The Australian dramedy “Population 11,” on Amazon Prime Video, is like a lot of recent shows: It is loosely inspired by a true story; it puts a quirky, relatively lighthearted spin on violence and suffering; it is set in a small town where everyone has strong murderer energy; and one of the characters is an aspiring podcaster, collecting evidence alongside the audience. Let’s spin the wheel, friends! This week we’re going to … Australia! For a show where there is a … missing long-lost father! You might recognize these performers from … “Superstore” and “Wentworth”! It is not particularly original, but it is fun.
Our small town is Bidgeegud, an outback outpost for folks who don’t want to be found. Andy (Ben Feldman) is the bumbling American searching for his father, Hugo, a U.F.O. enthusiast and deadbeat who managed to make enemies among Bidgeegud’s minuscule population and has disappeared.
Everyone is bit wary of Andy and his motives, partially because he’s an American outsider and partially because he’s clearly lying about his motivations. Andy teams up with Cassie (Perry Mooney), who herself was just passing through but sticks around in pursuit of reward money and podcast potential.
Over its 12 episodes, “Population 11” does what these shows do. There’s a drug episode, unusual romantic pairings, surprise violence and oddball sweetness. There are silly, clever moments, as when Cassie hosts a bar trivia night that is really an attempt to gather evidence and prompt a confession. And just when the plot appears to be stalling out, there are a few energetic twists and boosts toward the end that bring everything to a snappy conclusion. Sometimes really snappy: There’s a pet crocodile in the mix.
SIDE QUESTS
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Feldman delivers one of my favorite “Mad Men” monologues in the Season 5 episode “Far Away Places,” about how he is a Martian. It’s dreamy and wistful, a poetic reprieve that only later is obviously part of a serious mental illness. “Mad Men” is streaming only on AMC+ these days.
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“Population 11” was created by Phil Lloyd, who also created “Review With Myles Barlow.” That’s not streaming in America (booo), but its brilliant American version, “Review,” starring Andy Daly, is on Paramount+.
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Katrina Milosevic plays the bawdy police sergeant here, and she is just as good playing the fiery Boomer on the brutal, riveting prison drama “Wentworth.” That comes and goes from streaming platforms but sadly is not currently available.
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