Working Dog's Utopia is a welcome satirical treat

Abstract

Crack open the champagne. The return of Australian satirical drama to ABC television is cause for celebration. 'Utopia', an eight-part series that launched last week, is the real deal. It offers a high-energy lampooning of nation-building projects and the bureaucrats who run them. It is six years since Rob Sitch, Lachy Hulme, David James and Merrick Watts appeared together on the ABC, starring in that droll satire of parliamentary powerbrokers in Canberra, perfectly titled 'The Hollowmen'. 'Utopia' is not scathing political satire. It's light - but sharp and witty. The script is tight and the pace of action is rapid, with a variety of jokes threaded through an episode. Quick-changing scenes produce a comedy of errors in all parts of the fictional Nation Building Authority - with everyone embattled under the crushing weight of corporate rhetoric.