The Role Of A Lifetime review: Kate Ritchie and Nazeem Hussain front surprisingly great ABC parenting series

The Role Of A Lifetime

Tuesday, 8.30pm, ABC

Hosted by TV favourite Amanda Keller and starring Kate Ritchie, Nazeem Hussain and Heather Mitchell, this show is a tricky one to explain. So we’ll leave it to the official ABC pitch, which says the show explores “how to parent in the rapidly changing world using a sitcom family to play out parenting challenges which are then explored in the real world”.

Word salad notwithstanding, did we hear that right: a sitcom? And what’s that? Parenting expert Maggie Dent is weighing in? What in the Full House is going on here?

I have to say this show confounded my expectations and is actually pretty great. In fact, it might just be the best piece of factual programming the ABC has commissioned in some time (mind you, this is a low bar — it currently has a show about introduced species in which Tony Armstrong is off eating feral cats).

That sitcom idea, which sounds so naff on paper, is actually really effective. Ritchie and Hussain play a fictional mum and dad to two kids, acting out little parenting dilemmas with their make-believe family (Mitchell stars as the boomer granny; Mum, if you’re reading this, she’s you) — and it works.

What they’re delving into mirrors the type of issues affecting Aussie families right now and it’s a clever conceit, beautifully executed and well acted by the cast. It provides the perfect jumping-off point for some important conversations around parenting. Dent and her fellow experts have some great advice, and Keller is, as always, a supremely capable host, tying things together beautifully.

When to give teens a phone, how to talk about sex with your kids, cyber bullying, teen mental health — these are all important topics.

Parents: do not miss this one.

The White Lotus

Monday, streaming on Binge

Cue the theme music! Actually — you can’t. Much to our chagrin, they’ve changed it up, so no more interpretive dance routines to credits, which is a missed opportunity. But no matter: this season, set in Thailand, is off to a fantastic start and I’m immediately invested in the lives of the new guests checking in at The White Lotus.

Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda returns, and the new cast includes Carrie Coon, Scott Glenn, Walton Goggins, Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey and Blackpink’s Lisa.

I’m not going to give away a single thing, but I will say this: there are a few moments in that first episode where I audibly gasped — it’s THAT good.

Calling it now: creator Mike White is a flat-out genius. All hail Mr Schneebly!

Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn II

Monday, 7.30pm, Ten

Early eps of this long-running show are often a snore-fest — too many contestants! But this season is off to a flying start. Hats off to whoever cast this: a genius mix of odd bods. Can’t wait for more.

American Murder: Gabby Petito

Monday, streaming on Netflix

What happened to Gabby Petito? If you’re a true-crime follower, you’ll be across this question, and it’s being explored in this new series, which sees her loved ones revealing Gabby’s untold story.

Dark Side Of Reality TV

Tuesday, 8.30pm, SBS Viceland

This one’s for anyone who watched the first series of Survivor when it aired and was hooked from that point on (me!). Doing what it says on the tin, this takes a deep dive into the genre, starting with that show.