Bring back The Roast
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At the same time it is counter productive to have ABC and SBS having competing programming, which would also lead to calls for a merger. They should complement each other, not go up against each other with similar content (although I have reservations that SBS isn’t really adhering to its charter with Viceland and Food Network).
It will be interesting though to see how Comedy goes as a long term programming strategy.
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Yes. I can’t believe politicians aren’t screaming about this when they’re often illogically attacking the ABC.
Yes, I hope it doesn’t result in multiple repeats of the same shows to fill timeslots because they won’t have drama, docks or sport.
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ABC gets serious about comedy
#ABCCOMEDY
Monday, October 30, 2017 — ABC is excited to announce the 4 December launch of ABC COMEDY: a new multiplatform brand that spans a TV channel (replacing ABC2), ABC iview, ABC listen and key social media platforms. Devoted to providing Australian audiences with an unrivalled comedy offering, ABC COMEDY is a mix of scripted and non-scripted, long and short form TV shows, and podcasts.
Tonightly with Tom Ballard will screen on the ABC COMEDY TV channel weeknights at 9pm and stream live through ABC COMEDY on iview, Facebook and YouTube. It’s a show made for today’s audiences—fast moving, irreverent, topical, talent driven, and just plain funny—with bite-sized packages released throughout the day on social media.
Lovers of snackable short form comedy will enjoy six all new Australian ABC COMEDY series available on iview from December 4. These include Nakkiah Lui’s new series Kiki and Kitty; #CelesteChallengeAccepted from comedian and Instagram star Celeste Barber; The Chinaboy Show from YouTube sensation John Luc (aka MyChonny); Neel Kolhatkar’s Virgin Bush; the charming Other People’s Problems; new Indigenous comedy Aussie Rangers; plus the next series of When TV Was Awesome as well as 60 new bite-sized films from the new batch of Fresh Blood teams.
New ABC COMEDY YouTube and Facebook feeds will feature short form content, exclusive edits, live streams and more. And a new and fast-growing series of comedy podcasts on ABC listen will also give audiences opportunities to listen and laugh.
Over summer viewers can also binge on ABC COMEDY on iview with the full series of Rosehaven, Get Krack!n’, The Ex-PM, The Edge of the Bush, The Katering Show, Upper Middle Bogan, Almost Midnight, DAFUQ, Goober, Fancy Boy, Growing Up Gracefully, Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am, The Letdown, Lost in Pronunciation, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival showcases and Comedy Up Late.
Plus, there a plethora of premium international titles to launch the ABC COMEDY channel including: Game Face, Catastrophe S3, Episodes S4&5, Murder in Successville, Inside Amy Schumer S3&4 and every weeknight a chance to enjoy Never Mind the Buzzcocks, The Office, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation. 2018 titles include Fleabag S1, Plebs S3, Asian Provocateur, and Idiot Sitter S1, with more to come.
The laughs will continue on the ABC’s main channel, with a raft of returning favourites in 2018 including Gruen, Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell, The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, Black Comedy and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2018 in addition to new series from some of Australia’s best. Squinters stars Tim Minchin plus a stellar ensemble cast including Jacki Weaver. It follows five car-loads of Sydney commuters squinting into the sun and riffing on their days. Sando is a new family comedy that follows the trials of lovable larrikin Victoria ‘Sando’ Sandringham. Don Angel (Wayne Hope) returns in Back in Very Small Business. And Corey White’s Road Map to Paradise tackles the big issues of the day and aims to solve them—with a laugh or two—in 15 minutes!
David Anderson, Director Television says, “The ABC is committed to investing in great content for all Australians. We have a long and impressive history of entertaining Australians through iconic comedy and entertainment programs. Our announcement today reaffirms this commitment and underscores the ABC as a powerhouse of great Australian comedy into the future.”
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New Australian Long Form Titles
Tonightly with Tom Ballard
Host: Tom Ballard Reporters: Greta Lee Jackson, Bridie Connell, Greg Larsen
At last! A comedy show that smacks and unpacks the latest trends, news, inputs, life hacks and gossip and serves them up for you as a nightly dose of hot, must see entertainment. Armed with nothing but jokes and access to memes, Tonightly with Tom Ballard will investigate and explain the latest headlines, trends and the things you missed.
“Tonightly will have the journalistic credibility of Sunrise coupled with the comedic chops of Landline,” he said. “I just can’t wait to get started and win a Logie, even if it means going to the Gold Coast to collect it.”
Ballard will be joined by a team of three news, tech, culture and sports addicts who are fully across everything ever: Greta Lee-Jackson (SkitBox), Greg Larsen (Fancy Boy) and Bridie Connell (Whose Line Is It Anyway? Australia). These three are the show’s field reporters, putting their bodies on the line for the sake of truth, facts and punchlines. A wider family of contributing comedic voices from around the nation will join Tom on a regular basis.
Filmed at ABC Ultimo, the series launches with a thorough look back at the year: examining the big themes and events that made 2017 one of the most 2017 of years on record, then returns early in 2018 to quickly break its resolutions to eat less cheese. Tonightly with Tom Ballard is an ABC Production. Premieres on ABC COMEDY
Back in Very Small Business
From the makers of Upper Middle Bogan comes the long-awaited reboot of their hit Very Small Business. Don Angel (Wayne Hope), a trumped-up small businessman, strives to be happy by avoiding both tax and intimacy, only to be plagued by the consequences of both his morally questionable business practices and his stunted emotional life.
