WILFRED SEASONS 1 AND 2 DVD REVIEW

Released 12 March 2012 | Review by Robert W. Monk 

Taking the original idea (which I would describe as quirky if I didn’t loathe the word) of having a lead character who is a dog but appears as a very stoned man (Jason Gann) in a furry animal costume to his best friend and sparring partner Adam (Adam Zwar). Following Adam’s blossoming relationship with free spirit Sarah (Cindy Waddingham), the show takes a unembarrassed look inside their growing romance – a romance complicated by Sarah’s devotion to her pet dog Wilfred, a dog who can communicate, in ripe, full blooded Aussie tongue, with Adam.

Full of toilet humour, sarcasm and sweary jokes, Wilfred is anything but fluffy and cute. The hookah smoking dog himself is a superb comic creation and the show makes full use of Gann’s tremendous timing, where a look or a pause can deliver a surprising punch line. But the show also has a surreal and disturbing edge amidst the many fart and ‘rooting’ gags. Mentions of mental illness are touched upon and there is a genuine sense of weirdness about many of the episodes and plot lines.

Informed by the world of movies – each episode being a play on words of a famous film (The Dogfather being a personal favourite) – Wilfred is full of the sort of geeky entertainment jokes many will lap up. Zwar and Gann, who also wrote the show, are excellent; both seasons remaining consistently funny, despite there being a three year gap between the two. Waddingham is excellent too, in a role that is more or less as a straightwoman to the two leads.

Some may know the show from the recent, well-received American remake starring Elijah Wood, but if you want the original version, its best to go for the prime rib. Wilfred shows what is possible with a great concept, great performances and great jokes. Bonza!