Australian comedian Chris Lilley is working on a new comedy project. According to Deadline, Netflix has given a 10-episode order to a comedy series from Lilley. No details about the untitled show have been revealed yet, but production is slated to take place in Queensland from now to June. Lilley’s most recent series, Jonah from Tonga, aired in the states on HBO in 2014 and received mixed reviews to say the least, with many critics calling Lilley out for performing in brownface and The Guardian referring to it as a “modern minstrel show” that made Polynesians “collateral damage on [his] quest to critique racism.” (Jonah is far from the only Lilley character to receive this criticism; see also his portrayals of black rapper S.mouse and Japanese mom Jen Okazaki). Prior to Jonah from Tonga, Lilley starred in a handful of his own shows: 2005’s We Can Be Heroes, 2007’s Summer Heights High, 2011’s Angry Boys, and 2013’s Ja’mie: Private School Girl.
Chris Lilley Has a New Comedy Series in the Works at Netflix
