By Ben Pobjie
I don't know for sure how closely Utopia (ABC1, 9pm) parallels reality. I have heard from those with more experience of the internal workings of government bureaucracy that it is disturbingly accurate, but, as a humble critic, I couldn't say. This is often the case with satire: only those who've lived the real-life version can be sure of how close to the bone it strikes.
However, Utopia is real satire, of a sort rarely created in Australia, despite frequent attempts of varying feebleness. If satire doesn't run aground on the rocks of dodgy impersonation, it tends to fall victim to painful obviousness – where creators, lacking confidence in either the audience's intelligence or their own ability to make a point, spell everything out excruciatingly – or crusading, where the satirist's desperation to tell you what they think obstructs effective lampooning.
Celia Pacquola, Luke McGregor and Rob Sitch (right) help build the nation in Utopia.Credit: Hwa Goh
Utopia is prey to none of these pitfalls. It is sharp, it is merciless, and it is very, very funny, and it achieves this without underestimating the viewer, pushing an ideological barrow, or resorting to silly voices. In fact, it is a close cousin, in spirit and effect, to Yes Minister, that godfather of political sitcoms that has spawned myriad imitators, but few as effective as Utopia.
In Utopia's Nation Building Authority, we have something a little akin to Yes Minister's Department of Administrative Affairs: a fictional body, allowing the writers the freedom to take wide-ranging swings, but with a plausible function, making its misadventures ring true.
Also like Yes Minister, Utopia is not concerned with attacking one side or another: it's about the stupidity and frustrations of government, not the gameplay of politics. The NBA is the epitome of government authorities set up to give the appearance of action with little concern over whether they do anything or not.
This week addresses our leaders' obsession with "announceables": Rob Sitch's ever-harried Tony, overjoyed that a major project is actually about to begin, has his happiness crushed by Rhonda, the government apparatchik who is concerned only with the publicity potential of the project's "launch", an event threatening to derail the work itself. Here Utopia articulates beautifully what we know, and hate, about governments: their desire to look good will take precedence over progress every time.
As great satire tends to, Utopia can make one mighty depressed, but the fact it's also packed with laughs at the idiotic hopelessness of it all is no mean feat.
Further viewing: Border Security: Australia's Front Line (Seven, 7.30pm) is not, believe it or not, satire, but it is a great way to stay aware of trends in lizard smuggling.
Man Finds Food (7Mate, 7.30pm) is a more comprehensive title than you'd think: he finds it and he eats it.
Alexander (GO! 8.30pm) is one of the few films about the great Macedonian commander to be longer than his actual life.