Life Is Overrated

Life is Overrated is a Georgeland television sitcom, airing on Channel 12. The first series of the show debuted on Wednesday nights at 7pm; this timeslot is yet to be confirmed for the second series. The show stars Ian Albert as Ian Gray, a clinically depressed former therapist forced to quit his job and work as a freelance writer and lecturer due to his condition. The show's premise is seen by some as making light of depression, a very serious psychological disorder. However, the lead character's depression is never the subject of humour; it is the world around him that is the source of the comedy. The show was created by Albert and Lex Fox. The show aired from August to October 2006; a second series will begin showing on Channel 12 in May 2007.

Premise
Dr. Ian Gray (Albert) is a successful therapist when he is diagnosed with clinical depression. His first session with a patient does not go well, and after a disastrous second attempt, Gray is forced to leave his job. He is offered a job as a lecturer and writer at a local university, but he has no passion for his job. Ian spends his time complaining about the world, and experiencing a series of events that do not lead him to improve his perception of the world. The series deals with the everyday challenges of modern life through the eyes of one who has little passion or tolerance for anything.

Characters

 * Dr. Ian Gray (Ian Albert) suffers from depression, which manifests itself as a lack of passion for anything and a callous, almost emotionless state. He is, however, capable of feeling frustration and irritation, which is triggered quite easily. Gray is a former therapist but no longer has any empathy for anybody, which has led him to become selfish and bitter. Ian is constantly battling the 'morons' he sees in everyday life, and ordinary situations, like going to buy groceries, are frought with peril.
 * Maggie Gray (Jacinta Rowe) is Ian's wife, who is also a therapist. She puts up with his attitude because she knows what depression does, but often finds herself the butt of abuse and nitpicking from her husband, which leads her to find her patience and tolerance sorely tested. Maggie and Ian have a caustic relationship at times, and much of the humour of the show is based around their casual exchange of insults and witticisms.
 * Joe Arthurs (Dan Powell) is a colleague of Ian's at the university. Joe is brilliant but completely self-obsessed and boorish. He is also a womaniser, leading to Ian labelling him as "Captain Underpants-less" in one episode.
 * Tom Gray (Simon McNamara) is Ian's brother, who is a hypochondriac and has delusions bordering on the paranoid-conspiratorial. According to Ian, Tom was 'expelled from the funny farm for being too strange', but this may just be an insult. Tom and Ian do not get on well, but Tom seems to have forgotten this.
 * Lance Brock (Peter Khan) lives in the flat next door to Ian and Maggie. He is mostly normal, and spends a lot of time listening to Ian complain. Lance matches Ian in terms of acerbic wit, and occasionally joins him in his rant against the universe.

List of Episodes

 * 1) Heal Thyself (first aired: 16/8/06): Ian is diagnosed with clinical depression. After he tells a patient in so many words that he 'doesn't give a shit' about the patient's problems, he is forced to undergo therapy himself, with less-than-stellar results.
 * 2) Those Incapable... (first aired: 23/8/06): Ian begins at the Psycholoy Department at the university, but his first lecture does not go well after he turns up an hour late and finds an empty theatre. Joe and Ian clash over the hiring of a young, blonde research assistant.
 * 3) Paging Doctor Freud (first aired 30/8/06): Lance, Ian and Maggie brace themselves for a visit by Ian's mother, Mary (Barbara James), who is a trial even without Ian's depression.
 * 4) A Lie In (first aired 6/9/06): Ian can't be bothered getting up, despite Maggie, Lance and Joe's best efforts, and the business of the day goes on without him ever leaving his bedroom.
 * 5) Close Encounters (first aired 13/9/06): Ian's brother Tom believes there are aliens working at the local McDonalds - but might he be right? Maggie's latest patient has been hitting on her, but Ian is more concerned with his tax invoice.
 * 6) A Weekend Away (first aired 20/9/06): Ian and Maggie try to get away for the weekend, but Joe gatecrashes their bed and breakfast, as do a band of strolling players, a very large group of children, and a pack of wolves.
 * 7) Suicide Is Painful (first aired 27/9/06): Maggie thinks Ian is trying to kill himself, when he is trying to organise a surprise birthday party. Tom has become convinced Lance is plotting to kill him.
 * 8) Watering Hole (first aired 4/10/06): When the local pub closes, Lance starts a bar in his flat, leading to confrontations with the police, the city council, the Tennants Association, led by Maggie, but not from Ian, who sets up a tent in the new establishment and hopes to come out during 'the warmer months'.

Quotes
Ian: "I've never needed a reason before." (Ep. 2) Ian: "Other than the fact that she's more screwed up than Shirley Maclaine on acid?" Maggie: "I know you're trying to be nice..."(Ep. 3) Maggie: "Any longer and you'll need a special tube to go to the toilet." (pause) Maggie: "No, we haven't got one!" (Ep. 4) Ian: "So what? Patients used to hit on me all the time." Maggie: No, Ian. They used to hit you all the time. (Ep. 5) Ian: "Well, it's a cheap hotel. There are bound to be some problems." (Ep. 6). Ian: "I know. He told me." Tom: "When?" Ian: "At the last meeting of the "Kill Tom" club." (Ep. 7) Ian: "About six hours. Then I'll probably watch TV." Maggie: "What TV?" Ian: "Well, close enough. I put some eggs in his microwave and turn it on for an hour."
 * "It's all in your head." - Ian, to a patient (Ep. 1)
 * Joe: "She's got an arse I'd kill for."
 * Maggie: "What do you have against my mother?"
 * Ian: "I'm going to stay here [in bed] a bit longer."
 * Maggie: "Don't you care that a patient hit on me?"
 * Maggie: "There's a wolf in the shower."
 * Tom: "That Indian guy next door wants to kill me."
 * Maggie: "How long are you proposing to sleep in Lance's kitchen?"