Upright (TV series)

Last updated

Upright
Genre Comedy drama
Created by Chris Taylor
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Composers
Country of origin
  • Australia
  • United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producers
  • Morwenna Gordon
  • Tim Minchin
  • Helen Bowden
  • Penny Win
  • Carly Heaton
Producers
CinematographyKatie Milwright
Editors
  • Deborah Peart
  • Mark Perry
Running time25–30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release28 November 2019 (2019-11-28) 
13 December 2022 (2022-12-13)

Upright is an Australian comedy drama television series created by Chris Taylor that premiered on 28 November 2019 on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom, and on 1 December 2019 on Fox Showcase in Australia. [1] The series stars Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock in the lead roles, with Minchin also writing and composing. [2] The series was later broadcast on Super Channel in Canada and on SundanceNow in the USA.

Contents

In October 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered in its entirety on 15 November 2022 on Fox Showcase in Australia and moved to Sky Comedy in the UK. [3]

Premise

The first season follows the journey of Lucky, a struggling musician, and Meg, a runaway teenager who, after literally crashing into each other's lives, attempt to transport an upright piano across the southern Australian Outback to Lucky's terminally ill mother in his hometown of Perth.

The second season takes place four years later, where Lucky, now a successful musician, and Meg, who is two months pregnant, reunite and embark on a mission to find Meg's missing mum in the rainforests of northern Queensland.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Season 1

Season 2

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 828 November 2019 (2019-11-28)19 December 2019 (2019-12-19)
2 822 November 2022 (2022-11-22)13 December 2022 (2022-12-13)

Season 1 (2019)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [6]
11"Episode 1" Matthew Saville Tim Minchin 28 November 2019 (2019-11-28)
Lucky Flynn wants to head to Perth to return his family piano. He forges an unlikely bond with a young runaway named Meg.
22"Episode 2"Matthew Saville Chris Taylor & Tim Minchin28 November 2019 (2019-11-28)
Lucky struggles without his anxiety medication. Meg picks a fight with bikers in a small town pub.
33"Episode 3"Matthew Saville Leon Ford 5 December 2019 (2019-12-05)
Lucky and Meg need fuel, which is complicated by Meg losing her wallet, along with all their money.
44"Episode 4"Matthew Saville Kate Mulvany 5 December 2019 (2019-12-05)
Lucky and Meg reach the half way point across the Nullarbor. At a roadside camp Lucky is goaded into reliving his glory days. Meg starts to realise that running won't leave her problems behind.
55"Episode 5"Matthew SavilleKate Mulvany12 December 2019 (2019-12-12)
Abandoned on the Nullarbor, Lucky gets a snake bite.
66"Episode 6"Matthew SavilleLeon Ford12 December 2019 (2019-12-12)
Lucky abandons his piano in order to continue his journey west. Meg steals a horse float.
77"Episode 7"Tim Minchin & Matthew SavilleChris Taylor & Tim Minchin19 December 2019 (2019-12-19)
Lucky gets arrested for stealing the horse float. Esme, the horse float owner drops charges but it's not Lucky's day.
88"Episode 8"Tim Minchin & Matthew SavilleTim Minchin19 December 2019 (2019-12-19)
Meg learns the truth about the piano. Lucky arrives home for his mother's final days. Deathbed confession.

