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"Foxy morons"

Kim: I want to be effluent, Mum, effluent.
Kath: You are effluent, Kim.

An Australian comedy show created by Gina Riley and Jane Turner, which premiered in 2002. It ran for four seasons, as well as a special Christmas episode entitled 'da Kath and Kim Code' which aired on Christmas day 2005. It follows the family relationships and mishaps of title characters Kath Day, and her daughter Kim Craig, along with Kim's second best friend Sharon Strzelecki, Kath's fiance (then husband) Kel Knight, Kim's estranged husband Brett Craig, and in later seasons, Kim and Brett's daughter Epponnee Rae.

Brought across the Pacific for an American version in 2008, which only lasted one season and wasn't too succesful (though it did get released on DVD)

The show received its Grand Finale in the form of the 2012 film Kath & Kimderella.


Provides examples of:

  • Alter-Ego Acting:
    • Jane Turner and Gina Riley almost never do interviews or appear at awards ceremonies as themselves. Their only instance where they did promotion for Kath and Kim as themselves was on an episode of the talk show Enough Rope. However, Gina has done promotion for other things, such as her appearances in the stage versions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Chicago.
    • They also appeared on radio shows Tough Love and Get This as themselves, but those shows were hosted by two former guest stars of the show (and friends of the pair) Mick Molloy (Gary Poole) and Tony Martin (Mark, the violinist) respectively.
  • Basement-Dweller: Kim is a rare female example, Types 1 and 2. Kim moving out only to move back in is a running gag on the series beginning in the very first episode.
  • Big Eater: Sharon and Kim.
  • The Bogan: Kim, obviously.
  • Bratty Teenage Daughter: Kim was this when she was a teenager, and she still acts like it now, though with less emphasis on boys (she's too busy moping over Brett).
  • Butt-Monkey: Sharon.
  • Canine Companion: Brett's dog Cujo, whom he's seldom seen without.
  • Chekhov's Gun: A series-long one is Kim's overdue movies.
  • Chewing the Scenery: Kim has a tendency to do this.
  • Christmas Special: Da Kath and Kim Code
  • Compliment Backfire: When Kim solves the fake tan dilemma before Kath's hens night, Kath offers rare praise to her daughter but of course it goes wrong...
    Kim: Hold on. Turn the top around.
    Kath: Ohhh, yes thank you Kim. You're a genius. You're not a pretty face...
  • Deadpan Snarker: Kath to Kim, and Kim to Sharon.
  • Decade-Themed Party / Disco Dan: Kath still perms her hair and dresses as though it's still the '80s. She doesn't even seem to realize that times, and fashions, have changed. Lampshaded in 'Da Kath and Kim Code' where Kath arrives at an 80s themed party dressed in her everyday clothes...
    Kim: Oh, Mum! What a great costume!
    Sharon: Oh wow, Mrs D. You look hilarious. You're gonna win for sure. Where'd you get that?
    Kath: [Wearing an over-the-top 80's style pink outfit] Oh, from my wardrobe, Sharon. Costume?
    Kim: Yeah, it's an 80's party.
    Kath: Oh, no! Nobody told me! I would have put something funny on!
  • Distracted by the Sexy: Shown in a flashback, revealing how Brett fell for Kim. He was originally Sharon's boyfriend, but was so Distracted by the Sexy that said relationship apparently disappeared entirely, including from everyone's memory save Sharon's.
  • The Dog Bites Back: In the season 3 episode "Foxy on the Run", Sharon becomes so sick of Kim by the end of the episode she leaves her stranded on an active mechanical bull.
  • Easily Forgiven: Kim forgives Brett every time he cheats as long as he buys her expensive gifts or at least promises to.
  • Fan Disservice: Kim's outfits. She makes no attempt to hide her underwear when she's bending over in a miniskirt and in one episode considered hiking up her G-string above her pants.
  • Foreign Remake
  • "Freaky Friday" Flip: Kath and Kim after Kath's hen's party start acting like each other the next morning.
    • A strange variant in a season 3 episode where Kath is playing Virginia Woolf in a play but is useless in the role, meanwhile Kim injures her nose which enlarges to look more like Virginia's and she briefly starts acting just like her.
  • Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Kath, Kim and Sharon often slip into moments where two of them scream at each other, while the third breaks up the problem. Almost always it's Kim and Sharon arguing with Kath as the peacemaker, though occasionally Kim will scream on her own, calming down when Sharon slaps her.
  • Hello, Sailor!: According to Kel, he Experimented In The Navy. He doesn't think it's a big deal. Kath does.
  • Henpecked Husband: Brett.
  • Hope Spot: When Kim and/or Brett announce they're moving out, it's played as this for Kath and Kel.
  • Hypocritical Humor: Sharon sometimes joins Kath in making fun of Kim's weight when she's much larger than Kim is.
    • Inversely, Kim often teases Sharon about her lack of attractiveness while receiving far less male admiration than Sharon does.
  • I Just Want to Be Loved: Sharon is usually in hysterics over a breakup or general lack of a love-life at least once an episode.
  • Imagine Spot: Kath imagines her granddaughter Epponnee-Rae's wedding day after Kim decides to audition the toddler on the soap Neighbours. Said granddaughter in the Imagine Spot is played by Kylie Minogue.
  • It's All About Me: "Everyone's been acting really selfish lately. I'm the only one here thinking about me."
