Queen of Oz (2023) User Reviews

Pretty funny I thought.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 18 June 2023]

An unwanted, ginger haired member of The Royal family has become a national disgrace, and to spare The Country and family any more torture, she's packed off.....

.....and so begins the reign of Queen Georgiana of Australia.

Catherine Tate where on Earth do you get such weird and wild ideas, I can only imagine.

Already this show has been fairly unfairly maligned, but if like me you're a big fan of Tate, you'll enjoy it, it's typical of her brand of humour. How nice to sit down to something funny on a Friday night, it's been a while.

It's a bumpy opening, but it develops well as the series progresses, there are some fun characters and great one liners, lots of jokes about Britain's standing on the world stage.

It won't be to everyone's taste, but I enjoyed it, a funny take on the madness of The Brits abroad.

7/10.

If you keep watching you'll be glad you did

[ldbear-31508 · 7/10 · 18 June 2023]

I would've given this an 8, except the series was uneven. Some of the bad reviews on here are from people who only watched the first episode or the first couple. Those episodes were fair at best, relying too much on gross humour and one level of shrillness from Tate. But within that, two of the characters in particular were very funny - Bernard, played by Robert Coleby, successfully channeling Sir John Gielgud from "Arthur" and Anabel, played by Niky Wardley, the ditzy lady-in-waiting. The writing for them was very clever and I thought "OK, maybe it just needs to find its way" so I kept watching.

What I think this is supposed to be is a satire of what happens to members of the Royal Family who don't conform and Georgiana does not. Despite her obvious privilege, I think Tate very successfully - although not immediately - creates a character who never fit into the "Royal" template and who's very damaged by many things that happened to her in the past. She has a family who doesn't care about her at all as a person and never did.

Tate loses a lot of the shrillness and becomes quite sympathetic as the show continues. She's a good actress and comedienne and I was glad to see that come out. There is a cast of straightmen and women that Tate uses to her advantage to strut her sarcastic humour and they're all game. Besides the two actors I mentioned earlier who were so funny, I'd also add Sylvia, played by Lynette Curran, who shows up a few episodes in with her dog and has a single bit that she does frequently, but it's so well timed and so silly that I laughed each time. It felt like the part was written for Jacki Weaver, but she wasn't available or something.

It's hard to say more without mentioning main plot points. I'm trying to keep the spoilers light so my review isn't hidden due to spoilers. The whole season is a bit over two hours. If you watch the whole thing, I think you'll be glad you did.

It Really Was Very Funny

[martimusross · 7/10 · 30 June 2023]

Queen of Oz

It took me a little time to get into it, but overall it was really very funny. It all seemed a very unlikely scenario that would produce some comedy gold but Katherine Tate really worked it.

The whole cast really had some great comic timing, the golden scenes were the hunting, the wedding, the beach cabin and the ginger eyebrows

I look forward to season 2, the character was a likeable monster and she really grew on me, I thought Matthew was great "I can't go hunting, I'm a vegan" lol with the small hands.

I'm giving this a weak 7 outta 10, perhaps too high a mark but I laughed out loud several times and I'm a hardened critic.

Funny.

[liamtidy-64520 · 7/10 · 20 June 2023]

My partner and I just finished season one and whilst yes. The first couple of episodes definitely depict a Catherine Tate character we are sort of familiar with already, with some cringe moments, designed to show the stagnant and backwords thinking of the charactor. But It grows beyond this. It is something different if you carry on watching, we found the character's haphazard growth through absurdity funny and we are looking forward to watching some more.

Pleasantly surprised after reading the reviews and enjoyed Catherine Tates performance. We had some proper laugh out loud moments whilst watching.

Funny AF

[charlie-tavistock · 10/10 · 15 February 2024]

Tate is just epic in this. Haven't always been the biggest fan of hers (not into Dr Who) but love her as Queen Georgie. I literally couldn't stop myself from bingeing with my partner - watched it all in 2 night. It's the best kind of inappropriateness that has you p***ing yourself.

Tate's no-filter mouth is like watching your favorite trainwreck in slowmo, but funnier (if you find trainwrecks funny - which I do). They throw shade at pretty much everything - I was cracking up at the spot on Aussie digs.

