Jump to content

The Slap (Australian TV series): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→International broadcast: US screening - 10pm Eastern/Pacific (9pm Central) time
Added an awards section with their AACTA wins & refs
Line 82: Line 82:
The series received generally positive reviews. Holly Byrnes of ''[[The Daily Telegraph (Australia)|The Daily Telegraph]]'' said after viewing the first episode that ''The Slap'' is "arguably the best Australian drama produced this year",<ref>{{cite news|last=Byrnes|first=Holly|title=Christos Tsiolkas' acclaimed novel The Slap on ABC1 is arguably best Australian drama of year
The series received generally positive reviews. Holly Byrnes of ''[[The Daily Telegraph (Australia)|The Daily Telegraph]]'' said after viewing the first episode that ''The Slap'' is "arguably the best Australian drama produced this year",<ref>{{cite news|last=Byrnes|first=Holly|title=Christos Tsiolkas' acclaimed novel The Slap on ABC1 is arguably best Australian drama of year
|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/tv/christos-tsiolkas-acclaimed-novel-the-slap-on-abc1-is-arguably-best-australian-drama-of-year/story-e6frexlr-1226160582973|accessdate=27 October 2011|newspaper=Daily Telegraph|date=6 October 2011|location=Sydney}}</ref> and Luke Buckmaster of ''[[Crikey]]'' commented after seeing previews, "The dramas and interpersonal relationships are engrossing from the get-go, the story like a [[David Williamson]] script that actually has bite, tension and doesn't pander to racial or cultural stereotypes. ''The Slap'' presents a view of middle class multicultural Australia rarely seen in film and television."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.crikey.com.au/cinetology/2011/08/05/first-look-at-abcs-the-slap-and-its-a-winner/|title=First look at ABC's The Slap — and it's a winner|first=Luke|last=Buckmaster|work=[[Crikey]]|date=5 August 2011|accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref> David Knox of ''[[TV Tonight]]'' also praised the series, writing after episode one, "I was completely hooked by its ability to present three-dimensional characters on the screen and its strength in telling an urban story. So confident are the sum of the parts that frankly it feels like this will only get better. ''The Slap'' is one of the bravest dramas of the year."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/09/the-slap.html|title=The Slap: Review|first=David|last=Knox|work=[[TV Tonight]]|date=30 September 2011|accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref> Yet, Clem Bastow of ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' had the opposite view, writing the program contains, "listless direction and lifeless editing (huge pauses between great swathes of dialogue), an adaptation that squishes large passages of the narrative into bite-sized chunks (witness Hector and Connie's divebomb from flirty glances and kissing to Connie suddenly deciding he was repellent), and the actors wandering around in the middle of it all."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/is-the-slap-really-all-that-20111012-1lkoe.html|title=Is The Slap really all that?|first=Clem|last=Bastow|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=12 October 2011|accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref> Despite this earlier negative review, the Herald subsequently gave ''The Slap'' its "Couch Potato" award for best Australian drama of the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/the-couch-potato-awards-20111219-1p19i.html|title=The Couch Potato Awards|first=Greg|last=Hassall|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=19 December 2011|accessdate=19 December 2011}}</ref> Kit MacFarlane in ''Metro'' offered further negative evaluation of the series, finding that "despite a strong dramatic foundation, ''The Slap'' is ultimately an exercise in announcing drama rather than exploring it, presenting a scenario drenched in forced excess, sensationalism and artistic posturing" and describing it as "around seven hours of soap opera masquerading as earnest drama." MacFarlane goes on to suggest that its critical popularity might point to "a regression in the ability to analyse screen texts and narrative nuances" and that "''The Slap''’s themes and cultural ideas have been explored countless times before in a variety of different ways."<ref>{{cite journal|last=MacFarlane|first=Kit|title=The Heavy Hand of a Hard-Hitting Drama|journal=Metro|year=2011|month=December|issue=171|pages=32–37}}</ref>