Season 2 (2022)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [6]
91"Reunion" Mirrah Foulkes Tim Minchin 22 November 2022 (2022-11-22)
Years after his adventure with Meg, Lucky struggles to adjust to his new life as a successful musician and it's not long before Meg comes bursting back into his chaotic world.
102"Tomatoes"Mirrah FoulkesTim Minchin22 November 2022 (2022-11-22)
Beginning their search in Queensland for Meg's mum, Lucky struggles to manage his relationship back home as Meg is startled by someone who followed her from Karingunna.
113"Bananas"Mirrah FoulkesTim Minchin29 November 2022 (2022-11-29)
As Meg continues the search for her mum in Cairns, Lucky tries to lie low to avoid his dubious past.
124"Reparations"Mirrah Foulkes Ian Meadows 29 November 2022 (2022-11-29)
Lucky and Meg head out of Cairns, but Lucky's best-forgotten past catches up with him.
135"Fold"Mirrah FoulkesNatesha Somasundaram & Tim Minchin6 December 2022 (2022-12-06)
Wounded in the rainforest, Lucky is desperate to return to civilisation, but Meg wants to push on as they get close to finding her mother.
146"Eskimo Jonestown"Mirrah FoulkesNiki Aken6 December 2022 (2022-12-06)
Meg and Lucky finally make it to the Wellfulness Commune but don't get the reception they were expecting.
157"Harmless Untruths"Mirrah FoulkesTim Minchin13 December 2022 (2022-12-13)
Trapped at the Wellfulness Commune, Lucky starts to unravel its secrets as Meg finally gets the chance to speak to her mother.
168"Enough's Enough"Mirrah FoulkesTim Minchin13 December 2022 (2022-12-13)
After escaping the commune, Lucky and Meg race back to Sydney hoping to make it in time to meet Billie at the airport.

Production

Lake Bumbunga in South Australia was used as a filming location for some scenes, [7] with over 50 cast members performing in the pink lake at the same time. [8]

Reception

"The whole thing is both quintessentially Australian and deliciously unexpected," wrote Melinda Houston for The Sydney Morning Herald when the show originally aired, adding "great to see another show making creative use of our landscapes: the dry interior is blasted one moment, enchanted the next." [9] Decider wrote "Minchin and Alcock make a good road trip pair, and that’s pretty much what Upright is all about," and gave it a "stream it" verdict. [5] In Luke Buckmaster's review for The Guardian , he characterizes the two leads: "Minchin’s performance combines stoner-like man-child and emotionally stunted adult with a splash of shaggy panache all his own, evolving his character from sad-sack weirdo to a reasonably complex person. Alcock is excellent as the other half of the odd couple: with a head-turning, hair-trigger performance that delivers the show an almost electrical energy." [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Taylor (comedian)</span> Australian comedian, writer and radio host

Christopher Thornton Taylor is an Australian comedy writer, performer and broadcaster from Sydney. As a member of The Chaser, he is best known for co-writing and appearing on satirical ABC Television shows CNNNN (2002–2003) and The Chaser's War on Everything. He formerly co-hosted the drive radio show Today Today (2004–05) on Triple J with fellow Chaser member Craig Reucassel, and in 2007, he wrote the musical comedy Dead Caesar. Taylor also hosted the mini documentary series 'Australia's Heritage: National Treasures'. In 2010, with his Chaser colleague Andrew Hansen, Taylor made a musical comedy series for Triple J titled The Blow Parade, which became the number one podcast in the country, and won the 2010 ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release. In 2019, Taylor was the creator and co-writer of the drama Upright starring Tim Minchin. The series screened to critical acclaim in both Australia and the UK.

The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition. WAAPA operates as a part of ECU, located at the ECU campus in Mount Lawley, a suburb in Perth, Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Jordan</span> American actor, comedian, writer and singer (1955–2022)

Leslie Allen Jordan was an American actor, comedian, writer, and singer. His television roles include Beverley Leslie on Will & Grace, several characters on television in the American Horror Story franchise (2013–2019), Sid on The Cool Kids (2018–2019), Phil on Call Me Kat (2021–2022), and Lonnie Garr on Hearts Afire (1993–1995). On stage, he played Earl "Brother Boy" Ingram in the 1996 play Sordid Lives, later portraying the character in the 2000 film of the same name. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan became an Instagram contributor, amassing 5.8 million followers in 2020, and published his autobiography How Y'all Doing? Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived in April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Minchin</span> British-Australian comedian, actor and musician (born 1975)

Timothy David Minchin AM is a British-born Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician, poet, composer, and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Lapaine</span> Australian actor

Daniel Lapaine is an Australian stage, film and television actor, living in London. He first came to prominence in 1994, playing South African swimmer David Van Arkle in Muriel's Wedding (1994). He also works as a writer and director.

Ewen Leslie is an Australian stage, film and television actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Schmitz</span> Australian actor and playwright

Toby Schmitz is an Australian actor and playwright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirrah Foulkes</span> Australian actress

Mirrah Foulkes is an Australian director, screenwriter, and film and television actress. She was raised on the Sunshine Coast, in South East Queensland, Australia. She has appeared in films such as Animal Kingdom (2010), Sleeping Beauty (2011), and in the Australian anthology film The Turning (2013).

