It’s been around four years since the Australian dramedy series “Upright” premiered in English-speaking countries. A year later, Universal TV also presented German fans of modern screwball comedy with the eight episodes of season one in a charming road movie atmosphere. The game is soon repeated: The second season of “Upright” will celebrate its German premiere on the pay-TV broadcaster from August 12th. In the meantime, a lot has happened with the unequal duo Lucky (Tim Minchin, 47) and Megan (Milly Alcock, 23) – both in and outside of the series.
For the first time in his life he seems to be living up to his nickname: Four years after the momentous encounter with the cheeky teenager Megan in the middle of nowhere in the Australian outback, Lucky Flynn has become a successful musician. As a result, he is initially anything but enthusiastic when the now 17-year-old suddenly shows up at his door.
This time, it’s Meg’s complicated family history that promises a turbulent road trip adventure: she wants to track down her birth mother, who ran away when Meg was just a small child. After much lamenting, Lucky finally agrees to help the lovable troublemaker in this endeavor. What follows is once again a wild journey across Down Under – and to oneself.
Much like Minchin’s character on the show, Alcock has recently become a big star in real life. Only five episodes of the “Game of Thrones” offshoot “House of the Dragon” were necessary for the Australian to become a fan favorite. She was not granted more episodes than Rhaenyra Targaryen, because after a time jump within the story, Emma D’Arcy (31) took over as the main actress – to the displeasure of many Alcock fans.
Clearly, in “Upright” humor prevails over dark intrigues. But if you want to see Alcock in a role that is as rebellious as it is engaging and can make do with kangaroos instead of dragons, you can’t avoid “House of the Dragon”. And one more thing in common: In both series, you buy her the role of a much younger character. In season one, the then-aged actress played Meg, who was just 13. Four years have passed, both in front of and off the camera, but the authenticity has remained.
This also applies to the chemistry between the two main protagonists. Again, in the best of screwball comedy fashion, the duo go at each other’s throats verbally, only to gradually delve deeper into each other’s motivations, fears and desires. Australian-British comedian and singer Tim Minchin continues to channel his love of music and bittersweet humor as one of the screenwriters and series creators for season two.
While Lucky’s problematic family ties were the focus of the narrative in the previous season, the tables are cleverly turned in season two. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Australia itself acts as the third main actor in the new episodes. Like hardly any other place on earth, Down Under is suitable for the sometimes contradictory feeling between escapism and melancholy. Instead of primarily on sandy roads, the two main characters now end up in the Australian rainforest – and there in a dubious community…
The eight episodes of the second season of “Upright” will be broadcast in two packages on Universal TV. It starts on August 12th at 8:15 p.m. with the first four episodes as a German TV premiere. Just one day later, the rest is also served at prime time.
