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After taking Luke to the ER several times, their parenting is questioned, and a Child Services visit is scheduled; Ally and Paul quip about it, but it’s deadly serious. In a similar vein to the British comedy-drama Catastrophe, tonally, Breeders is complex and often uncomfortable. But the writing is sharp, and the characters are all masterfully drawn; Freeman and Haggard are utterly believable, as are Paul’s proudly working-class parents, Jim (Alun Armstrong) and Jackie (Joanna Bacon), whose storylines evolve as the series goes on, Ally’s eccentric mum Leah (Stella Gonet), and in the first series, her rogue dad Michael, played by the legendary Michael McKean.

These parents occasionally drink, smoke and swear. They bitch about other parents at the school gate. They are tired, sometimes incensed, but also very funny; even as Paul’s anger takes a toll on their marriage in later episodes, there are still caustic jokes, often at their own expense.

The core of the BAFTA-nominated series is the minutiae of parenting, a rumination on the fear of parental inadequacy, and, as the seasons progress and the children get older, familial rivalry and unresolved issues. It’s parenting, middle-age ennui, marriage and mental health as you’ve not seen it depicted before. And it’s the most honest portrayal of parenting you’ll ever see.

ABC, Tuesday, July 16, 8pm; all episodes on iview