The Family Law: The Hulu release
On April 13, 2022, the popular Australian comedy The Family Law was released on Hulu, making it possible for American audiences to view it for the first time ever. On air in Australia from 2016 – 2019, all three seasons of the show are now available to binge-watch on Hulu’s streaming platform.
The Family Law is quirky, funny, and very typically Australian. Australian television feels just a little bit different from American television, much in the same way that British television does, and it might be a bit of an adjustment for American audiences.
Starring Trystan Go as fourteen-year-old Benjamin Law as the main protagonist, The Family Law follows a dysfunctional Chinese-Australian family that teeters on the brink of utter breakdown. As we started watching, we weren’t completely sure that there was anything queer about the show. We were just watching for the comedy. Our rainbow senses definitely started tingling after not too long though, and confirmation was delivered.
Spoiler alert: Benjamin Law = gay! Here are our thoughts on The Family Law.
The Law Family
Benjamin has four siblings – three sisters and a brother. As the show kicks off Benjamin’s parents are still together, but not happily so. Benjamin’s dad, Danny (Anthony Brandon Wong) runs a Chinese restaurant on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Living up to the Chinese immigrant reputation, Danny is hard working and the restaurant is pretty much his entire life.
When he isn’t at work, which isn’t very often, he’s on the couch at home watching Chinese dramas (we relate, Danny!). Jenny (Fiona Choi) is Benjamin’s mom, and her whole life is her five kids. She doesn’t work in the restaurant, she works at home. While she loves her kids, the role of “housewife” has definitely become an arduous job for her, and like Danny, Jenny doesn’t seem happy with her existence either.
Benjamin’s older sister, Candy (Shuang Hu) is secretly dating a white boy, his older brother Andrew (George Zhao) doesn’t feel like his family understands him at all, and his other two sisters are just kind of … there.
Benjamin is competitive, especially when it comes to things like the clarinet. He definitely has the show-tunes vibe going on and puts himself in the spotlight whenever and wherever possible. He’s also a sensitive kind of kid and he picks up on the tensions between his parents. Clearly, he loves them both and doesn’t seem to have much of that teen angst yet, and it’s a bit sad to watch him clue on to the fact that his family seems to be imploding.
Benjamin’s story
The Family Law relies heavily on stereotypes. Australian stereotypes. Chinese-Australian stereotypes. Immigrant-experience stereotypes. You name it, The Family Law has it. It definitely works for the show though and contributes to its appeal and its charm.
It’s also how we began wondering if Benjamin was of the rainbow persuasion or not. Maybe it is the interest in being a performer (hello, stereotype), or the exuberance in which he carries himself (major stereotype), or maybe the female best friend in which he shows absolutely no romantic interest in, but after just a couple of episodes, we were asking ourselves if maybe little Benjamin may not yet know that he is definitely into guys.
We tend to lose interest in things that have no queer elements in them though, so we’re thankful for the queer coding that the show included along the way. It isn’t until season three that things take a definite turn down the rainbow lane.
Benjamin has a visceral reaction to a very homophobic conversation that his mother has in the kitchen with several of her friends. One of their sons comes out as gay and in a very Chinese-Australian fashion, the parent is distraught. By the time this happens, Benjamin has figured out that he is gay and doesn’t react well to this moment at all.
But he is also having feelings for the kid across the street. Klaus (Takaya Honda) is Japanese-Australian, but his immigrant family is perfect in all the ways that Benjamin’s isn’t. He is the “it” boy at school, and he’s good at everything. Unfortunately for Benjamin, he’s also straight.
Womp, womp, womp.
Never fear though. Benjamin comes out to his family with all the drama and fuss that one comes to expect of Benjamin, and it goes far better than expected. All the homophobia that the show is shrouded in falls away, and Benjamin is embraced into the family and the gay son – and that’s that. There is even a love interest teased for Benjamin as the season comes to a close.
Benjamin gets his happy gay ending, and really, could we ask for anything more? Maybe a little less homophobia along the way, but we recognize that the contents of the show are largely reflective of the cultural nuances of the Chinese-Australian experience.
What else?
Danny and Jenny do split up. They both endeavor to date other people and try to build new separate lives. However, the split seems to be the best thing for the family, because it motivates Danny to get involved in his kids’ lives in a way that he never did before.
Jenny finds self-worth and purpose outside of the family, which honestly, she desperately needed.
Andrew tries dating the girl across the street, but his family blunders that up for him pretty badly. However, these turn of events motivate Andrew to find his strength and he stands up for himself. He moves in with his father, which, when you watch the show, really makes the most sense of all.
Candy marries a white dude, which actually, the family had a worse reaction to than Benjamin’s coming out (hello, racism). However, their ill feelings about this situation are also resolved as they get to know the guy over time, and eventually, he is welcomed into the family with open arms.
And Benjamin’s other sisters? Well, they continue to just be… there.
Although there are three seasons, it’s a pretty easy and quick watch. If you’re over the same old thing circulating the American television market right now, The Family Law might be a bit of fresh air for you.
The Family Law is available to stream on Hulu now. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!
