Funky Squad (Australian TV series)
| Funky Squad | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Written by |
Santo Cilauro Tom Gleisner Jane Kennedy |
| Directed by |
Santo Cilauro Tom Gleisner Jane Kennedy |
| Starring |
Tim Ferguson Jane Kennedy Santo Cilauro Tom Gleisner |
| Composer(s) | Craig Harnath |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Melbourne |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Production company(s) | Working Dog Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC TV |
| Picture format | PAL (576i) |
| Original release | 24 April – 5 June 1995 |
Funky Squad was a short-lived 1995 Australian comedy television series which satirised 1970s-era U.S. police television dramas, such as The Mod Squad. Only 7 half-hour episodes were produced, which were broadcast on the ABC. Real television commercials from the 1970s were shown during the program's "commercial breaks".
The show featured four "funky" undercover detectives: undetectable as police, given their "hipness". The conclusion of each episode was deliberately designed to be incredibly predictable: usually the perpetrator of the crime under investigation could be identified within the first few minutes of the episode.
Before the television series, Funky Squad originally aired as a series of episodes on radio station Triple M. Rob Sitch, who played Grant, was replaced by Tim Ferguson when the series went to television.
In a metafictional setting, the characters were played by "actors" whose "names" were displayed in the opening credits of the program. These "real names" were also satirical, poking fun at the names of actors who appeared American 1970s cop shows.
The program was created and written by Australian comedians Santo Cilauro, Jane Kennedy, Tom Gleisner, and Rob Sitch of Frontline and The Late Show fame. Cilauro, Kennedy and Gleisner also co-directed the series. Sitch was originally to star but was replaced by Ferguson due to study commitments overseas.
The show was given a meagre production budget of A$1,000 per episode, so many of the costumes were acquired by wardrobe director Kitty Stuckey (best known for her work on Kath & Kim) at local Melburnian Salvation Army stores.
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