According to a news report from theage.com.au, “PIZZA has to be the most lewd, crude and utterly insensitive locally made series on television. Yet the sitcom about the violent, sexist exploits of a gang of dumb and desperate Sydney youths of varying ethnicity, has been strangely overlooked in the censorship debate that has raged against programs such as Californication, South Park and even Big Brother.”
“Why? It’s on prime time, on a publicly funded broadcaster, and depicts gang violence, drug use and big-breasted women washing cars. If the morality police figure no one’s watching at 9pm on a Monday, they’re wrong. Pizza is SBS’ highest-rating Australian series and it’s back for a fifth season,” said the story. “As if to rub in the fact that they’re still getting away with it, the new series opens with an announcement from the broadcaster that due to “complaints, ethnic integration and media ownership laws” the show has been renamed “Aussie Pizza” and the lead roles have been recast with soap star look-alikes. Fat chance. Within seconds, the real Pauly and Co appear armed with homophobic barbs and capsicum spray and proceed to bash the impostors. Further hilarity ensues when one golden-haired lad is chased down an alley and set upon by Lebanese thugs.”
