Jonah from Tonga (2014)

Original title

Jonah From Tonga

Directed by

Chris Lilley, Stuart McDonald

Genre

comedy television series

Country

Australia

Length

1 season, 6 episodes

Rated

TV-14

Rating

6.3 of 10 from 27 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A 14 year old boy from Tonga is sent by his father to live with his uncle in Tonga to get his life back on track. The series follows his rebellious antics as he adjusts to his new home.

mockumentaryirreverentcomedicsatiricaluncomfortablecontroversiallightheartedzany

What happens

Jonah from Tonga (Tongan: Siōnā pe Tonga) is an Australian television mockumentary sitcom miniseries written by and starring comedian Chris Lilley. The mockumentary series follows Jonah Takalua, a rebellious 14-year-old Australian boy of Tongan descent portrayed by Lilley. The character had been introduced in Lilley's 2007 series Summer Heights High. At the conclusion of that series, Jonah was expelled from Summer Heights High School. In this series, his father, Rocky Takalua, has sent him back to his homeland of Tonga to live with his uncle and their family in order to get Jonah's life back on track. The series was highly controversial for its use of brownface and ethnic stereotypes. The six-part series was produced by Princess Pictures and Chris Lilley in conjunction with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and screened on ABC1 in Australia, HBO in America, and BBC Three in the UK. In New Zealand Māori Television screened the first episode on 29 July 2017, but then withdrew later episodes due to protests. The entire series was available for streaming online for one weekend from 2 May to 4 May on BBC iPlayer and ABC iview, before starting a six-week run on ABC1 on 7 May 2014 and from 8 May on BBC Three. This was a first for a major Australian TV production. The series itself was a "ratings disaster" for both the ABC and BBC. It was later announced that the entire series would screen at select cinemas in several Australian cities followed by a Q and A with Chris Lilley. These events were subsequently cancelled, with refunds given and the website created to promote them removed. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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