Blackface character on Chris Lilley’s new Netflix series Lunatics ignites social media storm

Samantha Dick
Apr 11, 2019, updated Dec 08, 2020

Chris Lilley hasn’t even debuted his 10-part Netflix series Lunatics, but his eccentric new characters are already raising eyebrows.

The creator of Summer Heights High released the trailer for his new show on Thursday morning, sparking a social media frenzy before its premiere on April 18.

Like his other comedy series, Lilley’s new show uses the format of a satirical documentary to explore the private lives of wacky individuals, all played by the Australian comedian.

But it seems the controversial actor has failed to learn from his past mistakes, which include donning blackface to play the character of an American rapper in his 2011 series Angry Boys.

One of his brand new characters, a lesbian psychic from South Africa, has already been slammed as racist and insensitive.

Imagine if you were Chris Lilley and your "art" was so bad it was just a constant stream of lowest-common-denominater making fun of people.

— Vaxine Beneba Clarke (@slamup) April 10, 2019

Forget what you know about Mr G the drama teacher or private school girl Ja’mie King – the six new characters in Lunatics are a whole new ball game:

Quentin

Unusually big-bottomed Quentin is a 29-year-old real estate agent who dreams of ditching his family’s business to become a world-renowned DJ and street artist.

Jana

Jana is a lesbian ‘psychic for the stars’. She comes from South Africa and has developed an unrequited crush on her personal assistant.

We all get a little weird sometimes. Chris Lilley’s new show Lunatics lands on April 19 pic.twitter.com/w9xwjdLTxI

— Netflix ANZ (@NetflixANZ) April 10, 2019

Gavin

Gavin is an intense young boy and ‘future Earl of an English country estate’ who is trying to manage the pressure of his future responsibilities.

Keith

Fresh out of the fashion industry, Keith is eager to start a new business venture. However, he struggles to contain his object sexuality issues, namely a romantic love for his cash register.

Becky

University freshman Becky is off to an American college with her twin sister. Becky’s biggest obstacle is her abnormally long legs.

Joyce

Former porn star Joyce is an obsessive hoarder and recluse who decks out her pink house in trinkets and toys to the dismay of her neighbours.

As expected, the preview of Lunatics has generated mixed responses on social media, with some people criticising Lilley’s character Jana for promoting racist stereotypes.

https://twitter.com/joshuabadge/status/1116112103960498178

https://twitter.com/ScottTrindall/status/1116179644229640192

https://twitter.com/maddydell/status/1116105722004033537

Others were pleased to discover the comedian was returning to their screens.