Wilfred (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Wilfred is an Australian comedy television series directed by Tony Rogers
, produced by Jenny Livingston and starring Jason Gann
, Adam Zwar
and Cindy Waddingham
. Created by Zwar, Gann and Rogers, it was based on their award-winning 2002 short film and later adapted to a series. The story follows the lives of the eponymous dog Wilfred, his owner Sarah, and her boyfriend Adam, who sees Wilfred as a man in a dog suit.
Two seasons were broadcast on SBS One – the first in 2007 and the second in 2010. The series won three AFI Awards
and was nominated for a Logie.
Independent Film Channel
acquired the international broadcast rights to the original two seasons of Wilfred in 2010. A U.S. version
premiered on the cable channel FX on 23 June 2011.
and Adam Zwar
, met at the University of Southern Queensland
in 1990, where Gann studied acting and Zwar studied journalism. Adam Zwar later met future co-star Cindy Waddingham
and director Tony Rogers in September 2001 while filming a commercial for HBA health insurance (he was the buck-toothed client who sprayed the slogan "Three for free").
The idea that became Wilfred was partly inspired by Gann's background working in children's theatre during the 1990s, where he found it amusing to see actors in animal suits swearing and smoking backstage. However it was not until a late-night conversation between Gann and Zwar in November 2001 that the character was conceived. Zwar told of how he was invited back to the home of a young woman whose dog became suspicious and jealous of him. The pair began improvising
a scenario between a man and a protective dog, and quickly realised the story was a great basis for a short film – they wrote a script that night. With a self-funded budget of A$
4,000, they shot the seven-minute film the following week, and two months later it won Best Comedy at the 2002 Tropfest
, with Gann additionally winning Best Actor. In January 2003, the film was shown at the Sundance Film Festival
in Utah
. Despite some reservations about Wilfred's brief use of the word "cunt
", it was well received by the American audience.
After the success of the short, Zwar, Gann and Rogers worked with Melbourne production team Renegade Films to extend the 7 minute short to a 20 minute pilot, merging the original footage seamlessly into new. Networks were initially unenthusiastic about the pilot – according to Rogers, "Wilfred was rejected by every television network twice". It was eventually picked up by Matt Campbell at SBS. Commissioning editor Debbie Lee offered the team unusually wide artistic freedom, saying "Go as far as you want – the more bent the better". Finally, the 25 minute pilot episode was completed in 2006, comprising material shot over five years.
beginning in April 2006, with David Stevens as director of photography. It was shot in 16mm on a budget of A$
1.6 million. Of this, $210,000 was provided by Film Victoria
and $400,000 by the Australian Film Commission
.
Film Victoria
approved funding for a second series in early 2009. With Germain McMicking as director of photography, Wilfred II was shot in Kodak 16mm on a Aaton Xtera Super 16
using ARRI
/Zeiss Ultra Prime lens
es. Although he and director Tony Rogers considered using digital cameras, they were so happy with the film tests that they did not bother enquiring further about digital. The flexibility of film suited the production's modest budget and tight schedule. "Rebooting a RED camera isn’t something you want with actors under the lights in dog suits or in a taxing scene" said McMicking.
Series 2 was shot over eight weeks, finishing in August 2009. The second season also received federal funding, with Film Victoria contributing $294,048 and Screen Australia
contributing $580,000.
the rest of the mix is Alsation (German Shepard) and Labrador. He is protective of his owner, and insecure and manipulative towards her boyfriends. He smokes cigarettes and marijuana, drinks beer, eats junk food
, and is prone to foul language, malapropism
s, and sexual urges. While Adam (and the viewer) sees Wilfred as a man in a dog suit, to everyone else he is just a normal dog.
Little is revealed about Wilfred's past in the first series. It is implied that Sarah is not Wilfred's first owner, and that he served numerous stints at the pound before being adopted by her.
In the second series, this backstory was changed. It is revealed that Wilfred in fact grew up with Sarah and her parents in Nambour
. His grumpy father Arthur still lives there, but his mother left when Wilfred was a pup. Wilfred was the runt
of the litter; his only brother, Walter, became an army dog
and was killed in the Iraq War. Arthur thinks his only surviving son is a disappointment and blames him for his mother leaving them. Wilfred has been estranged from his father since Sarah first moved to Melbourne.
in Melbourne, Victoria. He works occasionally as a media monitor
, but clients are scarce and he's pretty much unemployed. He does not cause any trouble and trouble rarely comes his way – that is, until he meets Wilfred. His ability to talk to Wilfred at first leaves him nonplussed, but he soon accepts this as normal, and sometimes has trouble remembering that others do not see Wilfred the same way he does.
