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Frayed (TV series)

Frayed is an Australian-British comedy-drama television series on ABC TV and Sky UK (later Sky Max). It premiered in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2019 and in Australia on 16 October.[1][2] The series was created and written by Australian comedian Sarah Kendall, who also stars in it.[2][3][4] The first series of six episodes is set in 1988 London and Newcastle, New South Wales. Kendall portrays Sammy, who is an affluent Australian-born British resident with two teenage children. After her husband dies disgracefully and leaves a bankrupt estate, Sammy returns home to live with her mother Jean (Kerry Armstrong) and younger brother Jim (Ben Mingay). She encounters former boyfriend Dan (Matt Passmore) and works for politician Chris (George Houvardas), while fending off Jim's abrasive girlfriend Bev (Doris Younane).[2]

Frayed is produced by Nicole O'Donohue and directed by Shaun Wilson and Jennifer Leace.[2][5][6] Merman Television's Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford, Guesswork Television's Kevin Whyte and ABC's Rick Kalowski and Que Minh Luu serve as executive producers.[2] In February 2021, it was announced that the series was renewed for a second season of six episodes.[7][8] It began airing on 29 September 2021 in Australia on ABC TV.[9] It aired in the UK on Sky Max from 23 February 2022.[10] This season is set in 1989 and has Sammy briefly return to London to try to recover her former home from a corrupt probate lawyer. However she must return, with her children, to Newcastle to answer questions about the disappearance of a policeman.

In November 2023, Kendall announced that Frayed would not be returning for a third season.[11][12]

Plot

Frayed's first season is set in 1988 and follows the story of Sammy, a wealthy housewife in London. She is forced to return to her hometown of Newcastle in Australia after the disgraceful death of her husband Nick, when she is told his accumulated debts leave her almost penniless. Sammy returns to Newcastle 20 years after leaving, with her privately educated teenage son Lenny and daughter Tess, who have never visited Australia before. The children learn their mother has lied about her previous life. All three move into Sammy's childhood beachfront home with her mother Jean, a recovering alcoholic and infantile brother Jim. Sammy seeks work from local politician and former schoolmate Chris as the kids attend the local high school. Her children are bullied but eventually gain support and friendship from Abby and Bo.

Sammy revisits her past and the events, which led her to fleeing the town as a teenager. Her former boyfriend Dan teaches sport to her children and is bitter at having been deserted. She meets Jim's sometime girlfriend Bev, who schemes to take over Jean's home. After encountering other former schoolmates, Sammy realises that everyone in her hometown hates her and she tries to get back to London, but finds numerous personal and financial obstacles.[13] Tess and Lenny protect neighbour Abby from her emotionally and physically abusive father Terry, who is a policeman.

Series Two sees the family briefly returning to London in 1989, but in very reduced circumstances. Sammy tries to prove her lawyer Rufus swindled her on settling Nick's estate – Rufus now resides in her grand house. Both Lenny and Tess want to return to Australia. Sammy's new lawyer recovers the house but diverts it to a charity. Back in Newcastle, the accidental killing of Terry in Jean's house is investigated by an under-resourced pair of police officers, Fairbank and Emily. Bev is pregnant and Jim believes its his baby. Police interview Jean, Jim and Bev but receive conflicting stories. Sammy is recalled to Australia to answer questions about Terry's disappearance. Upon their return, Lenny and Tess find it difficult to reconnect with Bo and Abby – all of them have changed.

Cast

Credits:[14]

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2021)

Reception

Critical reception

Reviews for the series have generally been mixed to positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a rating of 86% based on reviews from 14 critics. The website's critical consensus states: "Frayed's intentionally cringe humor may be squirm-inducing, but solid performances and a surprisingly sweet center will keep viewers watching - even if it's through their fingers."[28]

In a review for website Chortle, Steve Bennett praised Kendall's performance, commenting that "Kendall, whose winningly dry performance is central to the show's appeal, has said she wanted to offer an alternative view of 1980s Australia than the one portrayed in the sun-soaked scenes of Neighbours and Home And Away, and she’s certainly paints a much less romantic picture." He went on to mention that "Once Frayed’s premise is finally established, it offers plenty to suggest this is worth sticking with".[29]

In a favourable review by Steve Dessau of website Beyond the Joke praised the cast performances and he said "It's not all laughs – some of the best laughs come via pop culture gags about The Thompson Twins – but there is more than enough that is funny and intriguing here to justify setting up a series link in your schedule."[30]

Anthony Morris of Screenhub rated the series 4 stars out of 5 as he was favourable of the opening episode, pointing out that the series gets dramedy right and that it is evident from the first episode. He said that "Frayed isn’t perfect: it slows down a lot once it hits Newcastle and Sammy (initially) is the kind of character it takes time to warm to. Almost all the characters are either angry or ditzy; eventually somebody’s going to have to have something going for them. But unlike a lot of dramedies, it seems likely the characters will be given the chance to grow. This feels more like it’s the start of a story than just setting up a situation."[31]

