Chris Lilley’s New Netflix Show ‘Lunatics’ Is Painfully Out of Touch
Lunatics is classic Chris Lilley—for better and worse. I could give you the synopsis—the Australian comedian’s new 10-part mockumentary series on Netflix chronicles the mundane day-to-day lives of six eccentrics, all played by Lilley. They include Becky, a seven-foot-tall twin starting college and Gavin, the vulgar preteen heir to an English estate.
I could tell you about the show’s sweeping production value. Shot like a high-budget Netflix documentary, Lunatics features gorgeous aerial shots of homes and landscapes in Australia’s Gold Coast. Each setting feels lived in. The home of an ex-adult movie star turned “collector” named Joyce is claustrophobic enough for Hoarders. Likewise, retail veteran Keith, who is physically in love with his cash register, looks like he walked straight out of a Buckle store circa 2002.
I might even praise Lilley’s already impressive acting chops. Forever a character actor, he once again excels at seamlessly making his caricatures feel real. Quentin, an adult fuckboy failing to successfully take over his family’s real estate business, immediately recalls the likes of DJ Pauly D or James Kennedy. In fact, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine Quentin mugging it up in the background of Vanderpump Rules.