--- title: Will Forte and D'Arcy Carden Break Bad in 'Sunny Nights': Review description: This lively, Vince-Gilligan-lite Australian crime comedy casts the pair as desperate American siblings hawking self-tanner spray in Sydney. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/sunny-nights-review-hulu/ author: Judy Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-03-11T12:00:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-19T07:44:52.319Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Will Forte and D'Arcy Carden Break Bad in 'Sunny Nights' og:description: This lively, Vince-Gilligan-lite Australian crime comedy casts the pair as desperate American siblings hawking self-tanner spray in Sydney. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/sunny-nights-review-hulu/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf0e35c501e0af865/69b025c3fca7bc3d91bd4e0e/SN_D22_EP4_Lisa_Tomasetti_1_Vicki_(D_Arcy_Carden)_Martin_(Will_Forte)_inside_motel_room.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: SN_D22_EP4_Lisa Tomasetti_1_Vicki (D'Arcy Carden)_ Martin (Will Forte) inside motel room.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Will Forte and D'Arcy Carden Break Bad in 'Sunny Nights' twitter:description: This lively, Vince-Gilligan-lite Australian crime comedy casts the pair as desperate American siblings hawking self-tanner spray in Sydney. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf0e35c501e0af865/69b025c3fca7bc3d91bd4e0e/SN_D22_EP4_Lisa_Tomasetti_1_Vicki_(D_Arcy_Carden)_Martin_(Will_Forte)_inside_motel_room.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Will Forte and D'Arcy Carden Break Bad Down Under in the Lively Crime Comedy _Sunny Nights_  by [Judy Berman](https://time.com/author/judy-berman/)  ## Judy Berman TV Critic Mar 11, 2026 12:00 PM UTC  D'Arcy Carden and Will Forte in Sunny Nights D'Arcy Carden and Will Forte in Sunny NightsHulu  by [Judy Berman](https://time.com/author/judy-berman/)  ## Judy Berman TV Critic Mar 11, 2026 12:00 PM UTC If you ever wished [_Breaking Bad_](https://time.com/archive/6597168/breaking-bad-tvs-best-thriller/)were less a descent into the abyss of the human soul and more “[Yeah, bitch! Magnets!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n075TAbEZMw),” your new favorite show has arrived. I don’t mean that as a slight to _Sunny Nights_, a lively Australian crime comedy starring and executive produced by [Will Forte](https://time.com/3751408/will-forte-last-man-on-earth-interview/) and D’Arcy Carden that is streaming on Hulu. Jesse Pinkman’s exclamation of awe at the wonders of science was no throwaway; it was the payoff of years’ worth of sharp character development that began with a science teacher enlisting his burnout former student to help him cook meth. Forte and Carden might both be best known for their roles in surreal network sitcoms. He created and starred in Fox’s even-weirder-than-it-sounds postapocalyptic comedy [_The Last Man on Earth_](https://time.com/3724958/review-last-man-on-earth-will-forte/); she broke out as a sort of supernatural AI guide in NBC’s afterlife-set [_The Good Place_](https://time.com/5770162/the-good-place-last-good-sit-com-review/). But they’re excellent, individually and especially as a team, in this grittier, more grounded tale of American siblings trying to launch an innovative spray-tan product in the beachy environs of Sydney. To pursue this venture, Forte’s mousy Martin Marvin has left behind a stable job as a risk analyst, though it seems doubtful he would’ve made the trip if it didn’t also give him a chance to reunite with his estranged wife, Joyce (Ra Chapman), who recently returned to her native Australia. A bold, blunt ne'er-do-well who says things like “Remember how I used to run dope for Uncle Rick down in Mexico?,” Carden’s Vicki Marvin is simply short on other options. The product’s name, Tansform, is a not-so-subtle clue as to the pair’s trajectory. The Marvins are each stuck in a personal rut. While Martin has torpedoed his marriage by becoming the most timid, boring man alive, Vicki, in chasing illustory shortcuts to wealth and success, makes messes everywhere she goes. She needs to develop patience and a work ethic. He needs an infusion of courage. But before any self-actualization can happen, they urgently need to sell some spray, because they’re broke. Vicki can be impulsive with money—but the real problem comes when Martin’s beauty-conference one-night stand (Jessica De Gouw’s Susi) turns out to be an extortionist who videotaped them in bed and will show Joyce if he doesn’t pay $10k.  