Network: HBO
Episodes: Six (half-hour)
Seasons: One
TV show dates: August 8, 2014 — September 5, 2014
Series status: Has not been cancelled
Performers include: Chris Lilley, Tama Tauli’i, Isaia Noa, Linda Horan, Jane Reupena-Niko, Eigawe Hunt, Tevita Manu, Doug Bowles, Uli Latukefu, Meaghan Butler, Dorothy Adams, Jason Moleli, Lafaele Tauli’i, Tana Laasia, Bryce Padovan, Belinda Sharp, Mose Mose, and Braydan Pittman.
TV show description:
This Australian mockumentary series is a follow-up to the Summer Heights High TV show. It follows the story of Jonah Takalua (Chris Lilley), a rebellious Tongan teen who just can’t help himself when it comes to stirring up trouble.
At the end of Summer Heights High, Jonah was expelled midway through Year eight. The story picks up four months later, with Jonah banished by his father to the island of Tongapatu and living with his extended family. The arrangement isn’t working out very well for anyone.
When his uncle has had enough and sends him back to Sydney, Jonah finds himself enrolled at the Holy Cross Catholic high school, with new friends, new foes, and new teachers he drives to the brink of insanity.
Through it all, Jonah tries to leave his naughty ways behind and be a “good boy,” but as per usual, things never quite go as planned.
Episode #6
Much to his delight, Jonah is released from juvie. His group heads to the “Feel Da Beat” competition where they perform their song “Don’t Be a Bully.” The crew is devastated when they do not advance to the next round.
Jonah returns to Holy Cross and embraces his new “gangster” reputation. Jonah’s disappointed to learn that his cousin Melody is dating George from the Soldierz. Even worse, his nemesis Graydon is dating his sister. Things are changing with school faculty as well; Lazarus House is shutting down and Mr. Joseph is being let go. At a school assembly, Kool Kris informs the rest of the school that Jonah and the boys will be integrated back into normal classes. Kris also recognizes the effort the boys put into their song in front of the entire school.
Six weeks later, Jonah has a new goal: to win a trip to visit NASA and to secure a record deal for Moses while he’s in America. Jonah’s taken an interest in art and thanks to some Photoshop work on Moses’s new laptop computer, Rocky believes that Jonah is incredibly involved in the Holy Cross community. As a reward for his son’s success, Rocky takes Jonah to Tonga to get the rest of his tattoo finished. Initially, Jonah is disappointed to see the phallic nature of the tattoo, but embraces the look when he learns it is Takalua tradition. (Courtesy HBO.)
First aired: September 5, 2014.
What do you think? Do you like the Jonah from Tonga TV show? Do you think it should have been renewed for a second season?
If the program was that racist surely the actual Tongan actors wouldn’t participate in such a program that so called insults where they are from.
There are programs out there that are a 1000x worse.
Just think of stand up comedians…. It’s comedy! If you don’t like it then don’t fcking watch it!
Please keep the show. One night, I guess my boyfriend was exploring our on demand, and came across this show. He watched about two episode before he introduced it to me. I found it rather humorous. It’s really the only show I really like watching. I have watched the same episodes over and over. I need new ones too watch!!!! I do not think it is a way of disrespecting Tongans. Jonah is his own person, everyone can see that he’s just a very missed behaved boy who happens to be from Tonga. I personally like this show, and if… Read more »
I love this show!!!! I’m constantly looking to see if any new episodes have came out. But, nothing 🙁 please, does anyone know when the new ones come out?!?
I cant believe people are mad about this show. Its comedy!!!!!! And it is deliciously funny.i dont think of tongans in any kind of way after listening to this show because IT IS ONLY A SHOW and i can make that distinction because i am an adult. Chris kelly is a genious and everybody criticising him for being racist should get their head examined and stop ruining it for everybody who isint a moron.
Perhaps if you could spell “genius”, one could take your comment more seriously. The fact that you do no “think of tongans in a any kind of way” after viewing the show is also a bit telling. Just because you find the show “deliciously” funny (I would guess that you are probably NOT Tongan, or even somewhat brown), and just because you have no clue why Tongans, or anyone else, might be offended, does not mean the show is not offensive and really bad. People of taste and perception are supposed to be the artists creating works to open the… Read more »
You talk about Chris Lilley making fun of people Larissa. You should probably take a page from your own book if you can understand that. Are any of you hypocritical people Tongan anyway, or are you just being judgemental control freaks as usual. If you don’t like it you don’t have to watch it. As for me I will be watching it next season I’m sure.
You’re spelling isn’t much better. If you are going to judge someone else from their spelling than the least you can do is spell check what you write lol. How can you even judge someone by 1 typo lol, and then you do the same thing. Lmao some people………
This show is brilliantly funny and I pitty those who take life so seriously they can’t see the lighter side. Nor is Jonah’s behaviour anything to do with his race. He’s a mentally challenged teenager that challenges everyone around him and in turn manages to charm people with his juvenile yet somewhat innocent humour.
