The Family Law

The Family Law is an Australian comedy television program created by Benjamin Law. The six-part series, loosely adapted from Law's 2010 book of the same name, was written by Law and Marieke Hardy. The series was produced by Matchbox Pictures and screened on SBS from 14 January 2016. A second season of the show premiered on 15 June 2017. The third and final season of the show aired on 12 January 2019.[1] The show streams on Hulu in the US.[2]

This article is about the 2016 Australian series. For the 1999 American series, see Family Law (American TV series). For the 2019 Canadian series, see Family Law (Canadian TV series).

The Family Law
GenreSitcom
Comedy drama
Created byBenjamin Law
Based onThe Family Law
by Benjamin Law
Written by
Directed by
Starring
ComposerJoff Bush
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes18
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Julie Eckersley
  • Sophie Miller
CinematographyEric Murray Lui
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22-23 Minutes
Production companyMatchbox Pictures NBCUniversal International Studios
Release
Original networkSBS
Original release14 January 2016 (2016-01-14) –
12 January 2019 (2019-01-12)

Plot

The series follows the dysfunctional world of a Chinese-Australian family through the eyes of 14-year-old Benjamin Law. It is set on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, but filmed in Sunnybank Brisbane, over a long, hot summer the family will never forget. The family consists of Benjamin Law, eldest sister Candy, older brother Andrew, younger sisters Tammy and Michelle and parents Jenny and Danny.[3]

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast
  • Kimie Tsukakoshi as Heidi Thomson
  • Takaya Honda as Klaus Thomson
  • Sam Cotton as Wayne, Candy's boyfriend
  • Diana Lin as Maisy, Jenny's acquaintance
  • Loretta Kung as Daisy, Jenny's acquaintance

Episodes

Series 1 (2016)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Queensland's Got Talent"Jonathan BroughBenjamin Law14 January 2016 (2016-01-14)
22"Tra-la-la-la-Law"Jonathan BroughBenjamin Law21 January 2016 (2016-01-21)
33"Asians Gone Wild"Jonathan BroughBenjamin Law28 January 2016 (2016-01-28)
44"Birthday Bash"Jonathan BroughBenjamin Law & Marieke Hardy4 February 2016 (2016-02-04)
55"Everything's Coming Up Roses"Jonathan BroughBenjamin Law & Marieke Hardy11 February 2016 (2016-02-11)
66"Love Is in the Air"Jonathan BroughBenjamin Law & Marieke Hardy18 February 2016 (2016-02-18)

Series 2 (2017)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
71"New Beginnings"Ben ChessellBenjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher15 June 2017 (2017-06-15)
Danny opens a new Chinese grocery store and shows off this new modern apartment. Tension rises as Jenny tries to find herself in a new post-divorce world. Meanwhile Benjamin fights it out for middle school captain with his good-looking archnemesis Klaus.
82"Help Yourself"Ben ChessellBenjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher15 June 2017 (2017-06-15)
Tension rises as Jenny's journey of self-discovery is belittled by people around her. She decides to change back to her maiden name. Benjamin fights it out for the lead role in a Greek tragedy school play.
93"Adult Education"Ben ChessellLawrence Leung22 June 2017 (2017-06-22)
104"The Family Kerr"Sophie MillerBenjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher6 July 2017 (2017-07-06)
115"Money, Money, Money"Ben ChessellBenjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher13 July 2017 (2017-07-13)
126"Matters of the Heart"Ben ChessellBenjamin Law20 July 2017 (2017-07-20)

Series 3 (2019)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
131"Ready for This"Ben ChessellBenjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher12 January 2019 (2019-01-12)
142"Close Encounters of the Male Kind"Ben ChessellBenjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher12 January 2019 (2019-01-12)
153"Painfully Camp"Ben ChessellBenjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher12 January 2019 (2019-01-12)
164"Dancing in the Dark"Ben ChessellBenjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher12 January 2019 (2019-01-12)
175"Panic Stations"Ben ChessellBenjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher12 January 2019 (2019-01-12)
186"Number One Gay Son"Sophie MillerBenjamin Law & Kirsty Fisher12 January 2019 (2019-01-12)

Reception and ratings

During the run of its first series The Family Law averaged a national audience of 417,000. It was also the highest viewed program on SBS On Demand throughout the series.[4][5]

The program attracted an audience of 1.1 million views for its exclusive Facebook premiere of its first episode days before it aired on television.[6][7]

Critical reception

The program has received critical acclaim from critics.

One critic from Daily Review Australia said "the core challenge is making a captivating comedy series about normal people living normal lives. The Family Law gives it a good crack, and has an amiable quality that many viewers will find endearing."[8]

Another critic from The Guardian said "there’s so much detail, warmth and gentle humour to the script, direction and production design that the characters and settings are relatable for anyone who grew up – or is growing up – in Australia." She gave the program 4 out of 5 stars.[9]

Awards and accolades
Awards and accolades for The Family Law
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
2016 6th AACTA Awards AACTA Award for Best Television Comedy Series The Family Law Nominated
AACTA Award for Best Comedy Performance Fiona Choi Nominated
2017 Australian Directors Guild Awards Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Program Jonathan Brough (episode: "Queensland's Got Talent") Nominated

References
  1. "Watch The Family Law, based on the best-selling book by Benjamin Law". Programs. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  2. The Family Law | Series Trailer | Hulu, retrieved 7 April 2022
  3. "Cameras roll on The Family Law". 14 May 2015.
  4. "The Family Law Season 2 | Matchbox Pictures". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  5. "SBS commissions second season of 'The Family Law' - IF Magazine". If.com.au. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  6. "Facebook premiere of The Family Law receives 1.1m views - AdNews". Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  7. "Benjamin Law's 'The Family Law' Will Be Back On SBS With 2nd Season In 2017 - Pedestrian TV". 27 June 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  8. "The Family Law TV review (SBS) - Daily Review: Film, stage and music reviews, interviews and more". dailyreview.com.au. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  9. Lee, Nicole (15 January 2016). "The Family Law review: a loving and gently funny Australian family drama". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
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