Frontline lets us see what happens behind the scenes of a fictional current affairs show in Australia. It makes fun of many real events, controversies and personalities.
It often feels very natural and real, as if it's an actual documentary rather than a show. But it also has occasional slapstick comedy and running gags.
Rob Sitch plays Mike Moore who evolves as the show progresses, but not in a good way. At first he's well-intentioned but simply naive. He does care about issues but is often ignorant about them and is more conscious about how he comes across than whether he actually helps the situation. The other staff often work around him without him realising.
Later, Moore becomes more arrogant and insufferable. The show starts to blur the line between hilarious and sad or infuriating. Moore often goes from one extreme to another in reaction to some kind of criticism. Perhaps some people say he's too soft. Then in the next interview he's grilling an old lady. Maybe an article implies that he has no opinions of his own. So then he weighs in on a heated topic without warning, causing more problems.
One of the best segments is whenever Moore visits his friend Geoffrey Salter (Santo Cilauro), the weather guy. Salter is so nice, he'll listen to any of Moore's problems and support him. But they often disagree only for Salter to realise and quickly backpedal. And the focus is always on Moore who clearly has the much larger ego. Later, Moore is inevitably insecure because of what Salter accidentally said - usually the truth.
Brooke Vandenberg (Jane Kennedy) is the female equivalent of Moore, perhaps more intelligent but just as obsessed with her reputation and career. Her fakeness on the camera is hilarious as she abruptly turns on her superficial reactions of surprise, interest, laughter, concern, etc. Other staff often find her annoying and make fun of her.
Martin di Stasio is the intelligent but corrupt journalist who actually knows how to do his job. He mocks Moore and Vandenberg but also gets frustrated that he doesn't get enough credit. He's also willing to bend the rules and manipulate people to get a good story.
Emma Ward is the only staff member who has solid principles but even she gives up pretty quickly, realising that ratings matter and that the show has to do whatever sells, not what is necessarily right. She can be a bit self-righteous at times but she's the main voice of common sense.
In each season, the style of the show shifts a bit which keeps things fresh. The main change is that the show becomes bigger and Moore becomes more extreme in his shallow personality and condescension to others.
Many real events are echoed in hilarious ways. We see how superficial and selfish the news crew are. Reading an 800 page book is not as important as calling it racist because that will get views. Interfering with a hostage situation and risking lives is worth it to get views.
In many cases, the hypocrisy is exaggerated. They complain that their private lives aren't respected while invading the privacy of others without hesitation. Moore complains about Koreans and other groups while preparing to grill a "racist" author.
Frontline is almost too well made. There are so much jokes and ideas to follow. The realism can make it uncomfortable and depressing as much as it is funny at times. These people probably do think this way. If they can't interview someone and portray them as an angel, they'll portray them as a devil. Principles come last in the order of priorities. Ratings and egos are what matter.
It often feels very natural and real, as if it's an actual documentary rather than a show. But it also has occasional slapstick comedy and running gags.
Rob Sitch plays Mike Moore who evolves as the show progresses, but not in a good way. At first he's well-intentioned but simply naive. He does care about issues but is often ignorant about them and is more conscious about how he comes across than whether he actually helps the situation. The other staff often work around him without him realising.
Later, Moore becomes more arrogant and insufferable. The show starts to blur the line between hilarious and sad or infuriating. Moore often goes from one extreme to another in reaction to some kind of criticism. Perhaps some people say he's too soft. Then in the next interview he's grilling an old lady. Maybe an article implies that he has no opinions of his own. So then he weighs in on a heated topic without warning, causing more problems.
One of the best segments is whenever Moore visits his friend Geoffrey Salter (Santo Cilauro), the weather guy. Salter is so nice, he'll listen to any of Moore's problems and support him. But they often disagree only for Salter to realise and quickly backpedal. And the focus is always on Moore who clearly has the much larger ego. Later, Moore is inevitably insecure because of what Salter accidentally said - usually the truth.
Brooke Vandenberg (Jane Kennedy) is the female equivalent of Moore, perhaps more intelligent but just as obsessed with her reputation and career. Her fakeness on the camera is hilarious as she abruptly turns on her superficial reactions of surprise, interest, laughter, concern, etc. Other staff often find her annoying and make fun of her.
Martin di Stasio is the intelligent but corrupt journalist who actually knows how to do his job. He mocks Moore and Vandenberg but also gets frustrated that he doesn't get enough credit. He's also willing to bend the rules and manipulate people to get a good story.
Emma Ward is the only staff member who has solid principles but even she gives up pretty quickly, realising that ratings matter and that the show has to do whatever sells, not what is necessarily right. She can be a bit self-righteous at times but she's the main voice of common sense.
In each season, the style of the show shifts a bit which keeps things fresh. The main change is that the show becomes bigger and Moore becomes more extreme in his shallow personality and condescension to others.
Many real events are echoed in hilarious ways. We see how superficial and selfish the news crew are. Reading an 800 page book is not as important as calling it racist because that will get views. Interfering with a hostage situation and risking lives is worth it to get views.
In many cases, the hypocrisy is exaggerated. They complain that their private lives aren't respected while invading the privacy of others without hesitation. Moore complains about Koreans and other groups while preparing to grill a "racist" author.
Frontline is almost too well made. There are so much jokes and ideas to follow. The realism can make it uncomfortable and depressing as much as it is funny at times. These people probably do think this way. If they can't interview someone and portray them as an angel, they'll portray them as a devil. Principles come last in the order of priorities. Ratings and egos are what matter.