (somewhat challenged and dated) fashion looks and has a happy relationship with her husband and a somewhat dysfunctional relationship with her extremely spoilt daughter. She has turned 50 and is somewhat of a control freak.
- Kimberly "Kim" Craig played by Gina Riley: Kim Craig, the show's other central character, is Kath's slightly overweight, spoilt, ever-complaining and extremely lazy daughter whose self-absorbed and careless personality are at odds with her job at a call centre. The show focuses on her relationship with her second-best friend. Sharon, a baby daughter and her rocky on-and-off relationship with her husband.
- Kel Knight played by Glenn Robbins: Kel Knight is Kath's metrosexual, food-loving butcher husband, making him Kim's stepfather. He was formerly in the navy. He lives with Kath in their townhouse and is best friends with Kim's husband. He power walks regularly.
- Brett Craig played by Peter Rowsthorn: Brett is Kim's long suffering but loving husband who manages to put up with her constant complaining and argumentive personality. He works at ComputaCity. He is also the father to their daughter and is good friends with Kath's husband Kel.
- Sharon Strzelecki played by Magda Szubanski: Sharon is Kim's sports obsessed "second best friend", and is very unlucky in love. She is self conscious about her looks. She is frequently seen with a sports injury. Or with big news.
Episodes
Each episode starts with Gina Riley performing "The Joker", featuring suburban Melbourne with the cast names imposed over the background. The titles feature the main five characters, and as the series progressed were amended to include Cujo and Epponee-Rae. The style of these titles is a spoof of the opening titles to American soap The Young and the Restless from the period when the white background was used. They then mix into aerial shots of Fountain Lakes over which are credited the five main actors, with Szubanski credited as "Special Guest Star", despite appearing in every episode.
Twenty-four episodes lasting approximately twenty-five minutes each across three seasons have aired on ABC TV from 2002-2004. The series debuted on May 15, 2002 on the ABC Network with "Sex" and became one of the highest rating shows for ABC. A replacement of a full season occurred in 2005 with the telemovie Da Kath & Kim Code. The fourth season of Kath & Kim premiered on August 19, 2007 at 7:30pm on the Seven Network with a total of eight episodes.
It was announced on October 5th, 2008 that the creators of Kath and Kim, Jane Turner and Gina Riley are currently in what the show's executive producer Rick McKenna described as "pre-production mode". They are currently writing and have about 4 1/2 episodes ready for the production of the fifth series.
| Season | Ep # | Season Premiere | Season Finale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 8 | May 16, 2002 | July 4, 2002 |
| Season 2 | 8 | September 18, 2003 | November 6 2003 |
| Season 3 | 8 | October 7, 2004 | November 25, 2004 |
| Season 4 | 8 | August 19, 2007 | October 14, 2007 |
| Season 5 | 8 | Unknown, 2009 |
Reception
Ratings
Kath & Kim premiered on May 15, 2002 and became one of ABC's highest rated shows. When the show premiered on the Seven Network, it became the highest rating episode in Australian television history. The fourth season of Kath & Kim debuted with a record breaking 2.511 million viewers peaking at 2.731 million. In its second and third episodes viewers fell to 1.994 & 1.817 million respectively, however viewers then rebounded for its fourth and fifth episodes with ratings of 2.047 & 2.157 million respectively. Strong ratings continued with viewers of 2.049 and 2.066 million for the sixth and seventh episodes. The eighth episode and season finale rated 2.338 million giving the fourth season an average viewership of 2.122 million, making it the highest rating series in Australia for 2007 and the highest rating of all four series of the show.Channel Seven have since started showing repeats of the show from season one onwards which had previously only aired on the ABC network. The repeats have proved quite successful rating 1.465 and 1.530 so far, winning in a very competitive timeslot and being amongst the highest rating shows of the week.
Merchandise
The enduring public interest and popularity of Kath and Kim has led to a merchandising industry. The title family and supporting characters appear on everything from t-shirts to posters. The Kath & Kim seasons have been released on VHS (although titles are now disconntinued in the VHS format) and DVD, in box-sets and separate season editions in both Region 4 (Australia, New Zealand, Latin America) as well as Region 2 (Europe). The series has also had a CD release, featuring songs from the series and recordings from Kath and Kim. In addition, there have been clothing (such as aprons, t-shirts and oven mitts). Merchandise is available to purchase online, from the Kath & Kim official website.
United States version
Due to the moderate level of success that Kath & Kim has achieved internationally, it is currently being remade for US audiences by NBC. In this remake, actress Molly Shannon is set to take the role of Kath Day-Knight, and Selma Blair in the role of Kim. NBC has chosen Jason Ensler to Direct Molly Shannon's Kath & Kim. Michelle Nader developed the series for American Television, which will premiere in the United States as part of the Fall schedule of 2008. The series has started to shoot in California on July 2008. NBC will debut the US adaptation on October 9, 2008, while Seven will start screening it to Australian viewers on October 12, 2008.Awards
The show itself, and the cast, have been nominated several television awards in the past, including AFI Awards and Logies. In addition, Kath and Kim and Da Kath and Kim Code have won four major awards for the show itself.Won
- 2002: Best Actress in a Supporting or Guest Role in a Television Drama (Magda Szubanski) at the AFI Awards
- 2002: Best Screenplay in a Television Drama at the AFI Awards
- 2002: Best Television Drama Series at the AFI Awards
- 2003: Most Outstanding Comedy Program at the Logies
- 2004: Most Outstanding Comedy Program at the Logies (tied with CNNNN)
- 2008 Most Popular Light Entertainment or Comedy Program
Nominated
- 2002: Best Screenplay in a Television Drama at the AFI Awards
- 2003, 2004, 2005: Most Popular Light Entertainment / Comedy Program at the Logies
- 2003, 2004: Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama or Comedy (Glenn Robbins) at the AFI Awards
- 2003, 2004: Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama or Comedy (Jane Turner) at the AFI Awards
- 2003, 2004: Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama or Comedy (Gina Riley) at the AFI Awards
- 2003, 2004: Best Comedy Series - Sitcom or Sketch
- 2004, 2005, 2006: Most Popular Actor (Glenn Robbins) at the Logies ('04 & '05 for Kath and Kim; '06 for Da Kath and Kim Code)
- 2004: Best Actress in a Supporting or Guest Role in a Television Drama or Comedy (Magda Szubanski) at the AFI Awards
- 2004: Best Screenplay in Television
- 2005: Most Popular Actress (Gina Riley) at the Logies
- 2005: Most Popular Actress (Magda Szubanski) at the Logies
- 2005: Most Outstanding Comedy Program at the Logies
- 2006: Most Outstanding Miniseries / Telemovie at the Logies (for Da Kath and Kim Code)
References
See also
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Friday October 10, 2008 at 23:08:27 PDT (GMT -0700)
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