Watch Simone Nathan's semi-autobiographical series Kid Sister from next month

Set in Auckland, Kid Sister tells the semi-autobiographical story of Simone Nathan, who wrote, produced and stars in the show. Already critically acclaimed and award-winning in New Zealand, the sitcom now comes to ChaiFlicks, a Jewish streaming service that's available in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.

Protagonist Lulu (Nathan) has just returned from a year in the States and she's the very definition of a hot mess. She's back living with her Orthodox Jewish parents, on the cusp of turning 30, jobless and hiding her on-off “goy boy” Ollie (played by Nathan’s real-life partner Paul Williams) from her family. Told in five succinct 20-minute episodes per series, Kid Sister is a colourful, clever and sensitive piece of television that apes the dry comic delivery of Colin from Accounts and the brazen honesty of Girls.

Kicking off in the wake of the death of Lulu’s grandmother, the tone of proceedings is immediately set. “You’re about to guilt me with the H-bomb,” deadpans Lulu dismissively, whilst her father Siggy lectures her on the importance of keeping the Jewish family line going. “Firstly,” he says, “H-bomb is an inappropriate term for the Holocaust. And second, I don’t need to, because if I’ve done my job right, you should be old enough to guilt yourself by now.” But in a country where the 2001 consensus recorded more Jedis than Jews (53,000 versus 6,636, if you're curious), finding a suitable Jewish suitor seems an impossible task. Cue a succession of “shituations” as Lulu struggles against a world of tradition whilst trying (and failing) to not offend everyone around her.

Also worth a mention is the stellar performance from Amanda Billing as Lulu’s busybody South African mother Keren, who is equal parts doting and suffocating, with some of the best lines (“tie your laces or you'll trip and fall straight into the arms of a rapist”).

Originally released in 2022, Kid Sister promises wry brevity, knowing stereotypes written with love rather than mocking (Nobody Wants This, we're looking at you) and neuroses galore.

By Danielle Goldstein

Kid Sister will be available to stream in the UK, US and Australia via ChaiFlicks from 11 October; series two is available to stream in the UK on ITVX now.