|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/tv/christos-tsiolkas-acclaimed-novel-the-slap-on-abc1-is-arguably-best-australian-drama-of-year/story-e6frexlr-1226160582973|accessdate=27 October 2011|newspaper=Daily Telegraph|date=6 October 2011|location=Sydney}}</ref> and Luke Buckmaster of ''[[Crikey]]'' commented after seeing previews, "The dramas and interpersonal relationships are engrossing from the get-go, the story like a [[David Williamson]] script that actually has bite, tension and doesn't pander to racial or cultural stereotypes. ''The Slap'' presents a view of middle class multicultural Australia rarely seen in film and television."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.crikey.com.au/cinetology/2011/08/05/first-look-at-abcs-the-slap-and-its-a-winner/|title=First look at ABC's The Slap — and it's a winner|first=Luke|last=Buckmaster|work=[[Crikey]]|date=5 August 2011|accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref> David Knox of ''[[TV Tonight]]'' also praised the series, writing after episode one, "I was completely hooked by its ability to present three-dimensional characters on the screen and its strength in telling an urban story. So confident are the sum of the parts that frankly it feels like this will only get better. ''The Slap'' is one of the bravest dramas of the year."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/09/the-slap.html|title=The Slap: Review|first=David|last=Knox|work=[[TV Tonight]]|date=30 September 2011|accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref> Yet, Clem Bastow of ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' had the opposite view, writing the program contains, "listless direction and lifeless editing (huge pauses between great swathes of dialogue), an adaptation that squishes large passages of the narrative into bite-sized chunks (witness Hector and Connie's divebomb from flirty glances and kissing to Connie suddenly deciding he was repellent), and the actors wandering around in the middle of it all."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/is-the-slap-really-all-that-20111012-1lkoe.html|title=Is The Slap really all that?|first=Clem|last=Bastow|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=12 October 2011|accessdate=27 October 2011}}</ref> Despite this earlier negative review, the Herald subsequently gave ''The Slap'' its "Couch Potato" award for best Australian drama of the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/the-couch-potato-awards-20111219-1p19i.html|title=The Couch Potato Awards|first=Greg|last=Hassall|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=19 December 2011|accessdate=19 December 2011}}</ref> Kit MacFarlane in ''Metro'' offered further negative evaluation of the series, finding that "despite a strong dramatic foundation, ''The Slap'' is ultimately an exercise in announcing drama rather than exploring it, presenting a scenario drenched in forced excess, sensationalism and artistic posturing" and describing it as "around seven hours of soap opera masquerading as earnest drama." MacFarlane goes on to suggest that its critical popularity might point to "a regression in the ability to analyse screen texts and narrative nuances" and that "''The Slap''’s themes and cultural ideas have been explored countless times before in a variety of different ways."<ref>{{cite journal|last=MacFarlane|first=Kit|title=The Heavy Hand of a Hard-Hitting Drama|journal=Metro|year=2011|month=December|issue=171|pages=32–37}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
The series was nominated for five AACTA Awards and won all its categories.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://if.com.au/2012/02/01/article/Snowtown-and-The-Slap-clean-up-at-inaugural-AACTA-Awards/JBYWAHWHZY.html|title=Snowtown and The Slap clean up at inaugural AACTA Awards|first=Sam|last=Dallas|work=Inside Film|date=1 February 2012|accessdate=3 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/the-slap-sweeps-aacta-awards-for-television/story-e6frg996-1226259066328|title=The Slap sweeps AACTA awards for television|first=Nic|last=Christensen|work=[[The Australian]]|date=1 February 2012|accessdate=3 February 2012}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
|+ Awards and nominations
|-
! Award
! Category
! Recipients
! Outcome
|-
|rowspan=3|<center>'''[[AACTA Awards]]'''
|[[AACTA Award for Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series|Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series]]
|
|{{won}}
|-
|[[AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama|Best Actor – Drama]]
|[[Alex Dimitriades]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[AACTA Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama|Best Guest or Supporting Actress – Drama]]
|[[Diana Glenn]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[AACTA Award for Best Direction in Television|Best Director]]
|Matthew Saville
|{{won}}
|-
|[[AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Television|Best Screenplay]]
|[[Brendan Cowell]]
|{{won}}
|}


