CHENNAI: Legal dramas are invariably serious and sedate with lengthy arguments in stuffy legalese language. But the latest Netflix outing, “Fisk,” is just about the opposite.
The six-episode series is genuinely funny. Set in Melbourne, it follows Helen Tudor-Fisk, played by Kitty Flanagan.
Set in Melbourne, the show follows Helen Tudor-Fisk, played by Kitty Flanagan. (Netflix)
Co-written by Flanagan and her sister Penny, the series gets off to an unorthodox start with Fisk walking into law firm, Gruber and Gruber, in a baggy brown suit. She is looking for a job.
She previously worked for a legal firm in Sydney, but after her husband left her for a younger woman, she decided to move back to her home town, Melbourne, where she clinches an assignment with Gruber and Gruber.
Hired by law firm partner, Ray Gruber (Marty Sheargold), largely because she is the daughter of a former Supreme Court judge, Tudor-Fisk is initially unsure, but soon gets over her nervousness.
Gruber’s sister, Roz (Julia Zemiro), is also a lawyer but has lost her licence and so takes on the role of an office manager. The motley group is completed by George (Aaron Chen), a probate clerk who calls himself the webmaster because he manages the company’s website and likes to use outdated terms.
On her first day at work, Tudor-Fisk is banned from the cafe downstairs for talking too loudly, and to her horror, discovers that the guy she called out is the restaurant owner.
Upstairs, she is thrown into a case where a woman wants her brother to have a vasectomy to fulfil her mother’s will.
Later, Roz finds out that Tudor-Fisk had lost her earlier job because of her rude behavior.
And so goes “Fisk,” and delightfully through short episodes that are to the point. Yes, they are high on excitement, but without the noise and din associated with some recent television comedies.
The cast, especially, makes “Fisk” an enjoyable watch, with Flanagan delivering a fine performance – subtle but with a strong comedic punch.
