Gnomes channels the best of Australian television's daggy tradition
Stan's new series Gnomes embraces the campy, low-budget aesthetic that made Australian shows like Muriel's Wedding and Dog's Head Bay beloved.
Gnomes, a new comedy-horror series on Stan, taps into a long tradition of delightfully daggy Australian television. The show is set in a small Victorian town called Nompton obsessed with garden gnomes.
Local constable Arnold Kipps (Asa Butterfield) accidentally brings to life an evil Gnome Queen statue, which then animates all the garden gnomes in town. The gnomes proceed to kill residents in creative but silly ways, with the tone closer to Gremlins than Hellraiser.
The cast includes Matt Okine, Brett Tucker, and Luke McGregor. What works is the show's commitment to low-key silliness and its deliberately cheap visual effects and forgettable music.
The 30-minute episodes have a late 1990s and early 2000s feel throughout. Mayor Lachlan is interviewed by journalists from Better Gnomes and Gardens.
The material would wear thin if stretched longer, but at half an hour it lands perfectly.
- Stan
- Platform
- Nompton, Victoria, population over 4000
- Town setting
- 30 minutes
- Episode length
Why it mattersThe show proves Australian audiences still crave the comfort of unpretentious, self-aware television that does not try too hard.
AustraliaAustralian viewers get a homegrown comedy that celebrates the fondly remembered aesthetic of Australian TV from 20 years ago.
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