When Adam hooks up with Sarah, he is eager to please and to make their relationship work, but he has a love-hate relationship with Wilfred. Adam tries to be friends with Wilfred but usually ends up being a victim of Wilfred's plots to sabotage his relationship with Sarah.
Adam's parents were key witnesses in a murder trial when Adam was still at school; they were taken into a witness protection scheme
. After some years of living with relatives and in foster care, Adam returned to the family home and brought up his younger brother Spencer on his own.
The character's last name was changed from Zavont to Douglas for the second series. This was done to incorporate a backstory that Adam was once caught masturbating at school, leading to the catchphrase "Tugga-dugga-dugga".
of the series. From Sarah's point of view, Wilfred is an actual dog, rather than a man in a dog suit. She believes that Wilfred likes Adam and naturally doesn't suspect her dog of the manipulative behaviour experienced by Adam.
Sarah grew up in Nambour, Queensland
with her nudist parents. Her previous boyfriend, Mark, died in an accident, and most of the first series takes place in his house as Sarah and Wilfred continue to live there. At the end of the first series, Mark's will is contested and Sarah and Wilfred are forced to move out of the house.
Season 1 of Wilfred was released on DVD in Australia by SBS and Madman Entertainment
in April 2007.
. While the series begins with the familiar domestic dynamic that characterised the first series, the story quickly branches out to explore new settings, characters and tensions. When Adam decides to ask Sarah to marry him in the first episode, the impending wedding drives the story arc between one episode and the next in a manner quite different to the first series. It also explores themes of maturity that accompany marriage (such as meeting the parents, family holidays, being supportive, parenthood and financial trouble). The guest cast features many stars of Australian film, who enter the story in the form of "guest creatures" (also people in animal suits).
Season 2 was released on DVD, also by SBS and Madman, on 19 April 2010.
, despite achieving only a tenth of The Chaser's audience. Adam Zwar also won the award for Best Performance in a TV Comedy for his portrayal of Adam.
The series was widely praised for its original premise. Melinda Houston, writing in The Age
, called Wilfred "a magnificent creation, magnificently realised", and that "operating from a deeply non-PC premise, Wilfred manages to be both broad and subtle, hilarious and creepy, utterly obvious and way-way-way left-field". Phillipa Hawker, also in The Age, called Wilfred "An entertaining mixture of character-based comedy and quiet absurdity". Natalie Craig from the Sydney Morning Herald compared the show favourably with another successful suburban comedy, saying "while Kath and Kim was straightforward suburban satire, Wilfred is a more complex beast that deserves a tasty snack for effort and originality".
Conversely, Jim Schembri of the Sydney Morning Herald called the concept "muddled", criticising the show for everything from its character development and humour to its 16:9 aspect ratio
, and wondering "how a show as lame as this ever got on the air". Paul Kalina, writing in The Age, dismissed Wilfred as a "bogan
show", saying of the decision to discontinue it after the second season "There's only so far the conceit can stretch and one senses that Gann and Zwar know this".
The show was criticised in March 2010 when the Herald Sun
reported that up to A$1.5M of government money had been allocated to the production of a series "peppered with profanity, full-frontal nudity and jokes about rape". Family First Party
Senator Steve Fielding
accused the show of displaying "acts of bestiality
". SBS responded to the criticism by stating that "The money that has been invested(...) is in no way outlandish. Wilfred would cost far less to make than your average drama."
in 2010.
In June 2010, cable channel FX announced that an American version of the series would air in June 2011. David Zuckerman
(Family Guy
, American Dad) will be co-executive producer and writer with Gann. The new series will star Elijah Wood
and Fiona Gubelmann
, along with Gann reprising his role as Wilfred. While FX has indicated that there may be some changes to the scenarios and dialogue, producer Jenny Livingston has offered the assurance that it will "still be our Wilfred".
Tony Rogers (director)
Tony Rogers is an Australian film director, producer and actor. He is best known for directing the Tropfest- and AFI Award-winning comedy Wilfred . He was also director of the feature film Rats and Cats alongside the same creative team from Wilfred....
