Ranking Every HBO Miniseries From Worst To Best

45. Jonah From Tonga

The nadir of the once-revered Chris Lilley came in his attempt to base a full limited series around one of his most beloved creations. On the seminal Summer Heights High, Jonah Takalua was the breakout character, a rebellious teenager of Polynesian descent played with humour and genuine empathy by Lilley.

The problem came when Jonah went from a featured player to the main attraction, and it quickly became a little queasy watching Chris Lilley cavorting in brownface make up and attempting to satirise the racism experienced by Polynesian-Australians in an incredibly clumsy manner.

Lilley’s heart was most likely in the right place and the affection he has for the character is clear, but the show was heavily criticised for failing to define its purpose, and leaning into, rather than challenging, the stereotypes of Pacific people.

A ratings disaster, this spelled the end for Lilley’s lucrative relationship with HBO; he’d go on to produce Lunatics for Netflix, which went on to replace Jonah From Tonga as the worst project of the comedian’s professional life.