Are you ready for Wilfred?

Sometimes a premise is so darn bizarre you could be laughed out of an Executive’s office if you tried to pitch it. Yet, for all its boldness, it manages to get made and find an audience.

Wilfred might prove to be one of those.

The title role is a guy in a dog suit, and a pretty sad one at that.

Wilfred is a new SBS Australian comedy series based on a short film by filmmakers Jason Gann and Adam Zwar.

The ads currently screening on SBS show a cantankerous (and that’s being nice) man / dog abusing people who cross his path, and generally pissing off a lot of people. You can’t help but wonder, is this for real? Never let it be said SBS doesn’t take risks!

SBS’ Press Release follows:

Adam can hardly believe his luck when he’s invited home by Sarah – a gorgeous young woman he met at a Powderfinger concert. This joy is quickly turned on its head when he meets Wilfred – Sarah’s cantankerous canine who is determined to make him feel as uncomfortable as possible. This might be cute and everything on the first night. But when Adam and Sarah start a serious, live-in relationship, Wilfred turns up the torment meter in his quest to drive Adam out of the house. Eventually, Adam is forced to question his sanity after spending whole weeks embroiled in an ongoing psychological war with a nine-year-old dog who thinks he’s five. So how hard can it be to make friends with a dog? That depends on the situation… and the dog.

Episode 1- There is a Dog
When Adam is invited back to Sarah’s place after meeting her at a concert it all seems too good to be true, until he’s introduced to Sarah’s dog, Wilfred. Wilfred offers him a bong and quickly sizes up Adam as a lightweight. Wilfred encounters Adam again during the night has no problem coercing him into making nachos.

Adam awakes from a bad dream, unsure of exactly what he’s got himself into. When Sarah leaves to do some shopping Wilfred explains to Adam the source of Sarah’s unhappiness. Adam tries to help by cleaning up the yard but a discovery spooks him into a panic. His attempt at escape is interrupted by Sarah, who easily convinces him to stay for dinner.

Wilfred premieres 10pm, Monday 19 March on SBS.