Mother and Son is an Australian television sitcom reboot of the series of the same name broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) since 23 August 2023.^[1] The series stars Denise Scott and Matt Okine as Maggie and Arthur, respectively.^[2][3]

Filming for the series began in Sydney in March 2023.^[4] Unlike the original series which filmed on a sound stage with a multi-camera setup with an audience, the series is filmed as a single-camera setup.

Plot

Following a breakup from his long-suffering girlfriend, Arthur puts his future on hold to move back home with his widowed mother, Maggie. Arthur and his older sister, Robbie, attempt to care for Maggie, who may recently have almost burnt down the kitchen, but still runs circles around her children.^[5]

Cast

• Matt Okine as Arthur Boye
• Denise Scott as Maggie Boye
• Angela Nica Sullen as Robbie
• Catherine Văn-Davies as Maya
• Andrea Demetriades as Dee
• Virginia Gay as Liz

Episodes

Reception

A reviewer on The Guardian Australia wrote of the series that, 'As a remake it's lacklustre (and not a patch on the original), but as its own production, doing its own thing, it’s modestly entertaining.' He went on to conclude that, 'The new Mother and Son is at its best when focusing on interpersonal dynamics and snarky back-and-forth between the titular characters. Scott and Okine both do a good job, bringing likability and some charisma. But talk about a poisoned chalice. The genius of McDonald and Cracknell is even more apparent now that others have performed in their shadows.'^[14]

A Sydney Morning Herald reviewer wrote that, 'For a sitcom, this Mother and Son is not necessarily funny; in fact, it's low-key depressing. A lot of the gags sit there without a sharp pay-off, lending the series […] a flat energy that might be the best argument yet for the return of the TV laugh track.' However, he continued to write that, 'The series feels significant in broaching those icky topics we'd often rather ignore,' and concluded by acknowledging that, 'The show's overarching pleasantness is reason to stick with it [...] Despite its famous template, this version feels like a breath of fresh air.'^[15]

References