==TV-related merchandise==
==TV-related merchandise==

Revision as of 12:28, 3 February 2012

The Slap
GenreDrama
Directed byJessica Hobbs
Matthew Saville
Tony Ayres
Robert Connolly
StarringJonathan LaPaglia
Melissa George
Sophie Okonedo
Essie Davis
Alex Dimitriades
Lex Marinos
Diana Glenn
Anthony Hayes
Sophie Lowe
Blake Davis
Oliver Ackland
Toula Yianni
Eugenia Fragos
Rebecca Downie
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerPenny Chapman
ProducersTony Ayres
Helen Bowden
Michael McMahon
Running time51 minutes
Original release
NetworkABC1
Release6 October (2011-10-06) –
24 November 2011 (2011-11-24)

The Slap is an Australian television drama series produced by Matchbox Pictures for ABC1, screening each Thursday night at 8:30pm in October and November 2011 - repeats air the following night each week on ABC2.[1][2] It is based on The Slap, a 2008 multi-award winning novel by Australian author Christos Tsiolkas.

Filmed in Melbourne, Victoria, the eight episodes of this series were produced by Tony Ayres, Helen Bowden and Michael McMahon, with Penny Chapman as executive producer.[3] The directors, Jessica Hobbs, Matthew Saville, Tony Ayres and Robert Connolly, direct two episodes each. The writing team includes Emily Ballou, Alice Bell, Brendan Cowell, Kris Mrksa and Cate Shortland.[4][5][6]

Cast

Main characters

  • Hector (Jonathan LaPaglia) Hector seems to have it all. He is a handsome, financially secure and married to the beautiful Aisha with whom he has two children, Adam and Melissa. From the outside looking in, it appears like his doting Greek parents have handed him everything on a plate. But Hector knows that under this seemingly ideal facade of his life lies a dangerous secret.
  • Rosie (Melissa George) When Rosie first became a mother she was not at all sure how she felt about it. It took her some time to adjust to the massive changes it involved. But now, her commitment to Hugo is absolute. She knows that even if she fails at all else in her life at least Hugo will grow up knowing how much he is loved.
  • Aisha (Sophie Okonedo) Aisha is married to Hector. She is a woman whose resilience and strength holds her family together. She also is a successful professional woman with her own veterinary business. Entering her forties, she is assailed by doubts about her marriage and future.
  • Anouk (Essie Davis) At 41, Anouk feels the inevitability of getting older, but does not want to grow up. She writes for a TV soap, has dreams of writing a novel and is dating a much younger man.
  • Harry (Alex Dimitriades) Harry is a self-made man, a mechanic with his own business. He has the perfect wife, the perfect child, the perfect house by the beach - but now all of that is being threatened by a single slap. He'd done it without thinking but in his opinion, the kid deserved it.
  • Manolis (Lex Marinos) Hector's father, Manolis, came to Australia from Greece many years ago, as a young man full of hope and excited about the prospect of life in a new country. Now, he is a man approaching the end of his life, watching his old friends die around him. He does not understand the selfishness and greed of the younger generation.
  • Richie (Blake Davis) Richie is Connie's best friend at school; at least, that's how things start. Like Connie he is trying to work out his identity, beliefs and boundaries. What he wishes most is that the world was a simple happy place where everyone just got on.
  • Connie (Sophie Lowe) Connie is a 17-year-old orphan who lives with her Aunt Tasha. Although she is completing her final year of high school, it's just one of the many things on her mind. She is young and curious and still working out lots of things about life. Her best friend is Richie.

Supporting characters

Synopsis

Main article: List of The Slap episodes

The series explores what happens when a man slaps a child, who does not belong to him, at a suburban barbecue. Each episode is based upon the viewpoint of different adults who attended the barbecue.

Reception

The initial episode gained viewing figures of nearly 1 million people, winning its timeslot, when it was first shown on ABC1.[7] Later, excluding figures for the final episode, the ABC announced that The Slap was averaging 952,000 metro (five main capital city) viewers on ABC1 and a further 232,000 viewers on ABC2 with 14% of viewing as Timeshifted (watched later through various PVR devices). It has recorded 566,000 plays via ABC iView and 204,000 plays via the official website.[8]

The series received generally positive reviews. Holly Byrnes of The Daily Telegraph said after viewing the first episode that The Slap is "arguably the best Australian drama produced this year",[9] and Luke Buckmaster of Crikey commented after seeing previews, "The dramas and interpersonal relationships are engrossing from the get-go, the story like a David Williamson script that actually has bite, tension and doesn't pander to racial or cultural stereotypes. The Slap presents a view of middle class multicultural Australia rarely seen in film and television."[10] David Knox of TV Tonight also praised the series, writing after episode one, "I was completely hooked by its ability to present three-dimensional characters on the screen and its strength in telling an urban story. So confident are the sum of the parts that frankly it feels like this will only get better. The Slap is one of the bravest dramas of the year."[11] Yet, Clem Bastow of The Sydney Morning Herald had the opposite view, writing the program contains, "listless direction and lifeless editing (huge pauses between great swathes of dialogue), an adaptation that squishes large passages of the narrative into bite-sized chunks (witness Hector and Connie's divebomb from flirty glances and kissing to Connie suddenly deciding he was repellent), and the actors wandering around in the middle of it all."[12] Despite this earlier negative review, the Herald subsequently gave The Slap its "Couch Potato" award for best Australian drama of the year.[13] Kit MacFarlane in Metro offered further negative evaluation of the series, finding that "despite a strong dramatic foundation, The Slap is ultimately an exercise in announcing drama rather than exploring it, presenting a scenario drenched in forced excess, sensationalism and artistic posturing" and describing it as "around seven hours of soap opera masquerading as earnest drama." MacFarlane goes on to suggest that its critical popularity might point to "a regression in the ability to analyse screen texts and narrative nuances" and that "The Slap’s themes and cultural ideas have been explored countless times before in a variety of different ways."[14]

