Every HBO Comedy Ranked From Worst To Best

62. Ja'mie: Private School Girl

For a while, Chris Lilley seemed like he could be the next big thing in TV comedy. His shows We Can Be Heroes and, particularly, Summer Heights High mixed cringe humour with great characters and genuine heart. There were problematic elements (Lilley, a white man, plays most of the main characters, regardless of their background), but the show was empathetic, often sweet, and most importantly funny.

Then he did the same thing again and again. Ja’mie: Private School Girl isn’t quite his nadir, but it’s a fundamental misstep. Lilley takes one of his lesser characters from Summer Heights High, builds a whole show around her, but makes little effort to add any depth or character development across the interminable six-episode run.

That would be just fine if the jokes were on point - but they’re decidedly not. Ja’mie is a spoiled brat who’s abrasive and unpleasant, and that’s it. Lilley falls into the trap of refusing to allow his co-stars to do anything other than feed him cues - he wants every laugh for himself, and in this instance, they’re few and far between.