This show is awesome and shouldn’t be cancelled!! Get a sense of humor!!
I have a sense of humor. Remarkably, it contains a love of nuance and an implacable sense that laughing AT someone to make mean fun of them, just isn’t really very funny. Jonah from Tonga is about the level of a nasty little 6th grade bully, ie nickering at fart jokes and picking on people with less power or strength than he has… but the funniest part of “Jonah From Tonga”? How Chris Lilley makes one ugly Tongan! The Tongan people are beautiful, and Chris Lilley looks like a weasel with make-up and wig on.
This show is awesome and should not be cancelled! Get a sense of humour!
this show is awesome yes it might b racist but what isnt nowadays…HILARIOUS COMEDY PLEASE RENEW FOR ANOTHER SEASON!
This is the best show out there by far. I look forward to lightening the mood each week. People are so uptight anymore it’s an entertaining funny joke get it!!!! You can’t blame a show for behavior it becomes an excuse for someone. I need to watch this show so please give them a new season or two or even three. Thank you Chris Lilley!
Bring it back please!!!!!!!!
This may be the worst, most disastrous choice ever made by HBO. The show is hideously racist, incredibly bad and stupid, and maybe the most terrible thing I’ve ever seen passed off as “entertainment” in my entire life. It just defies any attempt to understand what anyone was thinking when they made this atrocious piece of crap. One can only hope that the executives come to their senses and drop ever episode into a lead container and throw into the deepest ocean. My heart goes out to the Tongan people. Hopefully a formal apology will be proferred and we can… Read more »
This show is insulting to Tongans. The Tongan culture is not portrayed. It confuses young Tongans who aren’t exposed to real Tongan ways. If Lilley did a show called Jonah from Italy and showed Italian families flicking their fingers under their chins at each other as a way to say hello we would know Italians don’t do that because it’s an insult. Yet Lilly does this in Jonah from Tonga so Tongans can react badly and meanwhile draw in white viewers who don’t understand the reason why Tongans are mad. It’s called abusing a minority group so that he can… Read more »
The world has become such a uptight serious place. I feel he is actually honoring the Tongans. He’s showing a boy learning from his mistakes and growing into a man. What’s wrong with laughing and having some fun it’s not hurting anyone. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it!! You are hilarious on both your shows Chris Lilley, don’t let anyone bring you down. I look forward to next season.
If you think this show “honors Tongans”, I propose a show for you: “Chris Lilley: MORON FROM AUSTRALIA”, in which completely stupid white people from Australia do incredibly offensive, disgusting, illegal and just plain pathetic things in order to show how Australians are criminal by nature and have no brains. WOW. GREAT IDEA!!! Gee, that might be really funny. Bet Australians will love it! Let’s put make-up on brown and black people to make them look white. Then, let’s have them talk way dumber than they actually do, and make them do retarded things! Let’s get a black comedian to… Read more »
I’ve been teaching behavior and emotionally affected students going on thirty years and this show is great! I was impressed with the way the show put the language and actions of students in a “real life” context ( in school) and the actions employed by the instructors likewise. Teaching in public school doesn’t afford the opportunity for teachers to use some of the measures and tactics that working in a private setting provides such as the Catholic schools. I’m a Catholic educated individual and I got my share of “extreme discipline” more than once . Keep this show going and… Read more »
It’s not just Tongans who are affected. The show is targeted at teenagers. We know from Australia that after Lilley’s show air, there is an effect in the classrooms as the kids use a ‘Jonah’ voice to yell “Puck You Miss” or “F###cking Homo!” Or a ‘Ja’mie’ voice to be extremely cruel. Most school aged kids don’t get any ‘satire’ they just copy the dick jokes, sack punches, targeting of redheads, disrespect to teachers — and often done in an ‘accent’ to give themselves permission through distance. “It’s not me miss, it’s Jonah from Tonga”. There is no attempt by… Read more »
There is a lot of controversy surrounding this show and I get why. I really like Chris Lilly so I give him a wide berth on this one. I did think it was funny. It was also offensive, just like everything he does. I get concerned when I read that “we” might watch this show about stereotypes and think that what we are watching is the truth. Please give us a little credit. Nearly everything on television is a stereotype, exaggerated, neither true nor false, so I only take this show as a satire about a guy who may be… Read more »
I really thought it was funny! Please renew it!
Chris Lilley, you are awesome!!!!!
It is not funny anymore (not that it ever was) to dress up as another race and then proceed to misunderstand EVERYTHING about them, while you are insulting them. Because of the controversy, I made myself sit through an episode. I still feel slimed by it. If I could wash it out of my brain, I would.
Wash my dick!