‘Top End Bub’ – Review
2019’s Top End Wedding was an Australian rom-com gem that utterly melted the hearts of audiences across the globe and delivered on the spectacle comedy of Miranda Tapsell and her perfect pairing with Gwilym Lee that delivered all the feels! Now audiences are transported back to Top End and the beauty, grandeur and hilarity of the Northern Territories in Top End Bub, and this speciality series on Prime Video is sure to melt your heart.
Lauren and Ned are living their best life in the city, when they unexpectedly become guardians to their 8-year-old niece, and must leave their city life behind for the tropical Top End.
As a direct sequel to the hilarious and heart-warming Australian rom-com sensation Top End Wedding, Top End Bub is a series that invites audiences in from the very first moments, and the hilarity and drama only picks up from there as Lauren (Tapsell) and Ned (Lee) suddenly find their worlds turned upside down following a sudden and shocking tragedy, that leaves them as parents to the precocious Taya (Gladys-May Kelly), better known as Bub, and things only get crazier from there. Celebrated Australian comic and actress Miranda Tapsell brings her spot-on Aussie talent, alongside creative partner Joshua Tyler to deliver on the dramedy, and this one is all kinds of fun.
For audiences, Top End Bub is an easy series ot get into, and a very rewarding one at that, with its diverse themes of family, love, community, parenthood and happy accidents, there’s plenty to come away with and Tapsell knows when to strike the right moments. Heavy dramatic moments follow brisk pieces of comedy, and vice versa, and through all of it, audiences are brought into this very unique picture of Australian culture. Tapsell honours the spirit and heart of Aboriginal communities, and there’s so much love and heart present in this story that you see for her, this truly comes from a place of love and longing to reflect the colour, warmth and beauty of native Australian culture and her community, and it all shines through.
In Top End Wedding, Tapsell and Gwilym Lee utterly stole our hearts with their performances and bubbly chemistry and Lauren and Ned, and it’s pure bliss to see them back together on screen. The spark still exists between these co-stars, and with her quirky storytelling and flair for the creative, there’s plenty going on that will cause quite a spark on screen. But its Tapsell’s handling of the narrative and the sudden moment that sees Lauren and Ned as parents of Bub that makes things interesting. And the comedy flows forth. It’s also a real wonder to see Ursula Yovich and Huw Higginson back as Daffy and Trev Ford, and their comedic timing and brilliant pairing only adds to the fun, while newcomer Gladys-May Kelly as Taya aka ‘Bub’ is an utter scene stealer and shares a great bond with both Tapsell and Lee on screen.
Top End Bub is a brilliant piece of Aussie streaming fare for audiences, and for audiences seeking something harmful, well, this series delivers on it. It’s a gorgeously warm and heartfelt watch, and you won’t come away disappointed from it; instead, you’ll be beaming with a smile and feeling all the feels!
Top End Bub is streaming NOW on Prime Video.
