User Reviews

Stan has been plugging this pretty hard boasting that it's biggest cast for a Stan Original. Although this maybe factual, it doesn't really distract for the mediocrity of this comedy & that most appearances are more cameo roles.

Watched the entirety of the six episodes to offer up a honest review rather than seemingly being a 'hater.' Unfortunately, this didn't offer up any better insight into any probability that it would improve. The none-to-subtle association with Channel Nine with Karl Stefanovic & A Current Affair appearances made it all seem a bit more cringe, on top of the already crass nature of this production.

Only wish Australian comedies were a little more thought provoking & a little less obnoxious & obvious with their stylings. Honestly, if they only reigned Kick Gurry a little more & reduced this down to a film rather than a six-part series, it may have been more endearing.

4/10 for the effort & not the execution.

First few episodes were funny, a bit cringe but still got a chuckle out of it. Liked the cast and genuinely seemed like they were vibing. Then things took a weird turn by episode 4... why did we have to see a man sucking a bullet out of another man's gouch? We quickly hit shock value, and the plot just goes down hill from there.

Really hoped things would improve in the final two episodes, but alas it did not. All the promising ideas and plot points from the first episode quickly get thrown out the window for dick jokes. The actors all seemed to be giving their all, but the plot just fell apart my so quickly, like a snake eating it's own tail.

This show went from bad to worse so quickly... not sure what they told Sean Penn this show was to convince him to be part of this but I could bet money this wasn't it. Also Ragnar from Vikings appears for a hot minute, but does nothing to improve this hot mess.

This series is so bad, one wonders if its purpose transcends conventional expectations. Could it be a deliberate endeavour to craft the epitome of rubbish television in the streaming era? Potentially this stellar cast, in this fanciful scenario, willingly embraces the challenge under the persuasive guidance of a showrunner who pitches the joyous creation of intentional terrible TV. An inside industry joke, perhaps, where the allure lies in deviating from the pursuit of excellence and relishing the unique thrill of producing a fantastically terrible piece of television. In this whimsical pursuit, the cast, with their remarkable talents, breathes life into intentionally absurd narratives, blurring the lines between satire and sincerity. If this were indeed a clandestine effort to redefine the boundaries of televised storytelling, then kudos to all involved for navigating this uncharted territory with audacious rubbish.

I was really looking forward to this show based on the trailer, but wow, was that trailer misleading.

We barely made it to episode 4 (mind you, this was against the will of the majority of our household who wanted us to stop at the end of ep 2) but we had to switch it off at that point. The acting was just awful throughout, genuinely really hard to watch and some of the scenes were incredibly tone deaf. The attempted humour missed the mark on nearly every occasion.

Overall it was just pretty poor and not entertaining at all. The cameos were weird & didn't add anything except make me wonder how they got roped into it.

I wouldn't even normally bother with a review for something I didn't like, but this was so annoyingly bad I was still resentful of the time I wasted watching it hours later so yeah, that's how this review came about.

I love offbeat, weird comedies. I was hyped by the trailer, the premise is awesome! I was thinking this might be the crossover event Aussie comedy has needed for years.

But no, it's not. It's really not.

The acting is just awful. The jokes are forced and unfunny. The editing is disjointed and choppy.

Not one of the main characters has any serious stage presence or charisma, and the supporting cast is in memorable and weak. I don't know what they fed to Sean Penn to get him to appear in this, but it has to be strong.

Whoever gave this the green light needs to be sacked.

Seriously - don't waste your time on this.

If you are expecting anything serious lower your expectations and chill out a little, it's not Schindler's list.

On the silly side and with fun cultural jokes.

The later episodes have some good meta humour which made me laugh out loud.

Maybe sided towards the Australian sense of humour.

Some say it's dated humour but hey if you just enjoy it for what It is you will have fun.

They did well with the hyperbole differences between Americans and Australians, poking fun at both.

There seems to be a little bit of a message of the over celebrated hero distracting from the greater cause, maybe lost in the silliness but still noticeable.

Overall I enjoyed the experience and worth a watch if you ain't the comedy police.

Don't be a snob and go into this thinking it is full of great performances and amazing storylines. That is not what it is trying to be. It's a crazy Aussie fever dream and is not trying to be anything else. Exactly what's needed atm, a great laugh out loud with some great original lines and humour. Definitely unlike anything else. Forget the snob reviews that are too ignorant to see it for what it is. Just a rollicking, ridiculous satire that will keep you laughing. And VERY Aussie. Definitely not for the kids or anyone without a sense of humour. Again, the snob reviews need to get their heads outta their "gooches" and just enjoy the ride.