Louis Gabriel Basso III is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and from 2010 to 2013, he had a regular role on the Showtime series The Big C. In film, he starred in the 2011 science fiction film Super 8 and the 2013 comedy-drama The Kings of Summer. In 2020, he portrayed J. D. Vance in the drama Hillbilly Elegy and in 2023, he played the title role in the action thriller series The Night Agent, both for Netflix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bumbunga, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Bumbunga is a locality in the Mid North of South Australia 125 kilometres (78 mi) north of Adelaide. It lies 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of Lake Bumbunga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">See-Saw Films</span> British-Australian film and television production company

See-Saw Films is a British-Australian film and television production company founded in 2008 by Iain Canning and Emile Sherman, with offices in London and Sydney. Their productions include The King's Speech, Top Of The Lake, Lion, The Power of the Dog, Slow Horses and the British teen series Heartstopper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Gelman</span> American actor and comedian (born 1976)

Brett Clifford Gelman is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Murray Bauman in Netflix's horror-supernatural series Stranger Things and as Martin in the BBC comedy Fleabag.

Daniel Frederiksen is an Australian actor who has worked in television, film and live theatre.

<i>Top of the Lake</i> Australian television series

Top of the Lake is a mystery drama television series created and written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, and directed by Campion and Garth Davis. It was broadcast in 2013, and the sequel, entitled Top of the Lake: China Girl, in 2017. It is Campion's first work for television since An Angel at My Table in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aunty Donna</span> Australian comedy group

Aunty Donna is an Australian surrealist comedy group formed in Melbourne in 2011. The group consists of performers and writers Mark Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane, alongside writer and director Sam Lingham, director Max Miller and composer Thomas Zahariou. Their work spans numerous live shows, a YouTube channel, a podcast, a studio album, the Netflix series Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun, the ABC Australia series Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe and the picture book Always Room for Christmas Pud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Box</span> Australian actress

Kate Box is an Australian stage, film, and television actress. She is known for her roles as Nicole Vargas in Rake, Lou Kelly in Wentworth, and as Dulcie Collins in Deadloch.

<i>Apart Together</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Tim Minchin

Apart Together is the debut studio album by Australian musician Tim Minchin. It was released on 20 November 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back Tour</span> 2019–22 concert tour by Tim Minchin

The BACK Tour was a concert tour by Australian musician Tim Minchin. The tour began on 5 March 2019 at the Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide before touring Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom before concluding on 22 January 2022 at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milly Alcock</span> Australian actress (born 2000)

Amelia "Milly" Alcock (born 11 April 2000) is an Australian actress. She received an AACTA Award nomination for her performance in the Foxtel comedy-drama Upright (2019–2022). She gained wider recognition for starring as young Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon (2022). For the role, Alcock was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

The Lovers is a romantic comedy television series starring Johnny Flynn and Roisin Gallagher. It is written by David Ireland and directed by Justin Martin for Drama Republic and Sky Studios. It premiered on 7 September 2023.

References

  1. Northover, Kylie (10 November 2022). "'Why tread water?': Tim Minchin takes a risk with his proudest project yet". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  2. "When is Tim Minchin's Upright coming to TV?". Chortle. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  3. "Upright: Sky Atlantic's Upright Will Air Season 2 on November 15, 2022". Premieredate. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Upright review – Tim Minchin's road-trip series is clever, scenic and addictively good". the Guardian. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Upright' On Sundance Now, An Australian Dramedy About Two Misfits On A Cross-Continent Road Trip". Decider. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Upright – Episode Listings". British Comedy Guide . Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  7. Jones, Kate (29 March 2021). "Escape to Lochiel, South Australia: Great for crowds and pink lake pics for the socials". Domain . Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  8. Sulda, Dixie (17 February 2023). "South Australia's Lake Bumbunga attracts tourists from far and wide. But why is it pink?". ABC News. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  9. Melinda Houston (23 November 2019). "Odd couple road-trip series hits all the right notes". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 10 December 2022.