So WTF BBC! Seriously? It's like they've got this thing for axing the good stuff just when you get hooked. Queen of Oz better find a new home cause its to good to just end like that. The writing's genius, casting on point, and it's just the right mix of traditional type of laughs and "did they really just say that?" Also I was surprised that I became emotionally invested in Georgie because as awful as she can be at times, you realize that it's not all her fault and want her to find happiness - hopefully with Marc. Hope somehow someone else will pick it up and we get more of this madness!

So, two lesbian koalas walk into a bar. Ouch.

[wdawson-92605 · 7/10 · 22 June 2023]

Pleasantly surprised after the first episode, it's not as hackneyed or cringey as I expected. As a not easy to please viewer, I found a couple of laugh out loud bits and, compared to the other fare Auntie offers us currently, that's a decided plus. Also, any comedic material in the capable hands of Catherine Tate has a more than average chance of success. And, a good point made by another reviewer about not bingeing but going old school on the episodes - definitely recommended in this case. Let each episode percolate.

Now, to fill up the quota.

Klsenfcewvi euhr;aoimsfd alksdjnvlieruhtqowiecmaskd jnf.

Truly awful

[fngroves · 1/10 · 16 June 2023]

There is nothing faintly funny about this badly done pseudo comedy based on a ridiculous premise with a dreadful script, and awful stereotyping that appears out of place and dated .Catherine Tate's character is wholly unlikeable and rude which somehow we are supposed to find funny, it most definitely is not . It may have worked with characters on previous shows but not here .I hoped it would improve as more characters were introduced but sadly not Catherine Tate is talented but she should not have got involved with this and the BBC should not have commissioned it. A very disappointing use of licence fees and talent.

Very very funny show

[tessa1487 · 10/10 · 14 February 2024]

I absolutely adored 'Queen of Oz'! Catherine Tate's brilliance shines once again in this comedy that's not just hilarious but also has its touching moments. The show's edgy and irreverent humor, mixed with a bit of cringe, had me hooked from the start, leading me to binge-watch the entire series in a single evening. It's the kind of show that's so good, you just can't stop watching.

The dynamic between the characters, especially their love-hate relationship with the queen, is a highlight. Tate's character is both shocking and delightful. The series doesn't shy away from poking fun at the British monarchy and Australian quirks, making it a riot for anyone with a slightly warped sense of humor. It's a shame to hear BBC has cancelled the show, as it's genuinely a gem that deserves more. Here's hoping another network recognizes its brilliance and gives us a much-deserved second season. The clever writing, spot-on casting, and the way it flirts with the truth while keeping you laughing is pure genius.

Interesting

[GoldenGooner04 · 7/10 · 13 August 2023]

Should be called the Nan of OZ. When Kate gets angry, she turns into Nan. I just prey she don't talk to the Daleks with the Nan voice.

So who's story is this?

Harry? Her upbringing she felt like a "Spare" Diana and the security guard, (if we get season 2) Or Margaret forced to marry someone she did not want to, oh wait what about the King who married Diana but wanted to marry "Horsey Face" as she was called in the UK for many a year I go with the King as "Horsey Face" was actually said on the last episode. Will this come back, I have my doubts, it's not a comedy I laughed once in episode 3 i think I wanted to turn it off after episode 1 I am a fan of Kate but not to much of Nan. But as I carried on watching it has many layers to it Did Catherine get involved in the script writing? If not I would like to hear what the writer actually thinks of the Royals.

It would def have not worked if it was based in Canada. I have been to OZ and in the outback they do speak like that :-)

Oh dear...

[duncancmccann · 18 June 2023]

Catherine Tate seems to be an 'all or nothing' performer to me. Sometimes her characters are very funny, sometimes they fall flat as a pancake. She does have a tendency to stretch a one-joke character so thin that eventually it snaps and the original joke becomes so overworked that it just isn't funny any more.

"Queen of Oz" doesn't seem to have a joke or a character that hasn't already been bent out of shape to fit into a shaky framework that just isn't funny. Some will love it I guess, but it's not for me.

The whole premise is so far-fetched as to be ridiculous, it's neither based in reality or interestingly surreal, it's just one of those ideas that seemed funny when you were drunk one night, but really can't stand the harsh light of day.

