Satirical comedy shows with a distinct lean towards current affairs and politics appear on the world's television stations in a variety of forms. British offerings include the long-running "Have I Got News For You?" and "Mock The Week" while, on the other side of the pond, "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" are the shows which quickly spring to mind.
In 2006, the Australians jumped onto the bandwagon of satirising current affairs with "The Chaser's War On Everything". The spiritual sequel to the award-winning CNNNN (the Chaser's Non-Stop News Network), Chaser's War follows the exploits of the titular satirical quintet - Julian Morrow, Chris Taylor, Chas Licciardello, Andrew Hansen and Chris Reucassel - as they embark on a voyage of irreverent discussion and sketch comedy, poking fun at everything from television advertisements to political/celebrity scandal.
With the exception of the celebrities and political figures - most of whom would only really be known to the Australian viewers - the vast majority of the Chaser's victims are members of the general public; something which helps to keep the humour away from matters of location which may otherwise have impeded it.
Donning a Teletubby costume in order to gain entry to nightclubs catering to the gay community, posing as bouncers and manning the doors of security firms, attempting to use bricks as legal tender, testing the waters of just what could constitute eligibility for disabled seating on public transport and even constructing a fake motorcade (complete with one of the Chasers dressing in bin Laden-esque attire) in order to infiltrate the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference; the Chaser's aren't afraid to employ what some would consider to be near-the-knuckle stunts in order to get their laughs and, for the most part, are better off for it.
Nevertheless, as with many comedy shows, viewer enjoyment is a highly variable affair. If possible offence at some of the Chaser's brasher sketches is something which doesn't easily affect you, then there is a lot to be had in the way of hilarity here. While their more infamous exploits, such as the infiltration of the APEC conference or the "Make A (Realistic) Wish Foundation" sketch which earned them a two-week suspension from the airwaves do potentially paint Chaser's War in a rather negative light, the fact that they were human enough to admit when their brand of satirical black comedy went too far does go some way to redeeming them.
If you're the sort of person who enjoys watching people poke fun at all manner of things simply because they can, then Chaser's War is a well- constructed offering of satirical sketch comedy which is certainly worth your time.
In 2006, the Australians jumped onto the bandwagon of satirising current affairs with "The Chaser's War On Everything". The spiritual sequel to the award-winning CNNNN (the Chaser's Non-Stop News Network), Chaser's War follows the exploits of the titular satirical quintet - Julian Morrow, Chris Taylor, Chas Licciardello, Andrew Hansen and Chris Reucassel - as they embark on a voyage of irreverent discussion and sketch comedy, poking fun at everything from television advertisements to political/celebrity scandal.
With the exception of the celebrities and political figures - most of whom would only really be known to the Australian viewers - the vast majority of the Chaser's victims are members of the general public; something which helps to keep the humour away from matters of location which may otherwise have impeded it.
Donning a Teletubby costume in order to gain entry to nightclubs catering to the gay community, posing as bouncers and manning the doors of security firms, attempting to use bricks as legal tender, testing the waters of just what could constitute eligibility for disabled seating on public transport and even constructing a fake motorcade (complete with one of the Chasers dressing in bin Laden-esque attire) in order to infiltrate the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference; the Chaser's aren't afraid to employ what some would consider to be near-the-knuckle stunts in order to get their laughs and, for the most part, are better off for it.
Nevertheless, as with many comedy shows, viewer enjoyment is a highly variable affair. If possible offence at some of the Chaser's brasher sketches is something which doesn't easily affect you, then there is a lot to be had in the way of hilarity here. While their more infamous exploits, such as the infiltration of the APEC conference or the "Make A (Realistic) Wish Foundation" sketch which earned them a two-week suspension from the airwaves do potentially paint Chaser's War in a rather negative light, the fact that they were human enough to admit when their brand of satirical black comedy went too far does go some way to redeeming them.
If you're the sort of person who enjoys watching people poke fun at all manner of things simply because they can, then Chaser's War is a well- constructed offering of satirical sketch comedy which is certainly worth your time.