Gone to the dogs, with style

PATTIE PEGLER

A DOG'S LIFE: Happily, Hounds is not all about dogs and instead features engaging characters in a down-to-earth world.

The world of greyhound racing generally conjures images of glamour on a par with an average sausage sizzle.

But don't let that put you off new local comedy Hounds (starting Friday, 10pm, TV3). Because it's not all about dogs. It's about strange and engaging characters brought together in a refreshingly down-to-earth world.

Will is a 30-something lawyer with an airhead girlfriend and an interest only in himself. When his father dies he's less than delighted to be named guardian of his younger half-sister Lily, who he hasn't seen in years. He's not even too excited about being given a third share in racing greyhound LundyDixonWatson. "Oh, is it a puppy?" squeals his girlfriend when the lawyer breaks the news.

But Will (played by Toby Sharpe, who looks like Hugh Grant's estranged twin) is interested in being given half the paternal home with its "subterranean sauna" (I really hope we get a glimpse of the sauna in future episodes because it just sounds so grimy).

This mixed bag of inheritance soon finds him spending time with Lily and greyhound trainer Marty. And it's not long before he's dragged into a night at the hounds.

These three main characters are well drawn and well played. But most importantly for a comedy, they're funny. Lily (Susana Tang) is the perfect foil to Will's self-absorption. When he tells her, a little too proudly, that he's a defence attorney, she retorts: "The one that gets off rapists and stuff, right?"

"Yeah, but not just rapists."

"And murderers?" she replies.

Meanwhile Marty (Mick Innes) is gloriously quirky as the kind-hearted but rough-around-the-edges dog trainer. He's a man happy to dedicate time and effort to dressing up his greyhound in full matador garb in order to have a shot at winning Spanish Night at the hounds. The prize? "A hundred bucks and a meat pack."

A colourful range of minor characters complete this weird world. There's the abrasively honest real estate agent who announces, "The real money is in kitchens and bathrooms – eating and s .... ting, that's what people care about." And the guy at the greyhound track who wears an extraordinary jacket made up entirely of winning first-place ribbons.

Painfully well-observed details add to the fun: the funeral where mourners seem to be motivated only by the free sausage rolls; the Spanish night at the hounds, which consists of a couple of half-hearted guitarists and a drunk in a sombrero.

This isn't the laugh out loud, neon-lit, canned-laughter comedy we get from so many American imports. It's original, understated and thoroughly well written.

It is about flawed characters who fumble their way through conversations, misunderstandings and embarrassing situations. You know, like life.

It is good to see this got funding from NZ On Air because it is precisely the kind of original work that should be encouraged.

This is the best new thing I've seen in weeks – I'm putting it on series link.

If you like your comedy imaginative and quirky, don't miss it.

Hounds: Fridays, 10pm, TV3.

- © Fairfax NZ News