Dire In All Respects

[eamonn_m · 1/10 · 17 June 2023]

I was lookng forward to Tate's return but it saddens me to admit that this show was not worth waiting for. Terrible script writing, one dimensional, unlikable, characters and certainly not funny in any shape or form, It all felt very dated, akin to something from the 90s. Tate's worst work and not worthy of transmission on BBC1. I stuck with it for the full 30 minutes but longed for it to end.

Falling back on projectile vomitting as a visual 'joke' and unnecessary bad language added to a sense of desperation from the production team who must have realised this is a white elephant of a show. How it got commissioned is beyond me,

Your time will be better used watching paint dry.

A total crack up!

[mondayschild-37944 · 9/10 · 27 July 2023]

It starts so very cringeworthy and irreverent then gets even more so! Totally appealed to my warped sense of humour and you just have to roll with it and not overthink it 😁They had to have had fun making it!

This is a series bound to offend the sensibilities of some people who should preferably not slam the door on their way out! 😂 The dialogue and characters poked fun at both the British monarchy and Australians and their idiosyncrasies overall and, as an Aussie, it was easy to laugh at all the character representations.

Made me belly laugh out loud and I really hope they make a second season 👍

Keep watching

[tqyhfvk · 7/10 · 16 March 2024]

The absurd premise should be your first hint that this show is hilarious. The characters and plot develop nicely through the episodes.

From shrieking self-obsessed alcoholic Queen Georgiana develops into an understandably damaged, self-centred but not irredeemably so, woman managing the best she can in difficult circumstances.

Anything that could go wrong in her life does, and she reacts accordingly. Not necessarily sensibly, but accordingly. Not everything is her fault, although some of it really is. The band of misfits around her somehow survive.

I'm disappointed to read that it's been cancelled because the end of episode 6 is just leading into the next round of comedy-of-errors!

Nice structural symmetry, having the first and last episodes with very convincing vomit.

Lazy, lame and unfunny - a disastrous flop!

[JRB-NorthernSoul · 1/10 · 16 June 2023]

Where to start? What a disaster... If anyone gives this a high rating the heatwave's got to them or they're part of the crew.

First off the premise is really stupid and unbelievable, errant, disgusting royal is sent to Oz to win them over from becoming a republic, really?

Secondly the writing was so lazy and poor, terrible dialogue that was coarse and unfunny and very predictable.

Thirdly her character was entirely unlikeable, which wouldn't have been a problem if her character was funny at any point.

Production values were poor and it looked cheaply and quickly made.

Some of the jokes directed at one of the Asian actors were borderline racist and bought to mind Jim Davidson and Roy Chubby Brown - very poor judgement by the producers.

Catherine Tate can be very funny but certainly isn't here. If you want to watch a royal comedy head for 'The Windsors' on C4 catchup its a zillion times funnier.

A jolly good giggle

[scnmkjmp · 9/10 · 26 July 2023]

I can totally agree with another reviewer: those who don't like Catherine Tate gave it a one star.

Boo to them!

I'm not sure why they watched it!?

I, personally loved it. I agree you have to push past the first episode. There is some really great character building up for another season please!

We all love a messed up royal!

Wei Wei was hysterically funny! As we're all the queens staff.

Well done all!

Teddies mum had me laughing every time!

I think it deffo needs a boost up from 6/10, much better than that. Seven is usually my do not watch yet because it was Catherine I so glad I gave it a go!

You should too!

Woeful

[repomonkey · 1/10 · 17 June 2023]

It doesn't help that I've always found Catherine Tate to be about as funny as cancer, but I was willing to give this new show a go.

Unfortunately, it's one of the worst sitcoms I've ever seen in my life. It's like some awful blast from the past when comedy involved around, just being excruciatingly vile to everybody.

I don't know whether it's because the script for the show was written by Catherine Tates partner, but I find it staggering that the BBC decided to greenlight this nightmarish disaster.

Do yourself a favour and watch literally anything else other than this horrendous excuse for a TV show.

Absolutely loved it.

[jpartington-00733 · 10/10 · 20 September 2023]

Love Catherine's work, so I thought I'd give it a watch and thought it was brilliant and extremely hilarious, so much so, I binge watched the entire series in one evening.

