As a comedy about the modern workplace, Utopia hits all the KPIs

When the ABC announced late last year that there would be a fifth season of Utopia, a reasonable reaction might’ve been, “Why?” The series had already hit the bullseye. Over four uncannily astute and quietly hilarious outings from 2014-19 (available on Stan and Netflix, or to buy on Apple TV+), the satire about government, politics and bureaucracy had already demonstrated what it could do so well.

Written and produced by the Working Dog team of Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner and directed by Sitch, the series chronicles the lack of progress of the Nation Building Authority. The fictional quasi-government organisation, headed by the harried, deeply sighing Tony (Sitch), is tasked with initiating infrastructure projects, but fails to accomplish anything.

Rob Sitch and Dave Lawson in Utopia, a comedy set inside the fictional Nation Building Authority where infrastucture projects are devised, prioritised, modelled and costed, but nothing is actually achieved.Credit: Hwa Goh

Oh, the NBA and its well-intentioned staff are busy: they determine priorities, devise strategies, model projects, study graphs, white boards and Powerpoint presentations, and attend meetings. Then they make announcements and stage launches and ribbon-cutting ceremonies attended by government representatives in hard hats and fluoro-vests. But nothing is built and nothing is achieved beyond conjuring the impression of constructive activity. Nada. Zip. So what could a new season, four years on and with the same foundation and framework, hope to achieve? What more could these gifted creators say and what more could the NBA fail to do?

Well, more of the same, and thank goodness for that. The just-completed eight-part season (iview) once again takes the temperature of its times, nailing the machinations of government as well as practices familiar in any white-collar workplace. And it does so with its customarily spot-on comic timing, pitch-perfect ear for dialogue and vibrant ensemble.

The latest season is chock-full of subjects: generational divides, virtue signalling, diet trends, office romance, binge-viewing habits, Wordle preoccupations. Then there are the tech-related frustrations, from smart fridges that provide regular updates on their progress via apps, to the fallout from security upgrades and the limitations of cloud storage. As ever, Utopia nails the issues and their nuances and complexities. It’s not for nothing that it’s been remarked over the years that it seems more like a documentary than a comedy.

As with the rock-solid premise that determines that the NBA will never achieve anything concrete, its staff and their visiting colleagues remain the same, although Tony is looking more frazzled, as if sagging under the weight of expectations and painfully aware of the shortcomings of the system in which he operates. Alongside him is 2IC, Nat (Celia Pacquola), the chief operations officer who’s also capable and diligent and therefore, like Tony, exists in a state of frustration as she’s continually thwarted.

The rest of the staff are a friendly, cheerful bunch who try hard to be helpful. There’s Tony’s assistant, Katie (Emma Louise Wilson), project assistant Scott (Dave Lawson), senior project manager Ash (Dilruk Jayasinha) and office manager Courtney (Nina Oyama). Accommodating security guard Brian (Jamie Robertson) has also become an accepted presence.

Three related regulars swoop in as lively disrupters: government liaison officer Jim (Anthony Lehmann), media manager Rhonda (Kitty Flanagan) and HR chief Beverly (Rebecca Massey). This trio specialises in blithely firing off buzzwords that appear to address concerns but actually gloss over them, or, in Beverly’s case, make uncomfortable situations worse.

Episodes bounce along with multi-strand storylines that are fluidly woven together: typically there’s a project that’s run into problems, a technical hitch and a bit of office business. The latter might involve a farewell party for a staff member, an artwork that’s deemed problematic, or a Mexican-themed Christmas party that could create an unfavourable impression of cultural insensitivity.

The Nation Building Authority’s media manager Rhonda (Kitty Flanagan) and government liaison officer Jim (Anthony Lehmann) in Utopia.Credit: Hwa Goh

The production hums along like a well-oiled machine, its episodes resembling inventive new riffs on an established theme. And, as always, the quality of the writing suggests careful honing over years. In a sparkling season, the third episode is a standout, attesting to why Utopia is still so impressive, so valuable and so relevant.

Following the government’s election victory, in The Promise Land Tony is endeavouring to initiate swift action on the promise of making the NBA an independent body. Jim, however, is evasive, explaining that “there’s a lot going on”. Meanwhile, Katie is rejoicing in the news that the Animal Rights party might get a Senate seat as a result of preferences from the recently merged Camping and Cannabis Party. Beverly conducts a seminar on respectful behaviour in the workplace; Nat is quietly interested in a visiting consultant, Jonathan (Matthew McFarlane), an interest that is gently reciprocated; and Rhonda’s manoeuvrings have resulted in Tony being selected for the Financial Review’s annual Power List, which requires his participation in an interview and a photo shoot.

The episode grows into a comedy masterclass as each of the strands builds to increasing levels of absurdity. There are exchanges in Beverly’s seminar that have left me laughing days after my (second) viewing of the episode as Katie’s animal-rights concerns, Nat and Jonathan’s nascent attraction, and Ash, Scotty, Courtney and Brian’s desire to do the right thing collide with hilarious results, culminating in a brilliant punchline. A description couldn’t hope to do it justice. But it does speak eloquently to the fact that, while intending to foster a safe and respectful working environment, some HR guidelines can thwart basic and positive human interactions.

Running through it all is Tony’s inability to get a suitable cup of coffee or satisfying lunch because Katie, concerned about his diet and stress levels, is trying to coax him on to a plant-based path, replacing his cow-milk with oat and suppling the requested BLT with “facon” or converting it to “beetroot, lentils and tabouli”.

Utopia’s return is a joy to behold and emphatically answers the question of “Why?”

To loosely appropriate from the title of another Working Dog production that’s also due for revival, thank God they’re back.

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