This series isn't for everyone. It's crude, silly, childish and at times pretty disgusting. The writing is hectic and the plot is at times, so random that sometimes I wasn't sure what was going on.

However, it's the first time I've laughed out loud at a show in ages. And I ended up watching all of the episodes.

The casting is spot on and there's some good cameos (Susan Sarandon, Silvia Colloca, and Travis Fimmell is unrecognisable).

If you're looking for subtle, witty, understated humour, look elsewhere. If you're ok watching something stupid funny, (think Will Ferrell or an early Adam Sandler movie) press play.

#hotsoldier.

This is by far the best mystery series I've ever seen. Unfortunately, the mystery is who is blackmailing Sean Penn?? I was excited to see this show based on the trailer, but literally all the funny bits are in that trailer. Otherwise, there are zero laughs to be found anywhere, with d**k and poop jokes making up the majority of the "humour." The "plot" also meanders and makes very little sense. The general premise of the show (captured soldiers try to help their captors go viral) had potential and maybe could have worked as a 90 minute movie. But trying to stretch that premise to 4 hours just did not work. In one episode a character asks another, "Was there a point to that story?," which seems like a good summary of the whole thing. After watching all 8 episodes I'm not sure what the point of any of it was and I'm still not sure how Sean Penn got roped into this mess.

I don't know the actors in the cast except Matthew Fox ,but they seem to have a lot of chemistry. Four Australian soldiers sent on a mission to a war-torn country are captured by freedom fighters and produce a hostage video that goes viral.

Caught is a nice, funny and dynamic comedy. I don't agree with anyone who says it's terrible. I am very happy to see Matthew Fox again in his new series, always a great professional actor who does not deny himself. He deserves everything he didn't get in the past.

Finally Fox in another version .He is versatile. I hope he will have good projects .Good Promotion .Stanoriginals has Big jobs.

I am surprised at all the negativity about a series which is obviously a send-up, hence the corny (bad) acting and often silly scenes. However, it is often a lot of fun (with some laugh out loud moments), and yes, some scenes are in bad taste (but these are in the minority). The "downunder" actors Bryan Brown, Erik Thomson and Lincoln Younes are particularly funny in their "against type" roles, and the inclusion of American stars, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Nicholas Hammond, and Matthew Fox, make the series attractive to international audiences. I hope that if there is a DVD version it includes outtakes, as I suspect the cast found it hard not to break into laughter during the filming of most scenes.

Caught is about as funny as a case of Covid-19. It's badly acted, badly written and generally embarrassing for everyone involved. It's like a show that might have been made for Australian FTA TV in the 1970s or 1980s. I can't believe anyone over the age of 15 would find it even slightly amusing. How this got greenlit for a full series is beyond me. Sean Penn must have been suffering from a head injury to think appearing in this show was good idea. However much he was paid was not even close to enough - how much money is worth destroying your career for?

The four Australian soldiers captured by the rebels that forms the basis of Caught are only surpassed in their puppy-like stupidity and leaden acting by the two American soldiers imprisoned with them.

Avoid this nonsense at all costs.

How anyone in their right mind could rate this show anything more than a 1 is unimaginable.

The illogical plot mixed in with a simply stupid script is too hard a pill to swallow. I love good Aussie humour as much as anyone, how to have a cast which included Bryan Brown, Sean Penn & Susan Sarandon yet produce 'absolute trash' goes without comprehension. This production will not go down in the annals of a quality Aussie made comedy. Hopefully it will never go from streaming services to Australian mainstream TV, if so Australian audiences will subjected to total CRINGE & embarrassment.

In summing up, please be WARNED with the above commentary.

Congratulations to anyone who makes it past the first 10 minutes.

Is it supposed to be that bad?

It is spectacularly bad. It is car crash bad. Like bad amateur theatre made by 14 year old juveniles.

I really don't understand how so many people thought this was a good idea. People paid money to make this. Other people signed on to appear in it. Were they actually the hostages? That could explain many of the appearances of many so-called stars who should really know better.

I am clearly not the target market. And I hope to god I don't ever meet the target market.

It really doesn't paint Australian television in a good light.

I tried, i really did, I waited in hope, but alas, it got worse. You're probably thinking by now I got through quite a bit of it, nope, only lasted 1 episode and 8:43.

Yrs it was that bad.

THE WRITING is horrible, thoughtless & a mess. At points it is childish and had me wondering who this was targeted at - Can't be kids, with the male nudity, so dopey adults perhaps. It's really low IQ stuff. The attempted humour is cringe-worthy and the attempted drama is more cringe-worthy.