, produced by Jenny Livingston and starring Jason Gann
Jason Gann
Jason Gann is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, director, producer, writer, screenwriter, musician, singer, and comedian. He is best known for his role as Wilfred in the Australian comedy series of the same name and its U.S...
, Adam Zwar
Adam Zwar
Adam Zwar is a multi award-winning Australian actor, voice artist, and writer. He is best known for co-creating the Australian comedy series Lowdown and Wilfred...
and Cindy Waddingham
Cindy Waddingham
Cindy Joy Waddingham is an Australian television and film actress. She is best known for her role as Sarah in the Australian black comedy series, Wilfred , and the award-winning 2002 short film of the same name on which the series is based...
. Created by Zwar, Gann and Rogers, it was based on their award-winning 2002 short film and later adapted to a series. The story follows the lives of the eponymous dog Wilfred, his owner Sarah, and her boyfriend Adam, who sees Wilfred as a man in a dog suit.
Two seasons were broadcast on SBS One – the first in 2007 and the second in 2010. The series won three AFI Awards
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
and was nominated for a Logie.
Independent Film Channel
Independent Film Channel
The Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...
acquired the international broadcast rights to the original two seasons of Wilfred in 2010. A U.S. version
Wilfred (U.S. TV series)
Wilfred is an American sitcom television series which debuted on June 23, 2011, and is based on the Australian SBS One series of the same name. It stars Elijah Wood and series co-creator Jason Gann, reprising his role of the eponymous dog Wilfred. The series was adapted for the American television...
premiered on the cable channel FX on 23 June 2011.
Background
Two of Wilfred creators, longtime friends Jason GannJason Gann
Jason Gann is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, director, producer, writer, screenwriter, musician, singer, and comedian. He is best known for his role as Wilfred in the Australian comedy series of the same name and its U.S...
and Adam Zwar
Adam Zwar
Adam Zwar is a multi award-winning Australian actor, voice artist, and writer. He is best known for co-creating the Australian comedy series Lowdown and Wilfred...
, met at the University of Southern Queensland
University of Southern Queensland
The University of Southern Queensland is based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The institution was established in 1967 as the Queensland Institute of Technology...
in 1990, where Gann studied acting and Zwar studied journalism. Adam Zwar later met future co-star Cindy Waddingham
Cindy Waddingham
Cindy Joy Waddingham is an Australian television and film actress. She is best known for her role as Sarah in the Australian black comedy series, Wilfred , and the award-winning 2002 short film of the same name on which the series is based...
and director Tony Rogers in September 2001 while filming a commercial for HBA health insurance (he was the buck-toothed client who sprayed the slogan "Three for free").
The idea that became Wilfred was partly inspired by Gann's background working in children's theatre during the 1990s, where he found it amusing to see actors in animal suits swearing and smoking backstage. However it was not until a late-night conversation between Gann and Zwar in November 2001 that the character was conceived. Zwar told of how he was invited back to the home of a young woman whose dog became suspicious and jealous of him. The pair began improvising
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
a scenario between a man and a protective dog, and quickly realised the story was a great basis for a short film – they wrote a script that night. With a self-funded budget of A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
4,000, they shot the seven-minute film the following week, and two months later it won Best Comedy at the 2002 Tropfest
Tropfest
Tropfest is the world's largest short film festival.Tropfest began in 1993 as a screening for 200 people in a cafe in Sydney but has since become the largest platform for short films in the world. Tropfest Australia takes place in February each year in front of a live audience of approximately...
, with Gann additionally winning Best Actor. In January 2003, the film was shown at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Despite some reservations about Wilfred's brief use of the word "cunt
Cunt
Cunt is a vulgarism, primarily referring to the female genitalia, specifically the vulva, and including the cleft of Venus. The earliest citation of this usage in the 1972 Oxford English Dictionary, c 1230, refers to the London street known as Gropecunt Lane...
", it was well received by the American audience.
After the success of the short, Zwar, Gann and Rogers worked with Melbourne production team Renegade Films to extend the 7 minute short to a 20 minute pilot, merging the original footage seamlessly into new. Networks were initially unenthusiastic about the pilot – according to Rogers, "Wilfred was rejected by every television network twice". It was eventually picked up by Matt Campbell at SBS. Commissioning editor Debbie Lee offered the team unusually wide artistic freedom, saying "Go as far as you want – the more bent the better". Finally, the 25 minute pilot episode was completed in 2006, comprising material shot over five years.
