TV Review - House Husbands

Family drama uses the dark side

House Husbands, Sundays 8.30pm (AEST)

What’s it all about? The domestic ups and downs of a quartet of house husbands and their partners.

The Verdict: A predominately bright and breezy formula looks set for a shakeup as tragedy strikes. 3.5/5.0

Just when you think things are starting to feel a bit mundane for the House Husbands of suburban Melbourne - top loaders vs front loaders, petty male ego spats etc - the show’s writers throw an emotional grenade into the mix. The climax of last week’s episode, while a little clumsily handled was devastating none the less and marked an emotional depth for a show that sits closer to the bright-and-breezy end of the dramatic scale.

The boys are back

It’s been a mostly winning formula with a mix of contemporary domestic drama and lightheartedness – buoyed by cast standouts Rhys Muldoon and Julia Morris - if you can look past the cutesy kids and some over reliance on contrivance and happy endings.

That is, until now. As one of the house husbands faces unthinkable grief as series two hits the home stretch it’ll be interesting to see how the tragedy and comedy balances out. One thing’s a certainty; a box of tissues would best be kept handy.