"Last One Laughing" Has Serious Sleepover Energy, and That’s Why It’s Hilarious: Review

Amazon’s new reality competition is really good. I’m as surprised as you are.

To many, Aussie comedy is no laughing matter. So, it’s fitting that one of the funniest local series in yonks asks for—nay, demands—zero laughter from its participants.

Last One Laughing Australia, based on an international experiment by Amazon Prime Video that’s already been conducted in Japan and Mexico, debuts today, becoming LOL’s first English-language edition.

In it, host and producer Rebel Wilson invites ten Australian comics into a share house for six hours, where they must maintain a straight face or get evicted. The final straggler scores $100k.

In this post-COVID age, the containment of comedians in a small space sounds like the perfect hotbed for the development of a new superbug. And certainly, the presence of Wilson—and those flooding-back memories of her ill-fated Monster House—last seen hosting Pooch Perfect, doesn’t inspire confidence. However, as the contestants are introduced one by one into the living area, you may grow cautiously optimistic: Sam Simmons, Ed Kavalee, Joel Creasey, Nick Cody, Dilruk Jayasinha, Becky Lucas, Anne Edmonds, Susie Youssef, Nazeem Hussain, Frank Woodley. These are all likable, funny people with a solid track record: Dilruk from Utopia; Kavalee from Get This; Edmonds from Get Krack’n; Lucas from her live sets; Woodley, from everything he’s ever done. Even if the show turned out to be a bust, I was glad they’d all get paid appearance fees.

But after Wilson is done explaining the rules—basically, they all have to spend six hours together not laughing; after one warning per giggle, they’ll each get evicted—the show reveals its twisted nature, and becomes literally riotous viewing.

Once the game is afoot, all ten endure a rigorous torture, not sure whether they should be deathly serious, or do bizarre stunts to get the others to laugh out of shock or surprise. Simmons decides to walk around with a boombox playing solemn music at top volume, paging through a book of dog photos and guessing how many are now dead, and quizzing Hussein on his divorce. He gets a return serve, being asked only half-jokingly about his professional life: "Are you still doing comedy?"

Soon after, things get really weird, and suddenly most everyone is in a wig or strange, inexplicable outfit; Woodley and Kavalee are touching tongues; a pig’s head in an esky is introduced. Cody helpfully reminds everyone how long they’ve got left. At that point, it's five hours and 49 minutes remaining.

What makes Last One Laughing truly, uniquely, unrestrainedly hilarious is how willing and eager the entire crew is to get filthy, almost immediately, spurred on by Edmonds, who’s responsible for the first few outbursts by her competitors. The kicker to every exclamation is watching everyone respond in stunned, forced silence. Their fury at their circumstances grows with each ingenious (or very stupid) counter-attack. "Jesus Christ, that’s way too f***ing funny," Jayasinha says with genuine anger as he walks away from one of Woodley’s bits. Later, in response to an impromptu, indescribably offensive dance by Simmons, Woodley says soberly, "That’s one of the funniest things in recent history."

In the first two episodes provided for review (there are six in all, released over three weeks) the stand-up comics are at the mercy of the more conceptual comedians, who are most willing to do absurd bulls***. The model of Last One Laughing rewards those who traffic in silly, audience-alienating antics. In that way, it’s different to nearly every other failed local sketch or variety series (including the attempt at an Australian Whose Line), with its talented ten-some going to more primal places than are otherwise allowed on tele. It won’t be for all tastes, yet anyone keen to see its performers succumbing to manic 'sleepover energy' (and especially fans of the Comedy Bang Bang or Threedom podcasts) will be down. I’m already dream-casting the next season: Amazon, bring on oddball power couple Tom Walker and Demi Lardner, and you won’t need six hours for the opposition to fall victim to convulsions.

4/5

The first two episodes of Last One Laughing are now live on Amazon Prime Video. Episodes three and four arrive Friday 26 June, and the fifth and sixth (finale) episodes will air on Friday, 3 July.