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  • HBO
  • Sep 5, 2007
  • HBO
  • Sep 5, 2007
Summer Heights High

Summary Summer Heights High is the outrageously funny high school comedy created and written by Chris Lilley, creator of We Can Be Heroes. The mockumentary series documents the ups and downs of three different characters, all played by Lilley, over one school term at Summer Heights High - Jonah, a 13 year old delinquent breakdancer from Tonga; M...

  • HBO
  • Sep 5, 2007
  • HBO
  • Sep 5, 2007
Summer Heights High
Season 1
Season Premiere: Sep 5, 2007
Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 13 Critic Reviews
67
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 20 User Ratings
7.9
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Summer Heights High is the outrageously funny high school comedy created and written by Chris Lilley, creator of We Can Be Heroes. The mockumentary series documents the ups and downs of three different characters, all played by Lilley, over one school term at Summer Heights High - Jonah, a 13 year old delinquent breakdancer from Tonga; M...

Where to Watch

Season Episodes

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Episode 1 • Sep 5, 2007 • 29 m
Episode #1.1
As Summer Heights High School begins a new term, we meet the primary subjects of this 'documentary' series: disruptive Tongan student Jonah; deluded drama teacher Mr. G; and self-absorbed exchange student Ja'mie.
Episode 2 • Sep 12, 2007 • 28 m
Episode #1.2
Ja'mie scales the social ladder on her first full day at school; Mr. G makes the most of an unexpected promotion; Jonah joins an ethnic-acceptance program to curb his behavior and improve his academics, with mixed results.
Episode 3 • Sep 19, 2007 • 28 m
Episode #1.3
Mr. G finds musical fodder in a school tragedy; Ja'mie dates a younger boy from Year 7; Jonah is toppled from his break-dancing throne.
Episode 4 • Sep 26, 2007 • 28 m
Episode #1.4
Ja'mie undermines her relationship with her new friends; Mr. G holds auditions for his new musical; a suggestive drawing puts Jonah's irate father on the defensive.
Episode 5 • Oct 3, 2007 • 28 m
Episode #1.5
Mr. G is forced to make concessions in the school play; Jonah and his pals agree to mentor a group of Year 7 students in exchange for a break-dance performance; Ja'mie lobbies for a first-ever Year 11 formal.
Episode 6 • Oct 10, 2007 • 28 m
Episode #1.6
Parental objections force Mr. G to overhaul his musical 10 days before the premiere; Ja'mie makes a surprising date choice for the Year 11 formal; Jonah's ongoing turf war with Year 7 hecklers lands him a suspension.
Episode 7 • Oct 17, 2007 • 28 m
Episode #1.7
Mr. G quits his job. Ja'mie falsely raises some money for AIDS. Jonah gets banned from break dancing.
Episode 8 • Oct 24, 2007 • 30 m
Episode #1.8
The curtain rises on Mr. G's musical, Ja'mie is dumped by her school formal date and Jonah's future changes forever.

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 13 Critic Reviews
67
69% Positive
9 Reviews
23% Mixed
3 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 13 Critic Reviews
67
69% Positive
9 Reviews
23% Mixed
3 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
91
Thank you, HBO, for airing Australia's outrageous Office-like, eight-part high school mockumentary, rather than getting a lesser comedian to do an American version.
FULL REVIEW
80
The only bad thing about Summer Heights High is that it makes a lot of American comedies look pathetically unoriginal and lackluster by comparison.
By Heather Havrilesky FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 20 User Ratings
7.9
85% Positive
17 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
15% Negative
3 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 20 User Ratings
7.9
85% Positive
17 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
15% Negative
3 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

80
All in all, it's a rich work, full of detail and small moments, and grounded in reality by an utterly believable supporting cast partly drawn from the school where the series was shot.
By Robert Lloyd FULL REVIEW
75
A funny/sad Office-style mockumentary depicting a year in the life of an Australian public high school, this wildly talented writer-star loves making you squirm (à la Gervais) while submerging himself inside the skin of characters so diverse (à la Ullman) you can hardly believe it's the same guy.
By Matt Roush FULL REVIEW
67
Summer Heights High is not a perfect comedy, and those offended by crossed boundaries will feel their boundaries crossed. But it's a welcome, if sometimes familiar, HBO comedy while we wait for the return of "Flight of the Conchords."
By James Poniewozik FULL REVIEW
50
In the end, while its outrageous characters are often amusing, their palate of jokes runs thin.
By David Hinckley FULL REVIEW
30
Cultural distinctions notwithstanding (will U.S. viewers double over at a Tongan accent?), Summer Heights High seldom rises above silliness and mostly proves just plain irritating.
By Brian Lowry FULL REVIEW
See All 13 Critic Reviews

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