Production
The first series of Wilfred was shot in and around Richmond, VictoriaRichmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
beginning in April 2006, with David Stevens as director of photography. It was shot in 16mm on a budget of A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
1.6 million. Of this, $210,000 was provided by Film Victoria
Film Victoria
Film Victoria is a statutory authority of the State Government of Victorian, Australia that provides strategic leadership and assistance for film, television, and digital media production in the Australian state of Victoria....
and $400,000 by the Australian Film Commission
Australian Film Commission
The Australian Film Commission was an Australian government agency with a mandate to promote the creation and distribution of films in Australia as well as to preserve the country's film history. It also had a production arm responsible for production and commissioning of films for government...
.
Film Victoria
Film Victoria
Film Victoria is a statutory authority of the State Government of Victorian, Australia that provides strategic leadership and assistance for film, television, and digital media production in the Australian state of Victoria....
approved funding for a second series in early 2009. With Germain McMicking as director of photography, Wilfred II was shot in Kodak 16mm on a Aaton Xtera Super 16
Aaton
Aaton is a motion picture equipment manufacturer, based in Grenoble, France. Aaton was founded by Eclair engineer Jean-Pierre Beauviala, whose efforts have been primarily focused on making quiet, portable motion picture hardware suitable for impromptu field use, as for documentaries...
using ARRI
Arri
-History:Arri was founded in Munich, Germany as Arnold & Richter Cine Technik in 1917, named after founders August Arnold and Robert Richter. They produce professional motion picture equipment, digital and film cameras and cinematic lighting equipment...
/Zeiss Ultra Prime lens
Prime lens
In film and photography, a prime lens is either a photographic lens whose focal length is fixed, as opposed to a zoom lens, or it is the primary lens in a combination lens system....
es. Although he and director Tony Rogers considered using digital cameras, they were so happy with the film tests that they did not bother enquiring further about digital. The flexibility of film suited the production's modest budget and tight schedule. "Rebooting a RED camera isn’t something you want with actors under the lights in dog suits or in a taxing scene" said McMicking.
Series 2 was shot over eight weeks, finishing in August 2009. The second season also received federal funding, with Film Victoria contributing $294,048 and Screen Australia
Screen Australia
Screen Australia is the Federal Government’s key funding body for the Australian screen production industry. Its functions are to support and promote the development of a highly creative, innovative and commercially sustainable industry....
contributing $580,000.
Cast
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Adam Zwar Adam Zwar Adam Zwar is a multi award-winning Australian actor, voice artist, and writer. He is best known for co-creating the Australian comedy series Lowdown and Wilfred... |
Adam |
| Cindy Waddingham Cindy Waddingham Cindy Joy Waddingham is an Australian television and film actress. She is best known for her role as Sarah in the Australian black comedy series, Wilfred , and the award-winning 2002 short film of the same name on which the series is based... |
Sarah |
| Jason Gann Jason Gann Jason Gann is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, director, producer, writer, screenwriter, musician, singer, and comedian. He is best known for his role as Wilfred in the Australian comedy series of the same name and its U.S... |
Wilfred |
| Kym Gyngell Kym Gyngell Kym Gyngell is an Australian AFI award winning comedian and film, television and stage actor... |
Jack Underwood |
| Angus Sampson Angus Sampson Angus Murray Lincoln Sampson is an Australian actor, voice-over artist, director and writer based in Los Angeles and Melbourne.-Early life:Sampson was born in Sydney, Australia. A former ward of the state, he was educated at the Trinity Grammar School in Sydney prior to winning a place at The... |
Cyros |
| Damian Walshe-Howling Damian Walshe-Howling Damian Walshe-Howling is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Andrew "Benji" Veniamin in the Australian underworld drama, Underbelly, for which he won the Best Supporting or Guest Actor in a Drama Series at the 2008 AFI Awards.-Biography:He also starred on Blue Heelers as Constable Adam... |
Keith |
| Kate Jenkinson Kate Jenkinson Kate Jenkinson is an Australian actress, best known for her various roles on the Network Ten comedy The Wedge.Kate graduated from WAAPA in 2004 winning the Nigel Rideout Award and has since been working constantly in drama and comedy on both stage and screen.In 2005 Kate was nominated for the Best... |