Awards and nominations

The series was nominated for five AACTA Awards and won all its categories.[15][16]

Awards and nominations
Award Category Recipients Outcome
AACTA Awards
Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series Won
Best Actor – Drama Alex Dimitriades Won
Best Guest or Supporting Actress – Drama Diana Glenn Won
Best Director Matthew Saville Won
Best Screenplay Brendan Cowell Won

The Region 4 DVD and Blu-ray was released on 1 December 2011.[17][18][19]

The Region 2 DVD was released on 9 January 2012.[20]

The accompanying paperback book was released on 24 August 2011: Tsiolkas, Christos (2011). The Slap. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781742375601.[21]

International broadcast

References

  1. ^ "ABC1 Programming Airdate: The Slap (episode one)". ABC Television Publicity. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  2. ^ "ABC2 Programming Airdate: The Slap (episode one)". ABC Television Publicity. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  3. ^ Brady, Nicole (May 28, 2009). "The Slap gets nod for small screen". The Age. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  4. ^ High profile cast join The Slap - Inside Film: Film and Television Industry News and Issues for Australian Content Creators
  5. ^ Dimitriades, Lowe and Hayes to star in The Slap | Encore Magazine
  6. ^ Slap adaptation will be awesome: Cowell | Encore Magazine
  7. ^ Bodey, Michael (October 7, 2011). "Ratings: The Slap wins timeslot". The Australian. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  8. ^ Knox, David (November 23, 2011). "iView hits new high". TV Tonight. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  9. ^ Byrnes, Holly (October 6, 2011). "Christos Tsiolkas' acclaimed novel The Slap on ABC1 is arguably best Australian drama of year". Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  10. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (August 5, 2011). "First look at ABC's The Slap — and it's a winner". Crikey. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  11. ^ Knox, David (September 30, 2011). "The Slap: Review". TV Tonight. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  12. ^ Bastow, Clem (October 12, 2011). "Is The Slap really all that?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  13. ^ Hassall, Greg (December 19, 2011). "The Couch Potato Awards". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  14. ^ MacFarlane, Kit (2011). "The Heavy Hand of a Hard-Hitting Drama". Metro (171): 32–37. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  15. ^ Dallas, Sam (February 1, 2012). "Snowtown and The Slap clean up at inaugural AACTA Awards". Inside Film. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  16. ^ Christensen, Nic (February 1, 2012). "The Slap sweeps AACTA awards for television". The Australian. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  17. ^ "Hopscotch Entertainment: The Slap". Hopscotchfilms.com.au. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  18. ^ "ABC Shop: The Slap DVD". ABC Shop Online. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  19. ^ "ABC Shop: The Slap Blu-ray". ABC Shop Online. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  20. ^ "Revolver Entertainment: The Slap DVD". Peter Noble PR. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  21. ^ "ABC Shop: The Slap Book". ABC Shop Online. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  22. ^ "BBC Four Programming - The Slap". BBC Guide. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  23. ^ "AMC/Sundance Channel Global Acquires Hell On Wheels, Breaking Bad, The Slap & Shannen Says". AMC Networks Press Releases. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  24. ^ Clarke, Steve (November 17, 2011). "DirecTV takes 'Slap' in U.S." Variety. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  25. ^ Knox, David (January 26, 2012). "The Slap set for US premiere". TV Tonight. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  26. ^ Munn, Patrick (February 1, 2012). "DIRECTV's Audience Network Acquires The Slap and The Shadow Line". TVWise. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  27. ^ Dallas, Sam (November 18, 2011). "The Slap sells to the US and Canada". Inside Film. Retrieved November 18, 2011.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Slap_(Australian_TV_series)&oldid=474776027"