Dog parks are an unexploited arena for a television dramedy – so now we have ABC’s Dog Park
- Written by Phoebe Hart, Associate Professor, Film Screen & Animation, Queensland University of Technology
Raise a paw if your dog ever helped you to meet a new two-legged friend? The premise of ABC’s Dog Park capitalises on the fact pet ownership in Australia is increasing, with canines being the most popular choice.
This rise is sadly commensurate to the rate of social isolation and loneliness experienced in Australia, especially among men.
Enter Roland, played by Dog Park co-creator Leon Ford. Ford, who (according to the press notes on the series) says his own dog makes him nervous, came up with the concept with Matchbox Productions’ Amanda Higgs, best known for spawning the Australian drama series The Secret Life of Us (2001–05).
Roland is a middle aged recluse and all-round grump who has a hard time trusting and/or liking other humans. His sense of dissolution takes a further dip when his estranging wife Emma (Brooke Satchwell) departs for work in the United States, leaving the TAFE career counsellor in charge of his distant teenage daughter Mia (Florence Gladwin) and disdained dog Beattie.
The first turning point of this six-part series occurs when Beattie goes missing and boozehound Roland searches for her at the local park. This is where Roland meets the always sunny Samantha (Celia Pacquola) and a ragtag bunch of overly friendly folks and their fur babies (AKA the Dog Park Divas), all of whom are quite familiar with Beattie already.
From the outset, you can tell it is this diverse pack of dog lovers that are most likely to draw Roland out of his hard, turtle-like shell, and hopefully deliver a few laughs along the way too.
The ensemble cast features a few familiar faces, including Florence Gladwin, Nick Boshier, Ash Flanders, Ras-Samuel, Grace Chow and Elizabeth Alexander.
The series also features a quirky visual style throughout thanks to the off-beat camerawork from director of photography Aaron Farrugia and his team. The rambling and percussive musical score by Bryony Marks is another highlight with some solid licensed music choices as well. I love the title track use of the 1991 indie anthem Don’t Go Now by Aussie rockers Ratcat, but maybe Reg Mombassa and Peter O’Doherty’s Dog Trumpet would be more appropriate?
Dog parks are a relatively novel innovation in town planning. There are many proven benefits to exercising dogs communally, but not unsurprisingly dog parks can also be sites of conflict.
Therefore, I would argue they are an unexploited arena for a television dramedy, although Wilfred (2007–10) sticks out like you-know-whats as a rather surreal and anthropomorphic example of dogs teaching humans a thing or two.
Both Dog Park and Wilfred centre on a hero suffering depression: a tough sell for prime time telly. I struggled to form an attachment to Dog Park’s protagonist, a man who goes out of his way to alienate others and does not seem to know how nor want to help himself, but feel this is a topic worth exploring.
The Dog Park Divas dole out life lessons, trying to help slow Roland’s downhill roll. Their interventions slowly begin to take effect – which gives hope that all humans are ultimately redeemable.
There is another bone to pick. Although much of the action in Dog Park, which was filmed in Melbourne, occurs in a city park, it appeared to me this location doesn’t look too fenced off. These outdoor areas are a hit in many urban centres and city councils around the world because dogs can be safely let off their leashes while the people socialise. Dog Park breaks slightly with reality in that way, but I guess the other 50% of the audience who don’t own a dog would never know.
All this said, Dog Park is tender in a darkly bittersweet way with an underlying thematic of connection and chosen family. The tone of grounded humour with a generous dollop of pathos aligns well with episode one director Matthew Seville’s previous work, which includes the painfully honest Please Like Me (2013–16).
Dog Park continues in this mode and could be a bit hit as well; I predict a TV format adaptation overseas in the not too distant future. An American remake of Wilfred starring Elijah Wood lasted four seasons.
Newcomer director Nina Buxton, fresh from directing episodes of season three of Heartbreak High (2022–), sinks her teeth into three episodes of Dog Park. There is peppery dialogue throughout thanks to screenwriters Penelope Chai, Chloe Wong and Nick Coyle alongside Ford and Higgs. Beattie (played by an unspecified poodle breed named Indie in real life) is pretty cute – and proof dogs really are the superior species.
Dog Park is on ABC and ABC iView from Sunday.
Authors: Phoebe Hart, Associate Professor, Film Screen & Animation, Queensland University of Technology
