Sammy J
ABC, 7.30pm
To quote the Prime Minister's response to the retirement of Julie Bishop: there are big shoes to fill. That's also the challenge for anyone taking on the Thursday night political satire slot of 7.30pm that was previously the cherished home of Clarke and Dawe from the late-'90s. It's long been a compact yet significant place for skilled political skewering. With his three minutes, Sammy J is making the space his own. Bouncing off of the news of the week, he's recently auctioned off retiring ministers from the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government and performed as Buster J with the Death Stares, singing a rendition of Nice Shoes after Bishop announced her exit from politics.
Sammy J.
The Clarke and Dawe segments were famously and brilliantly two blokes, making no attempt to disguise their appearances, sitting in a darkened studio conducting a mock interview. Sammy J and his team offer more variety: the style is noticeably more colourful, making an effort towards visual interest – on a clearly limited budget – and can even run to musical numbers. Some segments work better than others, which is the nature of this beast, but to pinch a line from the inspired Banking Yoga spoof that appeared following the royal commission, "You're a diamond. Keep dazzling".
Project Blue Book
SBS, Thursday, 8,30pm
Made for the History Channel, set in the 1950s and based on real events, this drama series is "inspired by Dr J Allen Hynek's investigations for the US Air Force into the existence of UFOs". A respected astrophysicist, Hynek (Aidan Gillen) is employed by the military to study reported sightings of aliens. Amid a Cold War climate of fear, the Air Force's covert agenda is to seize control of the national narrative and quell the rising panic about inter-planetary invasion.
Hynek is paired with Captain Michael Quinn (Michael Malarkey) in a Mulder-and-Scully style combo of a believer and a sceptic. Although the drama can be a little clunky, the production design and costumes are handsome, the muted colours evocative and the mood of paranoia is palpable as shadowy figures lurk all around.
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