The ABC has broadcast several arts review shows over the years, among them The Book Club, At the Movies and Good Game. But what if the network launched a show about a critic who reviewed anything? Rather than reviewing works of art, this person would instead critique aspects of the human experience, including – and especially – difficult subjects such as murder, divorce, stealing and paying for sex? And what if the critic took requests from viewers, going out and experiencing these things for themselves?
This is the outrageous premise underpinning Review with Myles Barlow, one of ABC TV’s darkest and most peculiar comedies, in which no subject was deemed too problematic or riddled with minefields. In the present era of ABC’s mostly meek and risk-averse programming (notwithstanding occasional exceptions such as Black Comedy and Why Are You Like This?), the series is even more of a gasp-inducing curio than when it launched in 2008, running for two seasons and spawning a US remake starring comedian Andy Daly.
