Episode Guide
Bin Day Deep Pockets The Red Hot Rule The Great One Ode to a Koala Bear The Handies Emu War II Hot Christmas While Kevin Williams may seem like a mediocre father and husband, he’s also a mediocre, self-proclaimed superhero looking to create upstanding Australian citizens. Created by Michael Cusack (the voice of Kevin/Koala Man), Hulu’s Koala Man opens in a fictionalized version of the real town of Dapto, Australia–a.k.a “the most boring, backwards, piece of shit place in the entire world.” It’s Kevin’s and his (not so) secret alter-ego’s mission to clean up both the streets and morals of Dapto. But not everyone appreciates the below-average hero’s efforts. Koala Man will meet resistance from nearly every front: from his town and its mayor Big Greg (Hugh Jackman), from his family, and from a secret and deadly arch-nemesis. Utilizing a surreal and creative style reminiscent of Rick and Morty, Koala Man approaches everyday struggles by displacing them into the most absurd scenarios. Every day brings a new challenge to Kevin, from taking out the bins on time to defeating earth-threatening alien life forms. Along the way, his wife Vicky (Sarah Snook) will struggle with her own self-worth, along with marriage to an over-obsessive “hero”; their daughter Alison (Demi Lardner) will do whatever it takes to be most popular and powerful girl in Dapto; and their son Liam (Cusack) will grapple with feeling out-of-place in this small town. Cusack and fellow showrunners/writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit know how to use their setting to elevate the animated show. Dapto is immediately more entertaining and interesting as a setting when we recognize it as a spoof of a real Australian suburb–as is Kevin as a sketch of a real kind of person: a rules-stringent, middle-aged suburban dad. Of course, the show wouldn’t be what it is without the absurdity that twists these little elements of realism into unbelievable and bizarre scenarios. Creative leaps and bounds are made; they sometimes work; they sometimes don’t. But even with the show’s “weird” factor dialed all the way up, Koala Man generally does a decent job keeping relatable themes at its heart, whether making comical commentary on Australia or on humanity as a whole. In the end, it’s these themes, and how they are humorously explored through Koala Man’s characters, that make the series worth watching. Cusack, Hernandez, and Sanit never lose sight of what makes these lovable, screwball characters who they are–resulting in strong, compelling arcs. I could go on about the series, but season 1 of Koala Man has taught me at least one thing: If we obsess too much over one thing, we might lose sight of what truly matters in life. All eight episodes of Koala Man season 1 will drop on Hulu Monday, January 9th.
