Kath & Kim

Kath & Kim is a satirical Australian television series shown on the ABC network. It also airs in the United States on Trio, the BBC in the United Kingdom and the W Network in Canada. The series began in 2002, and is has so far aired three seasons. An upcoming made-for-tv movie will air in November.

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The show was created and written by Jane Turner and Gina Riley, who play the title roles.

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The main characters are: Kath Day-Knight (Jane Turner), an 'empty nester' divorc?e who wants to enjoy time with her "hunk o' spunk" Kel Knight (Glenn Robbins), a local "purveyor of fine meats", but whose lifestyle is often cramped by the presence of her self-indulgent twenty-something daughter Kim Day (Gina Riley). Kim's husband Brett Craig (Peter Rowsthorn) and Kim's second best friend Sharon Strzelecki (Magda Szubanski) add chaos. Kim and Brett had a baby in the final episode of the second series which they named Epponnee-Raelene Kathleen Daylene Charlene Craig, shortened to Epponnee-Rae.

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The characters of Kath, Kim and Sharon were originally developed in the early 1990s in a recurring skit in the comedy sketch show Big Girl's Blouse in 1994. These skits, a send-up of a fly-on-the-wall type reality TV series following a mother and daughter planning the daughter's wedding, continued to evolve in the short-lived comedy series Something Stupid (1998). The original skits rarely featured any characters other than Kath, Kim or Sharon (in one skit Brett was played by Jane Turner) and were the basis for the plots of the first two series.

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Kath & Kim added the characters of Kath's fiance Kel and Kim's husband Brett, and expanded on the characters that had originated in the original skits. In the tradition of Barry Humphries and his famous satirical creation Dame Edna Everage, Kath & Kim satirises the habits and values of modern suburban Australians, and emphasises the kitsch and superficial elements of contemporary society, particularly the traditional working class which has progressed to a level of affluence (or "effluence" as quoted by Kath) which previous generations had been unable to achieve. The strong script, crass and embarrassing behaviour of the characters, and their gaudy fashion sense are popular features of the show. The highly developed alternative vocabulary and mis-pronunciation of words by the two main characters is much-repeated by the show's fans:

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:"It's ny-oice, it's diff'rent, it's un-ewes-yewl!"

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Much of the humour is character-based, derived from viewers recognising themselves, their families or their friends in the characters. In this way it is similar to UK comedy The Royle Family which had also aired in Australia on the ABC. Kath & Kim does not always stick to the understated naturalistic style of The Royle Family, however it is generally presented in the form of a 'fly on the wall' documentary.

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Some of their humour refers to their earlier works, in episode 2.3 The Moon, Kim and Sharon fight about which ABBA character they looked like when they were in school. Kim says she looked like Frida; and in an episode of Fast Forward Gina Riley plays Frida in an ABBA parody.

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This parodying of the reality TV genre, including occasional character voice-overs, derives in part from 'real-life' series such as Sylvania Waters, and in American comedy series such as The Larry Sanders Show. Much like series such as The Office and Reno 911!, it occasionally features segments where the characters are apparently being interviewed, with much of the humour coming from the verbal gaffes and gauche comments unwittingly made by the interview subjects. Like The Larry Sanders Show, The Office, and Reno 911! it does not feature an overdubbed laughter track.

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The outrageous fashions worn by Kath & Kim, and Kath, Kim and Kel's constant pursuit of ridiculous fads and their preoccupation with appearing trendy and "with-it" recalls Absolutely Fabulous; both this popular British series, and the sketch comedy series that spawned it, French & Saunders, are also likely influences on Kath & Kim.

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Despite the fact that it was initially rejected by the ABC during the regime of controversial ABC General Manager Jonathan Shier, Kath & Kim became an instant hit with audiences and is now the most successful comedy series ever developed and produced by the ABC. Nevertheless, some people were offended, with critics arguing that the show could never appeal directly to the very people who were being satirised, as they would likely not recognise the elements of comedy being conveyed. Its success was largely the result of an ever increasing "word of mouth" with the show's admirers and detractors each taking the time to discuss and publicise the show.

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The theme song is Anthony Newley's "The Joker", which is performed by Gina Riley.

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Television: : See also Television (band) for the rock band...

ABC: ABC is a widely used three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:...

Kath & Kim related Images and Photos (experimental)

Kath & Kim Season 1 DVD (Widescreen)	Kim Novak	Kim Raver	Kim Wilde
Kim Delaney	Lil' Kim: Ms. G.O.A.T.	Lil' Kim: Ms. G.O.A.T.	Kim Cattrall
Kim Cattrall	Kim Lankford	Kim 1950	Kim 1950