  • Jerkass: Apart from Kim, there's Kylie and Danni Bolton, Mark, Sandy Freckle and Gary Poole.
  • Jerkass Has a Point: When Kim blames her weight gain and laziness on Kath's lack of encouragement. Given how often Kath jokes about Kim's size, it's not hard to imagine that maybe Kath had been doing this for years, crippling Kim's self-esteem.
    • Also when Kath and Kel are indulging in unhealthy food because it is 'fat free'. Despite Kath constantly nagging her about her diet, it's Kim that points out "look at the sugar content, Mum".
    • When Sharon laments her lost signed cricket ball, Kim has a point to say such a complaint was insensitive after Gary Poole had swindled her and Brett out of their home.
  • Karma Houdini: Gary Poole escapes to Hong Kong with Kim and Brett's entire estate and Sharon's Shane Warne-signed cricket ball.
  • Kavorka Man: By his own admission, Brett isn't much to look at, being a 20-something who is out of shape and has to suffer both balding and graying prematurely. Despite this he's been with Kim, Sharon and the Boltons.
    • Kavorka Woman: Despite being plain and awkward, Sharon actually gets a lot of male attention, mainly because she's a sports enthusiast.
  • Malaproper: The title characters were prone to this as a Running Gag. Examples include:
    • Effluent (affluent):
    Kim: I want to be effluent, Mum. Effluent!
    Kath: You are effluent, Kim!
    • Pacific (specific):
    Sharon: Where pacifically in the specific were you gonna go, Mrs D.?
    • Monogamy (mahogany):
    Kim: [about their kitchen renovation] Brett and me have decided. We want solid monogamy.
    Kath: Oh no, Kim. Monogomy is very old fashioned, all you need is a veneer of monogomy.
    • Casting nasturtiums (aspersions)
    • I'm gropeable (ropeable)
  • Mistaken for Gay: Kim and Sharon in the second episode.
  • Naked People Are Funny: The Series 2 premiere has everyone but Kim experiment with nudism.
  • Name and Name
  • Nice Girl: Sharon to the point of Extreme Doormat at times. Kath generally is too, with the exception of next-door neighbour Mandy.
  • Nice Guy: Kel is an absolute sweetheart, but don't flirt with Kath in front of him.
  • Nouveau Riche: Lampooned to a T.
  • Opposites Theme Naming: Kath Day and Kel Knight. Kel tries to propose by asking Kath if she'd like to "turn Day into Knight".
  • Pet the Dog: Kim in a rare moment of less selfishness gives Sharon a makeover for a date in season 3. Sharon ruins the date by acting too much like Kim.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Though it can become muddled at times, Kim is usually red, Kath blue between the two of them. In other pairings, Kath would definitely be the red to Kel's blue.
  • Real Life Writes the Plot: The actress playing Sharon (Magda Szubanski) came out as gay in 2012, which led to a number of lesbian references for Sharon in the 2012 movie 'Kath and Kimderella'.
  • Rhymes on a Dime: Trude and Prue tend to slip into this.
    Trude: Oh, that reminds me — that little man from Beechtree and Sons is coming over to talk jojoba.\\
Prue: I hope he's sober. We've got stacks of jojoba left over from October!
  • Running Gag: It's noice, it's different, it's unyoosual.
    • And of course 'Look at moi'.
    • Kel thinking every book was written by Bryce Courtenay.
  • Sex at Work: In one episode, Kath and Kel have sex in the walk-in fridge at the butchery. They're in there for so long that a line begins to form at the counter.
  • Shout-Out: Kylie and Danni Bolton are obviously named after the Minogue sisters, with a possible reference to Michael Bolton.
    • Nicole Kidman is referenced consistently throughout the show.
  • The Shrink: Marion is somewhere between harmful and dopey. She's not malicious, but also (doubling as a marriage celebrant) caused Kath and Kel to have a sham marriage through not being properly accredited, and also noted that charges were pending for 'unorthodox' (sexually adventurous) methods. On the other hand her 'counseling' is never shown to help anyone.
  • Spicy Latina: Angel in the U.S. remake
  • Spin-Off: The three main characters of Kath, Kim and Sharon originally appeared on the sketch comedy shows Fast Forward, Big Girls Blouse, and Something Stupid before finally achieving real success with Kath and Kim. However, the sketches and the show don't operate in the same continuity, as Sharon was originally married with children.
  • StealthPun/VisualPun: One so subtle it's hard to know if it was intentional: In a series 1 episode, Kath and Kim are discussing Kath's and Kel's upcoming wedding. Kim says they should just elope and save everyone a lot of effort. Kath replies that she can't elope, having just gotten a particular type of melon out of the fridge.
  • Those Two Guys: Trude and Prue, the Kath and Kim doppelgangers who work at a homewares store.
  • Undying Loyalty: Sharon to Kim, no matter how badly she usually treats her.
  • Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: Kim. She's a horrible, HORRIBLE person. But we like her anyway.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Kim and Sharon's entire relationship consists of them yelling and throwing shade on each other with a few slightly nicer moments sprinkled in between.
  • Why Would Anyone Take Her Back??: Brett is far too forgiving of Kim. When he first asked her out, she callously dropped her current boyfriend. Did he really imagine a stable future with this woman?
  • You Are Fat: Kim is often on the receiving end of this, with good reason.

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