THE ACTING is atrocious.

THE CASTING is terrible.

THE DIRECTION, we'll there is none.

Sorry to be so negative, but there you have it.

Okay, so maybe it gets better, let me know, but I just couldn't take anymore. Life is too short to waste it.

I've been hanging for this show for some time and I watched the first two episodes on opening night. I loved the whole viral hostage video concept and the way that we Aussies can just poke fun at ourselves and not take ourselves too seriously. Some great Aussie / American banter as well with a strong cast of both Aussie and American actors. If you're up for a fun escape from reality for a night in with Thai food then this is the show for you!

Acting and scripting is perfect for a slapstick comedy such as this. Loved all the interaction with real people too like Today show cast, Instagram influencers and even Sean Penn playing himself and getting to promote his charitable work Core. Well done to all the cast and crew!

What on earth would posses serious actors like Bryan Brown, Erik Thomson and even momentary Susan Sarandon (let alone Sean Penn .... credited as Daniel Day-Lewis!!!!) to be involved in this absolute piece of s**** is an utter mystery.

The only interesting thing about this fiasco is how to summarise it: unmitigated garbage; incoherent crap; cringe worthy cross between "Dr Stranglove" and "Dumb and Dumber"? Ultimately the only question which remains after sitting through this piece of adolescent mental diarrhoea is : What were they smoking?

My review was too short, so I have to add some more characters but what on earth do you say about something as pointless as this what-ever-that-was?

Avoid at all costs!

Wow just wow. Ben O'Toole is the most underrated person in the show, just his performance alone and how he can be heartbreaking with his emotional scenes and when he needs to be funny he is. IMO one of the most underrated people here.

This is a brilliant dramedy that has a good premise and great actors on a mission to give this show life. I also think Lincoln Younes as Albhanis is a riot and the character giving a "rambo" vibe is what I live for lol.

Someone also please slap that gum out of Matt Fox's face cause it's like watching a cow chew its cud and bring it up numerous times. That's really my only gripe about this lol.

Admittedly I did not complete watching the series. But I did try and hope it would improve. It just got worse. This is one worse tv comedies that has been ever produced in the world. It is so bad, it should be flushed down the toilet. Its not even creative or experimental (which is what I was trying to convince myself to force watching more episodes). The type of person who may enjoy this movie could be junkie or unintelligent brain-dead 15 yo school bully. It is poorly scripted, outdated one liners and unfunny arching jokes, with characterisations that is worse than B grade porn romp with string of an idea fraying in every episode. Who wrote this? A group of year 9 media class students. Utter garbage.

OMFG you seriously have to wonder what is happening with the Australian film industry

Got to end of first episode, and thought WTF?

Got halfway through 2nd.

No more I'm in doubt as to if any people outside of Australia take us seriously?

Muriel's wedding Pricilla queen of the desert

We used to do good films and tv Man from snowy river Mad max Breaker morant This honesty looks like this was a school project that went too far.

Cannot for the life of me believe that anyone gave this a 10 Maybe this is what current millennials class as quality programming?

It's like the last mad max movie Fury road No substance, but fill Like chewing gum for the mind!

I'm at a loss.

C*A*U*G*H*T is a screwball comedy without the comedy. It must have seemed like a good idea in the pitch meeting, but lacks the substance to pull it off. The characters are thin stereotypes from the gung-ho, gum chewing American soldier to the larakin Aussies, and I have no idea why an actor of the calibre of Bryan Brown would agree to take part given the ridiculous portrayal of the Australian Prime Minister required. I get that this is supposed to be a comedy and that there is no need to create solid, three dimensional characters, but this goes beyond a joke.

Don't get me wrong. The basic premise had promise to be a good comedy, but this isn't it.

The only real joke was the attempted portrayal of Australia's tabloid TV show, A Current Affair as some sort of serious current affairs show. I don't think this was an intentional joke.

I endured all six episodes before writing this just to make sure that it wasn't one of those series that starts weak but improves as it progresses. It's not.

If you have a chance to watch this series, just move on. You'll thank me later.

Wow, one of the most original, funny shows I've watched in a long time! Some really clever comedy which had me laughing out loud many times. Watch out for the poster in the bedroom scene where the camera angle changes back and forth but keeps the main focus on old mate's large appendage! And the subtle reference to a scene from Never-ending Story! Loved seeing a brief cameo from good old paperclip from early Microsoft days!

Great job to everyone involved! What an awesome piss-take of a series! Some amazing cameos too. I really love Brian Brown's PM take as well, hilarious! Go Kick Gurry, you bloody legend!