According to the new SBS comedy Housos, it doesn't look so pretty.

The show, which aired its first episode last night, is based in the fictional Sunnyvale public housing estate. The show tells the story of its residents: tattoo-clad smokers and drinkers meant to be a satirical representation of people who live in state housing estates.

From the creator of Fat Pizza, Paul Fenech, the Housos characters will battle cops, scam Centrelink, drink away their problems, have frequent rows and the occasional threesome.

West Pennant Hills actor Vanessa Davis brings Vanessa to life on screen. Davis plays a mother-of-three who puts her partner in his place with every chance she gets.

This is her first television role and playing it was "a definite challenge."

"I was concerned people would think I'm really like that and I didn't want to be typecast," she said.

"But it's exciting to pull this character apart, do research with Pauly [Fenech] and interview people so the characters would be as real and raw as possible."

Davis, who has a background in musical theatre, said she likes how Fenech's humour in Housos.

"His humour is really about Australia, rather than just going with what the Americans are doing," she said.

The show was scrutinised earlier in the year when A Current Affair went to air with what was supposed to be an expose on a reality show that allegedly used Government's money for funding.

The Nine Network got it wrong and apologised for it, but it delayed the show's release, which had been scheduled for June.

Davis studied at The Actors Pulse and is fresh from filming The Power of Love, a comedy drama by director Ross Logan that will be featured in the 2012 Tropfest.

¦ Housos airs on SBS on Mondays at 10pm.