Caddy |
| Kestie Morassi Kestie Morassi Kestie Morassi is an Australian actress born in Adelaide, South Australia, where she lived until she was 13 years old. She studied at the National Theatre, Melbourne Drama School, graduating in 1994, and another five years at Drama with a Difference.... |
Kat |
| Josh Lawson Josh Lawson Joshua Lawson is an Australian actor. He grew up in Brisbane and attended St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2001. He also spent one year studying improvisation techniques in Los Angeles at The Second City, The Groundlings, ACME... |
Spencer |
| David Field David Field (actor) David Field is an Australian actor who has appeared on television and in films. Some of the films he appeared in include Chopper, Two Hands and Gettin' Square. His most notable roles are as Keithy in Chopper and as Acko in Two Hands... |
Arthur |
Crew
| Crew | Job |
|---|---|
| Adam Zwar Adam Zwar Adam Zwar is a multi award-winning Australian actor, voice artist, and writer. He is best known for co-creating the Australian comedy series Lowdown and Wilfred... |
Writer/Creator |
| Jason Gann Jason Gann Jason Gann is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, director, producer, writer, screenwriter, musician, singer, and comedian. He is best known for his role as Wilfred in the Australian comedy series of the same name and its U.S... |
Writer/Creator |
| Tony Rogers Tony Rogers (director) Tony Rogers is an Australian film director, producer and actor. He is best known for directing the Tropfest- and AFI Award-winning comedy Wilfred . He was also director of the feature film Rats and Cats alongside the same creative team from Wilfred.... |
Director/Creator |
| Jenny Livingston | Producer |
| Joe Connor | Executive Producer |
| Sam Mallet | Music |
| David Stevens | Cinematographer |
| Richard Hamer | Film Editor |
| Rob Hornbuckle | Production Sound Mixer |
| Helen McGrath | Boom Operator |
| Mike Cowap | Project Manager |
| Paul Di Cintio | Location Manager |
Wilfred
Wilfred, Sarah's dog, is nine years old and 1/16th, dingoDingo
The Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
the rest of the mix is Alsation (German Shepard) and Labrador. He is protective of his owner, and insecure and manipulative towards her boyfriends. He smokes cigarettes and marijuana, drinks beer, eats junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
, and is prone to foul language, malapropism
Malapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
s, and sexual urges. While Adam (and the viewer) sees Wilfred as a man in a dog suit, to everyone else he is just a normal dog.
Little is revealed about Wilfred's past in the first series. It is implied that Sarah is not Wilfred's first owner, and that he served numerous stints at the pound before being adopted by her.
In the second series, this backstory was changed. It is revealed that Wilfred in fact grew up with Sarah and her parents in Nambour
Nambour, Queensland
The area now known as Nambour, was first settled in 1870. The town was then called Petrie's Creek. In 1890 the Maroochy Divisional Board was established...
. His grumpy father Arthur still lives there, but his mother left when Wilfred was a pup. Wilfred was the runt
Runt
A runt is a smaller specimen in a group of animals, usually of offspring in a litter.Runt may also refer to:*Runt , a 1970 album by Todd Rundgren, originally credited to the band Runt...
of the litter; his only brother, Walter, became an army dog
Dogs in warfare
Dogs in warfare have a long history starting in ancient times. From 'war dogs' trained in combat to their use as scouts, sentries and trackers, their uses have been varied and some continue to exist in modern military usage.-History:...
and was killed in the Iraq War. Arthur thinks his only surviving son is a disappointment and blames him for his mother leaving them. Wilfred has been estranged from his father since Sarah first moved to Melbourne.
Adam
Adam Douglas is an ordinary bloke from RipponleaRipponlea, Victoria
Ripponlea is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is centered on the intersection of Glen Eira Road and Hotham Street, in the municipality of City of Port Phillip. In terms of its cadastral division, Ripponlea is in the parish of Prahran within the County of Bourke. As of the 2006 Census,...
in Melbourne, Victoria. He works occasionally as a media monitor
Media monitoring service
A media monitoring service, a press clipping service or a clipping service as known in earlier times, provides clients with copies of media content, which is of specific interest to them and subject to changing demand; what they provide may include documentation, content, analysis, or editorial...
