Danger 5: The Most Bizarre and Brilliant Australian Comedy Ever Made
Danger 5 is one of Australia’s most bizarre, unorthodox, and hilariously creative live-action shows. Combining surreal humour, stop-motion dinosaurs, outrageous spy gags, and pitch-perfect satire, it’s a cult classic like no other.
From Pierre’s obsession with drink recipes to Tucker’s ‘sensible chuckle,’ Danger 5 thrives on its absurd characters, visual comedy, and fake retro ads that will keep you hooked until the end. It’s a live-action absurdist masterpiece—something you’d usually only see in animation.
In this video, I break down what makes Danger 5 so special, why its comedy is unmatched, and why we may never see anything like it again. Whether it’s stop-motion Nazi dinosaurs, impeccable satire, or its audio series adaptation, Danger 5 is a rare gem in TV history. Watch and find out why.
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Clips Mentioned:
Danger 5 Behind The Scenes – GooRoo Animation
• Behind the Scenes - Danger 5 Dinosaurs
Danger 5 Stereo Adventures Trailer
• DANGER 5: Stereo Adventures Trailer
Song Used:
Feliz Navidad – Dario Russo
• Feliz Navidad
For my full conversation with Dario Russo:
• A Rare Interview with Dario Russo - Talkin...
Dario Russo tests his knowledge on Australian slang:
• How Well Does Dario Russo Know Australian ...
Dario Russo tries to guess all of Pierre's drink recipes:
• Can Dario Russo Name All of Pierre's Drink...
Danger 5's Audible Series:
https://www.audible.com.au/pd/Danger-...
What is Danger 5?
Danger 5 is an Australian action comedy television series that premiered on SBS One on 27 February 2012. It is set in a bizarre, campy, 1960s interpretation of World War II and follows a group of five international spies on a mission to kill Adolf Hitler and thwart his plans of world domination.
The men's adventure pulp magazine-inspired series was created by Dario Russo and David Ashby. On 11 September 2014, the Danger 5 crew announced that series 2 had been delayed due to unforeseen international news events and the recent ISIS actions. They also released the series two trailer on the same day. The second series eventually began airing on SBS 2 on 4 January 2015, and is set in a similarly bizarre interpretation of 1982.
The first series is nominally set in World War II but uses a style more akin to pulp TV spy series. The titular Danger 5 are a small group of Allied agents who are tasked with stopping various schemes overseen by Adolf Hitler. Each episode sees an intentionally ahistorical version of a major Axis person come up with a bizarre plan more in line with a TV or comic book villain of the fifties or sixties - stealing monuments from Allied nations to build an absurd Nazi super-monument, resurrecting dinosaurs, running a fixed casino to make weapons from gold and reprogramming captured airmen as Japanese pilots.
The series adds a further layer of satire by intentionally aping the production and dated values. Obvious studio sets are used for outdoor shots, model work is intentionally poor, usually featuring unrealistic movements and visible strings, the characters often laugh at bad puns immediately following the deaths of allies. All drink and smoke conspicuously while non-white characters are often played by Caucasians with poor make-up. Stock footage is also used, most notably a shot of Hitler jumping through a glass window to escape that is reused in settings that feature no such window.
Further surreal humour comes from the characters treating their universe seriously and not questioning various situations that are inexplicable to the viewer.
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This video is made through Fair Use under copyright law for the purposes of education in criticism or review; as well as parody or satire.
https://www.copyright.gov/title17/92c
https://www.copyright.org.au/ACC_Prod