In a more mediocre review from Jasper Rees of The Daily Telegraph, he criticized the first episode, stating that "[Frayed is] a pungent Eighties-set comedy that doesn’t know how far to take the joke" and gave it 3 out of 5 stars.[32]

Australian ratings

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2021)

Awards and nominations

International release

In May 2020, it was announced that Frayed had been picked up in the United States as an HBO Max exclusive. The series was released on 30 July 2020.[45][46] The second season was released on HBO Max on 4 November 2021.[47]

Home media

"Frayed: Season One" was released on DVD in Australia (Region 4) on 27 November 2019 from Roadshow Entertainment[48] and in the United Kingdom (Region 2) on 2 December 2019 via Spirit Entertainment.[49]

References

  1. ^ Knox, David (3 September 2019). "Airdate: Frayed". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Groves, Don (4 September 2019). "ABC Sets Premiere for Sarah Kendall Comedy Frayed". IF Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 September 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ "Comedian Sarah Kendall to star in new ABC comedy series Frayed". Australian Television News - TV Blackbox. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  4. ^ White, Peter (30 October 2018). "'Nanette' Producer Guesswork Teams With Sharon Horgan's Merman for Sky Comedy Frayed". Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  5. ^ White, Peter (19 November 2018). "Peep Shows Robert Webb & Motherlands Diane Morgan Join Sky & ABC Australia Comedy Frayed". Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Comedian Sarah Kendall gets Frayed for the ABC and the UK's Sky". 30 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  7. ^ Knox, David (3 February 2021). "Filming begins on Frayed S2". TV Tonight. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Frayed Series 2". screenaustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  9. ^ Knox, David (1 September 2021). "Returning: Frayed". TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  10. ^ Munn, Patrick (13 February 2022). "Sky Max Sets Premiere Date for Frayed Season 2". tvwise.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Frayed ends after two series". comedy.co.uk. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Is Sarah Kendall's comedy coming back? Frayed not". chortle.co.uk. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Cameras roll on new ABC comedy Frayed". TV Tonight. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  14. ^ Zuk, Tony. "Australian Television: Frayed: Episode Guide: Cast". Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Four-screen dashboard". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  16. ^ a b Knox, David (17 October 2019). "Wednesday 16 October 2019". TV Tonight. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  17. ^ a b Knox, David (24 October 2019). "Wednesday 23 October 2019". TV Tonight. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  18. ^ a b Knox, David (10 November 2019). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 30 October 2019". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  19. ^ a b Knox, David (7 November 2019). "Wednesday 6 November 2019". Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  20. ^ a b Knox, David (14 November 2019). "Wednesday 13 November 2019". Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  21. ^ a b Knox, David (21 November 2019). "Wednesday 20 November 2019". Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  22. ^ a b Knox, David (30 September 2021). "Wednesday 29 September 2021". TV Tonight. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  23. ^ a b Knox, David (7 October 2021). "Wednesday 6 October 2021". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  24. ^ a b Knox, David (14 October 2021). "Wednesday 13 October 2021". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  25. ^ a b Knox, David (21 October 2021). "Wednesday 20 October 2021". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  26. ^ a b Knox, David (28 October 2021). "Wednesday 27 October 2021". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  27. ^ a b Knox, David (4 November 2021). "Wednesday 3 November 2021". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Frayed: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  29. ^ Bennett, Steve (26 September 2019). "Frayed". Chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  30. ^ Dessau, Steve (26 September 2019). "TV Review: Frayed, Sky One". Beyondthejoke.co.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  31. ^ Morris, Anthony (15 October 2019). "TV Review: Frayed gets dramedy right". Screenhub.com.au. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  32. ^ Rees, Jasper (26 September 2019). "Frayed, episode one, review: a pungent Eighties-set comedy that doesn't know how far to take the joke". Thedailytelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  33. ^ Knox, David (27 October 2019). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 16 October 2019". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  34. ^ Knox, David (3 November 2019). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 23 October 2019". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  35. ^ Knox, David (15 November 2019). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 6 November 2019". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  36. ^ Knox, David (22 November 2019). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 13 November 2019". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  37. ^ Knox, David (29 November 2019). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 20 November 2019". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  38. ^ a b c d e "2019 AACTA Awards". aacta.org. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  39. ^ Knox, David (7 January 2020). "TV Tonight Awards: Best of 2019". TV Tonight. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  40. ^ "SIAN CLIFFORD - FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAMME". bafta.org. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  41. ^ "RTS CRAFT & DESIGN AWARDS 2020". rts.org.uk. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  42. ^ a b c d "2021 AACTA Awards". aacta.org. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  43. ^ Knox, David (31 March 2022). "Screen Producers Australia Awards 2022: winners". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  44. ^ Knox, David (10 January 2022). "TV Tonight Awards: Best of 2021". TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  45. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (13 May 2020). "HBO Max Schedules Second Wave of Original Programming". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  46. ^ "Sarah Kendall's Frayed heads to the US". chortle.co.uk. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  47. ^ "FRAYED UK & US TV PREMIERE DATE". geektown.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  48. ^ "Frayed". Jbhifi.com.au. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  49. ^ "Frayed: Season 1 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2020.

External links