Having seen 10/15 episodes so far, the first season started strongly with biting parodies of well known figures. The Real Housewives of the World series was good and showed the older Fast Forward talent was still kicking. Gina Minehart struck a chord too. Hannah Bath's similarity with Princess Mary of Denmark is being put to use which is also good. The parodies tended to be spaced out by weaker social commentary sketches, although the natural talents of the actors get used well sometimes, like Glenn Robbins' dweeby characteristics. It's a shame the talented social comedy writers Jane Turner and Gina Reilly with the much vaunted Kath and Kim, Glenn Robbins' successes with All Aussie Adventures, Shane Jacobson's larakin Aussie with Kenny, and Michael Veitch (Fast Forward), Stephen Curry (the Castle), Marg Downey (Fast Forward) and Magda Szubanski (Kath and Kim) just being...well...themselves, haven't cut through here as much as they might. A lot of it often feel more like one line jokes in sketch comedy routines than jokes that can be played out. With the insight and ability to tap into culture demonstrated by the very talented cast (and I need to also mention Emily Taheny who has runs on the board from Comedy Inc and Mad as Hell), it seems that the show intended to take a lot of risks - at least that's what the intro from the first half the series promised. It seems like all the brilliant minds that are vested in this project need a blank canvas to go nuts, take bigger risks, and come out with some (hopefully) brilliant unique characters that can carry the series. Kath and Kim, after all, was a one-sketch joke at one point. Foxtel needs to renew this show, and give them what the title promised - an open slather creative licence to find their voice. Either the show should soar like an eagle or go down in flames, but a "safe" middle grounded production helps no-one.

This is one of the worst Sketch shows I have ever seen. The sketches are not funny in the slightest. I struggle to even giggle. The only thing I laugh at is how bad they are. The only one I really liked was Rack. Gina Minehart is lame. The show is nothing compared to the classic sketch shows like Fast Forward and Full Frontal. It is expected though when one of the writers is a lame comedian anyway and is not funny in the slightest Not worth the time watching this. I can't believe this show actually exists. I would prefer to watch reruns of the older shows. How anyone could actually let this show on the air is a joke itself. It should be removed asap

Ever since the Mavis Bramston show, Australian comedy has faced a recurrent problem .. while our writers have some funny ideas, they don't have enough to fill 42 minutes of airtime.So the skits they write may have some genuinely funny lines .. but they .. just .. drag .. on .. too .. longgggggg.Episode one of Open Slather was a good example.Typical was the Gina Reinhart 'Definition of mine' skit. The use of the different meanings of the word 'Mine" was amusing - but then it wasn't amusing any more because the writers belaboured the point. 15 seconds? Funny. 30 seconds? Not so funny. More than a minute? Excruciatingly not so.On the other hand, the running gag about drug testing WAS funny - because each gag only lasted 10 seconds.I'll give them another couple of episodes, to see if they find their feet - but I can't give this a passing grade, based on the first outing.

Any advertising for this sketch show clearly seemed to imply that it was going to be a contemporary version of 'Big Girl's Blouse' : i.e. Jane Turner, Magda Szubanski and Gina Riley. (and to some extent Marg Downey)Not so much. Its like they are sprinkled here and there to prop up what is otherwise a very average and lackluster comedy show. The writing really lets it down, there seems to be zero spontaneity or improv and the players are treading through scripts that might have seemed okay to the writers trying to come up with something, but the ideas were not 'big' or clever enough to carry the whole sketch. Glenn Robins was an embarrassment in a sketch about 'Dad - dancing' that felt flat, the skit about the weather forecast was just awful. I felt ripped-off when Magda, Jane and Gina made the very odd appearance because it should have been all about them with the others supporting them!The end, where facebook messages to Domino's pizza while footage of desperate refugees played was the only slightly honest and astute observation I noticed, but it was as depressing as it was out of place.Gawd ... where'd they find the writers? Go and find some open mic'ers maybe give some fresh perspectives a go!