| The Family Law | |
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| Genre | Sitcom Comedy drama |
| Created by | Benjamin Law |
| Based on | The Family Law by Benjamin Law |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Starring |
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| Composer | Joff Bush |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Eric Murray Lui |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22-23 Minutes |
| Production company | Matchbox Pictures NBCUniversal International Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | SBS |
| Release | 14 January 2016 (2016-01-14) – 12 January 2019 (2019-01-12) |
The Family Law is an Australian comedy television program created by Benjamin Law. The six-part series, loosely adapted from Law's 2010 book of the same name, was written by Law and Marieke Hardy. The series was produced by Matchbox Pictures and screened on SBS from 14 January 2016. A second season of the show premiered on 15 June 2017. The third and final season of the show aired on 12 January 2019.[1] The show streams on Hulu in the US.[2]
The series follows the dysfunctional world of a Chinese-Australian family through the eyes of 14-year-old Benjamin Law. It is set on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, but filmed in Sunnybank Brisbane, over a long, hot summer the family will never forget. The family consists of Benjamin Law, eldest sister Candy, older brother Andrew, younger sisters Tammy and Michelle and parents Jenny and Danny.[3]
| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Queensland's Got Talent" | Jonathan Brough | Benjamin Law | 14 January 2016 (2016-01-14) |
| 2 | 2 | "Tra-la-la-la-Law" | Jonathan Brough | Benjamin Law | 21 January 2016 (2016-01-21) |
| 3 | 3 | "Asians Gone Wild" | Jonathan Brough | Benjamin Law | 28 January 2016 (2016-01-28) |
| 4 | 4 | "Birthday Bash" | Jonathan Brough | Benjamin Law & Marieke Hardy | 4 February 2016 (2016-02-04) |
| 5 | 5 | "Everything's Coming Up Roses" | Jonathan Brough | Benjamin Law & Marieke Hardy | 11 February 2016 (2016-02-11) |
| 6 | 6 | "Love Is in the Air" | Jonathan Brough | Benjamin Law & Marieke Hardy | 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) |
| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "New Beginnings" | Ben Chessell | Benjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher | 15 June 2017 (2017-06-15) | |
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Danny opens a new Chinese grocery store and shows off this new modern apartment. Tension rises as Jenny tries to find herself in a new post-divorce world. Meanwhile Benjamin fights it out for middle school captain with his good-looking archnemesis Klaus.
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| 8 | 2 | "Help Yourself" | Ben Chessell | Benjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher | 15 June 2017 (2017-06-15) | |
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Tension rises as Jenny's journey of self-discovery is belittled by people around her. She decides to change back to her maiden name. Benjamin fights it out for the lead role in a Greek tragedy school play.
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| 9 | 3 | "Adult Education" | Ben Chessell | Lawrence Leung | 22 June 2017 (2017-06-22) | |
| 10 | 4 | "The Family Kerr" | Sophie Miller | Benjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher | 6 July 2017 (2017-07-06) | |
| 11 | 5 | "Money, Money, Money" | Ben Chessell | Benjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher | 13 July 2017 (2017-07-13) | |
| 12 | 6 | "Matters of the Heart" | Ben Chessell | Benjamin Law | 20 July 2017 (2017-07-20) | |
| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | "Ready for This" | Ben Chessell | Benjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher | 12 January 2019 (2019-01-12) | |
| 14 | 2 | "Close Encounters of the Male Kind" | Ben Chessell | Benjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher | 12 January 2019 (2019-01-12) | |
| 15 | 3 | "Painfully Camp" | Ben Chessell | Benjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher | 12 January 2019 (2019-01-12) | |
| 16 | 4 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Ben Chessell | Benjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher | 12 January 2019 (2019-01-12) | |
| 17 | 5 | "Panic Stations" | Ben Chessell | Benjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher | 12 January 2019 (2019-01-12) | |
| 18 | 6 | "Number One Gay Son" | Sophie Miller | Benjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher | 12 January 2019 (2019-01-12) | |
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Jenny and Pete get back together. Ben becomes convinced that Jenny won't accept him being gay, leading to tension and fighting between them. After Candy reminds him how supportive Jenny has always been of him, Ben comes out to Jenny and she is immediately accepting and supporting of him. He comes out to the rest of his family, who are similarly supportive. His family's support inspires Ben to update his talent show act with Melissa to a flamboyant performance of It's Raining Men, which wins the show.
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During the run of its first series The Family Law averaged a national audience of 417,000. It was also the highest viewed program on SBS On Demand throughout the series.[4][5]
The program attracted an audience of 1.1 million views for its exclusive Facebook premiere of its first episode days before it aired on television.[6][7]
The program has received positive reviews from critics.
One critic from Daily Review Australia said "the core challenge is making a captivating comedy series about normal people living normal lives. The Family Law gives it a good crack, and has an amiable quality that many viewers will find endearing."[8]
Another critic from The Guardian said『there’s so much detail, warmth and gentle humour to the script, direction and production design that the characters and settings are relatable for anyone who grew up – or is growing up – in Australia.』She gave the program 4 out of 5 stars.[9]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6th AACTA Awards | AACTA Award for Best Television Comedy Series | The Family Law | Nominated |
| AACTA Award for Best Comedy Performance | Fiona Choi | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Australian Directors Guild Awards | Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Program | Jonathan Brough (episode: "Queensland's Got Talent") | Nominated |
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