Fox’s 'The Moodys': Original Australian shows follow Dan Moody’s struggle to catch a break as he deals with his dysfunctional family
Don’t we all love shows and movies about dysfunctional families? Be it ‘Succession’ or ‘Arrested Development’, there’s something about a bunch of messed up people huddled under one roof that makes for great television.
‘The Moodys’, Fox’s upcoming comedy featuring Denis Leary, Elizabeth Perkins, Francois Arnaud, Chelsea Frei and Jay Baruchel, is right up that alley. The series is an adaption of a 2014 Australian show of the same name, which follows on from a 2012 Australian show called ‘A Moody Christmas’.
So, what exactly happened in both these shows? The story begins with Dan Moody returning home alone to Sydney for Christmas, after getting dumped by his girlfriend. He’s back home for the first time since moving to London two years ago.
But Dan can’t catch a break. He has a weird family to deal with. It is one shenanigan after another around Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family members scheming against each other. Stolen presents, drunken faux pas and breakdowns decorate the tree the Moody family is.
Dan, alongside all the drama, deals with having feelings for his cousin’s girlfriend Cora -- they had once kissed a long time ago. Of course, his wishes come to no fruition. In the end, Dan discovers his cousin Hayden and Cora are engaged.
Gutted, he goes home, but things have yet to take a turn for the worse, his Grandma dies. And, of course, his brother Sean packed her ashes into fireworks, at the funeral. A year later, Dan and Cora are now finally dating.
Maree and Kevin, Dan’s parents put the Moody home up for sale. This angers Sean. On the other side, in an attempt to impress Cora's family, Dan invites them to Uncle Terry's Australia Day barbeque.
Things, true to nature, don’t go anything according to plan. The barbecue disintegrates into another Moody disaster after a flag is accidentally burnt and Dan is stung by a bluebottle. This continues as a trend.
Whether it is the 40th birthday party of Dan’s sister Bridget, or Easter celebrations, Bridget's baby shower or even a wedding, doom follows the Moody family. In the meanwhile, Sean accidentally hits a penguin while moving across the harbor on a jet ski, drunk.
And Terry, Dan’s uncle, runs for council elections. But Dan has other problems -- like Cora’s brother Sammy, who according to him, is a little too close with Cora; more close than siblings should be. But that’s Dan’s life, isn't it?
It will be fun to see Francois Arnaud play Dan and go through life with an overbearing family, with an American Twist, of course. Maybe their July 4 barbeque plans will be foiled instead of Australia Day. You never know.
'The Moodys' is scheduled to premiere on Fox on December 4, 2019.