, but clients are scarce and he's pretty much unemployed. He does not cause any trouble and trouble rarely comes his way – that is, until he meets Wilfred. His ability to talk to Wilfred at first leaves him nonplussed, but he soon accepts this as normal, and sometimes has trouble remembering that others do not see Wilfred the same way he does.
When Adam hooks up with Sarah, he is eager to please and to make their relationship work, but he has a love-hate relationship with Wilfred. Adam tries to be friends with Wilfred but usually ends up being a victim of Wilfred's plots to sabotage his relationship with Sarah.
Adam's parents were key witnesses in a murder trial when Adam was still at school; they were taken into a witness protection scheme
Witness protection
Witness protection is protection of a threatened witness or any person involved in the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during and after a trial, usually by police...
. After some years of living with relatives and in foster care, Adam returned to the family home and brought up his younger brother Spencer on his own.
The character's last name was changed from Zavont to Douglas for the second series. This was done to incorporate a backstory that Adam was once caught masturbating at school, leading to the catchphrase "Tugga-dugga-dugga".
Sarah
Sarah Mitchell (Pickford in the first series) is Wilfred's loving owner, an attractive young woman with some kind of undisclosed day job; she is effectively the straight manDouble act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
of the series. From Sarah's point of view, Wilfred is an actual dog, rather than a man in a dog suit. She believes that Wilfred likes Adam and naturally doesn't suspect her dog of the manipulative behaviour experienced by Adam.
Sarah grew up in Nambour, Queensland
Nambour, Queensland
The area now known as Nambour, was first settled in 1870. The town was then called Petrie's Creek. In 1890 the Maroochy Divisional Board was established...
with her nudist parents. Her previous boyfriend, Mark, died in an accident, and most of the first series takes place in his house as Sarah and Wilfred continue to live there. At the end of the first series, Mark's will is contested and Sarah and Wilfred are forced to move out of the house.
Season 1
The first season comprised eight episodes running from 19 March to 7 May 2007. Each episode follows the story about a girl named Sarah, her dog Wilfred and her boyfriend, Adam. After their first date, Adam goes home with Sarah and meets her scruffy pet dog Wilfred, but Adam (as well as the audience) sees the latter as a human dressed in an unconvincing dog costume. The dog develops a grudge against his owner's new boyfriend and tests him to see if he is capable of being his new "daddy". At the same time, Wilfred sees Adam as a a potential companion. It is the tension between these two competing desires that sets up much of the conflict of the series. According to Zwar, Wilfred is a story of Australian mateship: "...it's a story about two blokes; just one happens to be a dog".Season 1 of Wilfred was released on DVD in Australia by SBS and Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
in April 2007.
Season 2
Filming for the second series of Wilfred occurred in the second half of 2009. The series ran from 8 March 2010 to 26 April 2010 and also comprised eight episodes. The first episode finds the trio moving into a new house at 22 Dalziel St, RichmondRichmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
. While the series begins with the familiar domestic dynamic that characterised the first series, the story quickly branches out to explore new settings, characters and tensions. When Adam decides to ask Sarah to marry him in the first episode, the impending wedding drives the story arc between one episode and the next in a manner quite different to the first series. It also explores themes of maturity that accompany marriage (such as meeting the parents, family holidays, being supportive, parenthood and financial trouble). The guest cast features many stars of Australian film, who enter the story in the form of "guest creatures" (also people in animal suits).
Season 2 was released on DVD, also by SBS and Madman, on 19 April 2010.
Critical reception
Wilfred received generally positive reviews, and surprised critics by winning the 2007 AFI Award for Best Comedy over The Chaser's War on EverythingThe Chaser's War on Everything
The Chaser's War on Everything is an Australian television satirical comedy series broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television station ABC1. It has won an AFI Award. The cast perform sketches mocking social and political issues, and often feature comedic publicity stunts...
, despite achieving only a tenth of The Chaser's audience. Adam Zwar also won the award for Best Performance in a TV Comedy for his portrayal of Adam.
