LES NORTON

STARRING: Alexander Bertrand, David Wenham, Rebel Wilson

It doesn’t get much more fish out of water than country bloke Les Norton (Bertrand) landing himself a job in the heart of Kings Cross as a nightclub bouncer. Thrust into a world of police corruption, illegal casinos and brothel turf wars, the strapping lad from the bush quickly proves himself quite adept at navigating his way in what is essentially a foreign city.

Set in 1985 and based on the book series by Robert G. Barrett, Les Norton is reminiscent of early seasons of Underbelly, but with a significantly higher dose of comedy. The humour mostly comes courtesy of Bertrand’s deadpan delivery as the aspiring football player running from some sort of disgrace in his hometown. He calls it as he sees it – a breath of fresh air in the big smoke.

Bertrand is aided by a more established ensemble, including Wenham as slick crime boss Price Galese, Kate Box as Les’ erratic flatmate/landlady, Steve Le Marquand as the crookedest of all TV cops and Justin Rosniak as Eddie, an unhinged crim. They make for a colourful bunch, emphasising even more the difference between Les and those he comes across in Sydney.

Then there’s Wilson, who, as brothel owner Doreen, does what we have come to expect from her – playing a brassy, foul-mouthed, larger-than-life character devoid of subtlety or nuance. It’s the only predictable part of Les Norton, which works better when it shows us something we haven’t seen countless times already.

(Starts Sun., Aug. 4 at 8.40pm; ABC)

“When you hear Rebel Wilson’s name get thrown in and David Wenham’s on top of that, you’ve got to step up to the plate,” Bertrand says of discovering who his castmates were.

As well as playing madam Doreen, Wilson appears as her twin sister, Dolores.

“Les is a nonjudgemental guy – if you respect him, he respects you,” Bertrand says.