30 minSeason 1 • Episode 7
LatestThe team is the subject of twisted death threats after an inmate with a score to settle is released from jail. Will they become victims of a vendetta? It's a roller-coaster ride of thrills in what could be Funky Squad's final case.
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.
Writing
Radio-to-TV adaptation with zero budget inflation.
Costume
Polyester that actually existed in 1970s Melbourne.
Production
Real vintage ads: cheaper than faking the era.
Creators
Rob Sitch, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The D-Generation/Working Dog crew built Australian comedy's most ruthless satirical eye here; this became the prototype for Frontline and The Panel.
Those 'vintage' commercials weren't props—ABC archivists literally pulled 1970s ad reels, making this possibly the only show where the commercials were the budget.
AU