Will Forte and D'Arcy Carden in Sunny Nights Hulu This debacle plunges the Marvins into Sydney’s criminal demimonde, where Susi is part of an organization headquartered in an amusement park and led by another brother-sister duo, this one terrifyingly unhinged. Vicki has some experience in this world, but Martin is surprised to discover that it’s he who has the instincts to act fast in dire situations. So begins a cycle of financial pressure, entrepreneurial hurdles, and major crimes committed out of desperation that cannily blurs the line between legitimate business strategy and the art of the con. Meanwhile, in one of _Sunny Nights_’ many forgivable coincidences, Joyce—a reporter languishing at a (dated) digital media content mine—starts investigating the very gang her husband is mixed up in. Vicki and Martin could easily have been a stock odd couple, the screw-up and the milquetoast, but creators Nick Keetch and Ty Freer (_Almost Paradise_) give their stars plenty more to work with, from the Marvins’ chaotic upbringing to their skeptical reception, as sweaty American hucksters halfway around the globe from home. A supporting cast of Australian actors is just as strong, comprising an ensemble of colorful characters who gain depth organically the more time we spend with them. As the female gang leader, Rachel House (_Heartbreak High_) tempers derangement with flashes of sincere tenderness. Megan Lilly Wilding’s Nova might have been a single-scene oddball in a different show but here develops into a shrewd, tenacious partner in Joyce’s investigation. More than just a gorgeous honey trap, Susi has a whole life outside work. Even more than its crime plot and rich characters, the show’s cinematic style owes a debt to the [Vince Gilligan](https://time.com/7328396/vince-gilligan-interview-pluribus/) oeuvre—one it justifies through the ingenuity Keetch and Freer bring to their borrowing. The jarring cold opens and unusual camera placement are pure _Breaking Bad_; one episode begins with a dynamic point-of-view shot from inside an unknown person’s mouth. A bonkers set piece involving a giant reptile frames the series premiere, refreshing my memory of a [legendarily grotesque tortoise scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBqbj0q3U%5FM) that had finally faded. Whether or not these are overt homages, you can tell they were made by a talented technical team that had fun on set. That’s not to say _Sunny Nights_ is as meticulous or profound as Gilligan’s best work. Some plot points strain plausibility. One side story, of a former pro athlete caught in a downward spiral of violence, addiction, and ill health, feels incongruously grim. But the show is still so much better than it needs to be—and so much better than 90% of the crime entertainment that’s all over TV right now—that I’m not inclined to complain. It’s fun to spend time with a well-crafted, smartly paced, expertly acted comedy whose variation on Walter White, Martin Marvin, is a guy you don’t have to be a seething sociopath to root for. This isn’t “[Ozymandias](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2301451/).” It’s wiseguys, flailing, and “Yeah, bitch! Spray tan!” As long as you know that going in, you’re sure to have a blast. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/sunny-nights-review-hulu/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/sunny-nights-review-hulu/"},"headline":"Will Forte and D'Arcy Carden Break Bad Down Under in the Lively Crime Comedy Sunny Nights","datePublished":"2026-03-11T12:00:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-19T07:44:52.319Z","description":"This lively, Vince-Gilligan-lite Australian crime comedy casts the pair as desperate American siblings hawking self-tanner spray in Sydney","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/sunny-nights-review-hulu/","keywords":["Television","culturepod","review"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf0e35c501e0af865/69b025c3fca7bc3d91bd4e0e/SN_D22_EP4_Lisa_Tomasetti_1_Vicki_(D_Arcy_Carden)_Martin_(Will_Forte)_inside_motel_room.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Judy Berman","jobTitle":"TV Critic","url":"https://time.com/author/judy-berman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf0e35c501e0af865/69b025c3fca7bc3d91bd4e0e/SN_D22_EP4_Lisa_Tomasetti_1_Vicki_(D_Arcy_Carden)_Martin_(Will_Forte)_inside_motel_room.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"SN_D22_EP4_Lisa Tomasetti_1_Vicki (D'Arcy Carden)_ Martin (Will Forte) inside motel room.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Hulu","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/sunny-nights-review-hulu/","name":"Will Forte and D'Arcy Carden Break Bad Down Under in the Lively Crime Comedy Sunny Nights"}}]}] ```