You know when something is good, you can not stop watching!

I loved how the characters had a love, hate relationship with "the queen" and how she didn't care how she spoke to others. Using the filthy language we have seen from Nana in the passed.

Sadly, once the series finished, I was shocked to see Netflix had cancelled the show which I'm really getting fed up with if I'm being honest. They seem to be making some amazing series and then dropping them. So I do hope another channel will pick this up, as its brilliant.

Falls flat.

[iSkiDV · 3/10 · 21 June 2023]

Queen of Oz falls flat from the very beginning. Ridiculous though the premise, I thought I would give it a chance. Unfortunately, Catherine Tate does nothing to draw the viewer in. Her cousin/assistant/whomever is supposed to be a moron, but yet again, the things that are supposed to get laughs generally well... don't. It's not that the audience doesn't get the joke, the joke(s) simply aren't funny. Some manage to be mildly amusing at best, but not nearly enough to elicit the kind of laughs you'd expect.

Where this was filmed & on what budget it's completely impossible to tell. The first episode should make one want to see more, but Georgiana is so irritating that you simply don't care what happens to her or anyone else involved.

While yes, it is supposed to be a comedy & accuracy in certain things can be overlooked, it lacks the same quality and (surprising) realism of some aspects of other BBC comedies, such as Ghosts. At least in theory, one would think something like this may have the potential to be funnier than a show about seeing dead people, but it's just not the case.

From her lines, to her accent to disgusting &/or terrible jokes, the redeeming qualities appear nonexistent. At that, it's difficult to determine exactly who the audience is. The 'humour' is something all its own... and that's not a compliment. Hard pass.

I surprised myself when I started to enjoy this

[cjw1976 · 8/10 · 22 July 2023]

Ive not been a Catherine Tate fan in the past. I didn't think I would like this at all but I found it surprisingly enjoyable. In fact, I very much warmed to her character by the end and really hope for a series 2. I don't find shouty and rude humour funny but with the dynamics of our own royal family unraveling over the last few years, I think its very cleverly wrote. As a royalist who has an interest in the families dynamics, this had some very clever hidden references to many generations of the Royal Family. She depicts different royals in just one character. You'd automatically think it was Harry acting like a spoiled brat and he was probably the inspiration but I could see multiple people coming through. Fingers crossed for season 2. Marc is a total dish.

Avoid watching

[lucillecox · 1/10 · 22 June 2023]

Found the constant shouting totally unnecessary and very annoying. There does not appear to be much of a story line and found the whole premise not engaging and a very hard watch.

I would have hoped the BBC would have more quality content, particularly considering the prime slot on a Friday evening. This is far more a BBC3 show than BBC1

Would most definitely recommend avoiding this series as it's not her best work. Some of her previous characters have been funny in parts but more miss the mark completely. Think it maybe time to stick with more serious acting as the comedy value is past its prime.

If you like comedies that are actually hilarious this is the show for you

[todddonovan · 10/10 · 27 July 2023]

First off, let me say that Queen of Oz is an absolutely hysterical show that leaves me bent over from laughing so hard. Don't pay attention to the negative reviews some people are leaving for Queen of Oz, watch the series and make up your own mind. Unfortunately there's a lot of haters in the world who seem to get some sort of weird satisfaction from trashing famous people, and to top it all off, most readily admit they didn't watch more than a few minutes of the show (or they might be snowflake monarchists-who knows). Well, their loss because Queen of Oz is already in my top 5 TV comedies of all-time. That's saying a lot since most of my other favorite shows (Peep Show, Veep, Arrested Development and Thick Of It) have been around for awhile with waaaay more episodes but I can't stop watching this show. Have binged through it three times already!

If you're a true comedy lover, and not easily offended, then this show is for you. Although there's a well-executed story line and growth throughout the series, the crown jewels of this show are the laughs, which there are loads of. Unlike a lot of "comedies" these days that are really dramas with a smattering of jokes thrown in, or heartwarming shows that hit you over the head with sappy positivity and cringeworthy political correctness (I'm looking at you Ted Lasso), Queen of Oz is a true, rude, unapologetic comedy.

