Written and directed by Luke and Dan Riches
Starring Clarence Ryan, Bjorn Stewart, Genevieve Morris, Aaron McGrath, Mark Coles Smith, Jesse Phillips
Touted as Black Comedy meets Hot Fuzz, KGB is an absolute triumph and an incredible testament to WA made talent. Written and directed by wunderkind WA brothers Luke and Dan Riches, and produced by the super folks at Mad Kids, with some of Australia’s finest talent in front of the camera, this Indigenous comedy web series is one to eagerly anticipate when it’s released on ABC iView (July 7) and nightly on ABC Comedy (from July 8 to July 12) during NAIDOC week 2019. It is supremely, knee-slappingly hilarious, and the brothers offer a refreshing voice for Australians to revel in while rolling in the aisles.
KGB stands for that golden triangle of Perth, Koondoola-Girrawheen-Balga, and focuses on odd coupled junior detective team Jack (Clarence Ryan) and Nigel (Bjorn Stewart), initially hopelessly mismatched but forced to work together to try to solve the case of a meth lab explosion before their arch nemeses beat them to it. Unfortunately, their way is fraught with difficulties as most suspects turn out to be family or friends. But the laughs are thick and fast, and the arcs worth the journey in the best possible ways.
There are certainly moments where white Australians will wonder if it’s appropriate to laugh, but that’s the intention. White Australians should be mulling this over. We couldn’t hope to understand First Nation experiences, and that’s OK. But it means we should be watching content such as this, in the hopes of understanding it, and finding commonalities with which to laugh at together because it really is the best kind of medicine for the masses.
Featuring an ensemble cast of some of the most phenomenal Australian indigenous actors in Mark Coles Smith (Pawno, Last Cab to Darwin), Aaron McGrath (Mystery Road, Jasper Jones), Clarence Ryan (Cleverman, Wolf Creek), Bjorn Stewart (Black Comedy, Get Krack!n), this web series is tightly written, directed with intent, and deadly as fuck.
Brilliantly timed comedic moments from the cast following some sharply tuned writing from the Riches brothers, and we can only hope that this short web series sets a precedent for a full season if the ABC comes to the party. Or Screenwest, because there’s a feature goldmine herein, folks. KBG is a heck of a fun party and you’re going to want an invitation to roll in these aisles. A web series of 30 minutes is just not enough. Encore, please!
Here’s hoping this is just a stepping stone for the Riches brothers, as the potential is here for so much more. They’re definitely on the watch list for future endeavours. Shout out for West Australian talent! Bous bous!
NATALIE GILES