The series was widely praised for its original premise. Melinda Houston, writing in The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, called Wilfred "a magnificent creation, magnificently realised", and that "operating from a deeply non-PC premise, Wilfred manages to be both broad and subtle, hilarious and creepy, utterly obvious and way-way-way left-field". Phillipa Hawker, also in The Age, called Wilfred "An entertaining mixture of character-based comedy and quiet absurdity". Natalie Craig from the Sydney Morning Herald compared the show favourably with another successful suburban comedy, saying "while Kath and Kim was straightforward suburban satire, Wilfred is a more complex beast that deserves a tasty snack for effort and originality".
Conversely, Jim Schembri of the Sydney Morning Herald called the concept "muddled", criticising the show for everything from its character development and humour to its 16:9 aspect ratio
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...
, and wondering "how a show as lame as this ever got on the air". Paul Kalina, writing in The Age, dismissed Wilfred as a "bogan
Bogan
The term bogan is Australian slang, usually pejorative or self-deprecating, for an individual who is recognised to be from a lower class background or someone whose limited education, speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour exemplifies such a background....
show", saying of the decision to discontinue it after the second season "There's only so far the conceit can stretch and one senses that Gann and Zwar know this".
The show was criticised in March 2010 when the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
reported that up to A$1.5M of government money had been allocated to the production of a series "peppered with profanity, full-frontal nudity and jokes about rape". Family First Party
Family First Party
The Family First Party is a socially conservative minor political party in Australia. It has two members in the South Australian Legislative Council...
Senator Steve Fielding
Steve Fielding
Steven "Steve" Fielding , was a Senator representing the state of Victoria and the federal parliamentary leader of the Family First Party in Australia. Elected to the Senate at the 2004 federal election on two percent of the Victorian vote, he failed to gain re-election at the 2010 federal election...
accused the show of displaying "acts of bestiality
Zoophilia
Zoophilia, from the Greek ζῷον and φιλία is the practice of sex between humans and non-human animals , or a preference or fixation on such practice...
". SBS responded to the criticism by stating that "The money that has been invested(...) is in no way outlandish. Wilfred would cost far less to make than your average drama."
Awards
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Won | AFI Award | Best Television Comedy Series | Jenny Livingston |
| 2007 | Won | AFI Award | Best Performance in Television Comedy | Adam Zwar |
| 2007 | Nominated | AFI Award | Best Performance in Television Comedy | Jason Gann |
| 2007 | Nominated | AFI Award | Best Direction in Television | Tony Rogers for "Dogs of War" |
| 2008 | Nominated | AWGIE Award | Comedy – Situation or Narrative | Adam Zwar and Jason Gann for "Dog Eat Dog" |
| 2008 | Nominated | Logie Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a... |
Most Outstanding Comedy Program | |
| 2010 | Won | AFI Award | Best Screenplay in Television | Adam Zwar and Jason Gann for "Dog Star" |
| 2010 | Nominated | AFI Award | Best Television Comedy Series | Adam Zwar, Jason Gann, Tony Rogers and Jenny Livingston |
| 2010 | Nominated | Logie Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a... |
Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program | |
| 2011 | Nominated | Silver Logie Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a... |
Most Outstanding Actor | Jason Gann |
International broadcasts
The broadcast rights to the original two seasons of Wilfred were purchased by IFCIndependent Film Channel
The Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...
in 2010.
U.S. version
In March 2010, Adam Zwar announced that the second series of Wilfred would be his last, saying he wanted to explore other characters. It was also revealed that the rights had been sold to an American network, and that Jason Gann was in Los Angeles working on a new series.In June 2010, cable channel FX announced that an American version of the series would air in June 2011. David Zuckerman
David Zuckerman (producer)
David J. Zuckerman is an American writer and producer, and is best known as the original showrunner and executive producer of the animated comedy series Family Guy, as well as the creator of the American adaptation of the Australian television series of the same name, Wilfred.A native of Danville,...
(Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, American Dad) will be co-executive producer and writer with Gann. The new series will star Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood
Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
and Fiona Gubelmann
Fiona Gubelmann
Fiona Victoria Gubelmann is an American actress. A native of California, she has appeared in a number of single episode roles in television, including CSI: NY, My Name Is Earl and Knight Rider, as well as a handful of films including Employee of the Month and Downstream...
, along with Gann reprising his role as Wilfred. While FX has indicated that there may be some changes to the scenarios and dialogue, producer Jenny Livingston has offered the assurance that it will "still be our Wilfred".
External links
- Wilfred on IFC
- Official website
- Wilfred at Australian Television
- Wilfred at the National Film and Sound Archive