Catherine Tate is a comedic genius as Queen Georgie. Her timing and delivery are impeccable (she also cowrote it as well so kudos to her for writing such witty scripts) She makes me laugh when she's lambasting someone on her team, and at the opposite end of the spectrum, when she's coy and embarrassed. It's all hilarious in it's own way. Some people assume that the show is just 6 episodes of her screaming, but the jokes go far beyond that. As the series progresses they begin to peel back the onion and we see there's a lot more to Georgie than that. Yes, she can often be an absolute nightmare, but we slowly begin to understand why she is the way she is. What I love most about this show is that it doesn't whack you across the face trying to explain this. The show treats the audience like adults who are able to read between the lines to understand her.

And it's not just Catherine's comedy that soars, the supporting cast is superb as well. They all add their own distinctive comedy to the series and all have LOL moments throughout. The standouts for me are Matthew (or Craig - watch the show and you'll get this reference) who's hilarious as Georgie's skittish personal assistant. Weiwei, the deliciously snarky and sarcastic master of the household. Anabel, Georgie's witless lady in waiting, who delivers some of the best one-liners throughout the series. And although he's only in a couple of episodes, Prince Freddie, Georgie's brother, whose sibling rivalry and constant bickering with his sister are some of the best scenes in the entire series.

Hopefully the BBC have already commissioned a second series because it's one the best shows they've put out in a very long time. Please don't give us more safe, middle of the road, laugh-tracked comedies. Spend your money (which is really ours) on shows like Queen of Oz that aren't necessarily going to be everyone's cup of tea, but push the boundaries, like all good comedies should.

Horrible

[donaldsonramsay · 1/10 · 18 June 2023]

Clearly coasting on past successes. This Catherine Tate venture is so lazily written whilst labouring under the illusion that crass physical comedy is still funny. Episode one was like a very weak episode of something Ben Elton might have thrown together back in the eighties.

This show looked cheap and nasty with no likeable characters. It didn't even look like it was filmed in Australia. My indifference was such that I didn't even bother to check.

It must surely be the case that if Tate rocked up to the BBC with a phone directory then the corporation would likely commission it. So to recap avoid this bilge like the plague. There's a wealth of content all over the place these days, so there's no real need to waste your time on this.

Funny penetrating and not patronising

[nsxttnxp · 9/10 · 30 June 2023]

Gets deeper and cleverer and more outrageously and penetratingly funny with each succeeding episode. And never loses its fundamental humanity - you never laugh at her but always feel engaged with her self obsessions and independence. Paradoxically the almost surreal sequences of events and characters create more grounded reality than any other recent comedy series, even those with say Jenniffer Saunders, as her character is always herself, never watching herself being the character. One of the hardest thing in playing farce is to create a character with a rounded personality rather than simply being unidimensional to be the butt of a superior audience's know it all judgements.

Hmmm .. It's comedy ... right?

[colinrogers1 · 2/10 · 2 July 2023]

I'm not sure what level of reality I'm expected to be operating on..( said Malcolm Tucker in 'The Thick of it') Never been a big fan of Catherine Tate but always tried to give her the benefit of the doubt to tingle my comedy tastes. This doesn't help me at all. It's dross. So unfunny. Incredibly bland. The idea that she would be a Princess in the first place with her contrived, unpolished demeanour is a stretch at the most generous. Her character in Dr Who was her renaissance. Her short term role in the US Office was less impactful..It does show that her early success was due to some lucky writing collaborations and big budgets. I hope she has further success in other projects. But not with this. Awful.

Much better than the trailer...

[carol-morley · 8/10 · 16 June 2023]

Halfway through s.1 and getting funnier by the episode. Just when you think this is cheerfully broad clowning, and all the better for being Catherine Tate leading the circus, the snappy one-liners kick in and keep on coming. Royal caricatures destruct-tested in an unlikely Aussie parallel universe. The unfinished koala joke from episode 1 is capped by the traumatic kangaroo event of ep.2 (which, shamefully was even funnier). Before the end of this first series, will there be a regal cock-up with the prawns at a Palace Barbie? An unspecified Vegemite Scandal by Royal Appointment? Will - and already I wouldn't put it past Her Australian Majesty - we see her Christmas Speech on the beach? More please.