With Don at the helm, the World-Wide Business Group is unsurprisingly a hotbed of dysfunction, staffed by an ethnically diverse, gender fluid, psychologically fragile menagerie all hired on government subsidies. Besieged by racial and cultural difference, Don’s intolerance is gradually outweighed by the unexpected affection he feels for his business park family as he confusedly discovers that other humans might be what he needs to be happy.
Back in Very Small Business is a Gristmill Pty Ltd production for the ABC. Principal production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Film Victoria. Premieres on ABC
Corey White’s Road Map to Paradise
The clock is ticking. Andy Warhol offered us all fifteen minutes of fame and comedian Corey White isn’t going to squander his allocation. He has fifteen minutes of your attention and he plans to use it solve one of the world’s burning issues. That’s two global quandaries solved per episode – fixing the world faster than Scott Cam can whack up a pergola! In season one he will give the 15-minute treatment to; Capitalism, Democracy, Nationalism, The War on Terror, Patriarchy, Closing the Gap, Foster Care, Big data, Racism, and Annihilation.
Corey White’s Road Map to Paradise is a Guesswork TV production for ABC Indigenous. Premieres on ABC
Sando
From the makers of The Moodys and No Activity comes the delightful Sando. Victoria ‘Sando’ Sandringham is Australia’s queen of the discount furniture and electrical deal. Sando’s built her business empire on being a down-to- earth larrikin and is something of a national treasure – to all but her family. She became estranged from them a decade ago when her one-night stand with her daughter’s fiancé was shockingly revealed at her daughter’s wedding. Now, a decade later and after a health scare and with her career at a precipice, Sando is determined to reconnect with her family. She needs them and they’ll discover that in spite of their initial apprehension…and hatred…they might just need her too. Cast to be announced soon.
Sando is a Jungle FTV Pty Ltd production for the ABC. Principal production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Create NSW. Premieres on ABC
Squinters
From the creators of No Activity, Wilfred and Lowdown comes a quintessentially Australian take on daily life, Squinters. For many people living in Western Sydney, the beginning and end of their days has them caught in peak hour, squinting into the morning sun as they head East, and into the late afternoon glare as they head home at the end of the day. Squinters is a narrative comedy series about five recurring car-loads of everyday people who make this journey and their stories that play out on their commutes. Squinters comes to screens early 2018.
Squinters is a Jungle FTV Pty Ltd production for the ABC. Principal production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Create NSW. Premieres on ABC
New Australian Short Form Titles
Aussie Rangers
Out in the middle of nowhere is Black Stump National Park. Wally, Regina and Francis are the Indigenous contemporary parks and wildlife Rangers that run the station. The Park is under threat of being shut down. Wally, obsessed with the elusive and endangered Quokkacoot (that no-one has seen), and his fellow rangers must find a way to reinvent themselves and combat the Parks and Wildlife Department before they too become extinct. Aussie Rangers are mismanaging wildlife, one natural disaster at a time.
Aussie Rangers a Factor 30 Film production for ABC Indigenous in association with Screen West. Premieres on ABC COMEDY on iview
#CelesteChallengeAccepted
#CelesteChallengeAccepted is a celebration of the unique comedic personality of Celeste Barber. It’s what has made her popular with over 2.5million Instagram followers. Except now… it’s moving! A piss-take of modern celebrity, a satire of modern values, and a parody of the over-stylized unrealistic imagery created by the Hollywood machine.
#CelesteChallengeAccepted is a Red Christmas production for the ABC. Premieres on ABC COMEDY on iview
Kiki and Kitty
Kiki is a young black woman trying to make it as an overworked paralegal for a corporate law firm in the big smoke. Kiki has always been the “Good Aboriginal Girl”, but after an embarrassing scene at an office party, Kiki wakes up to find a big, black, bold woman in a black sequin dress, red lippie and martini in her hand, straddling her in bed. Kitty is impulsive, outspoken, sexy as hell… she’s Kiki’s vagina come to life as a real person! Kiki is the only one who can see Kitty. But Kitty knows just what Kiki needs to get control of her life, and makes it her mission to fix it.
Kiki and Kitty is a Porchlight Films production for the ABC. Principal production investment from Screen Australia. Premieres on ABC COMEDY on iview
Other People’s Problems
From the producers of The Dressmaker, Florence (Sisters star Maria Angelico) is a reluctant copywriter and would-be eco-warrior, who embarks on a venture to ghost-write other people’s letters in exchange for second-hand clothing. Her bestie and housemate Ann is a life-saving paramedic, and Florence is determined to prove she’s equally adept at helping people. Even if it’s with solving problems like… who gets to keep the friends when a couple breaks up? And how should you behave when you meet someone you’ve been creeping online? But is Florence really helping people or is her ever-consuming obsession with other people’s problems really just Florence trying to avoid her own?
Other People’s Problems is a Seymour Films production in association with ABC, Screen Australia and Film Victoria and Film Art Media. Part of ABC and Screen Australia’s Long Story Short initiative. Premieres on ABC COMEDY on iview
The Chinaboy Show
John Luc (AKA Mychonny) has had over 300 million views on his YouTube channel, easily making him one of Australia’s most loved online stars. His notable successes include the web series Mychonny Moves In (over 2 million hits) and Mychonny’s Asian Gangsters video (over 5 million hits). Now he brings a brand new series The Chinaboy Show to the ABC, and it’s the first ABC sketch comedy written from the perspective of a Chinese Vietnamese Australian.
The Chinaboy Show is an RKPix Pty Ltd production for the ABC. Principal production investment from Screen Australia and Screen West. Premieres on ABC COMEDY on iview
Virgin Bush
He’s a stand-up comedian, an internet sensation and a self-proclaimed ‘city slicker’. So, Neel Kolhatkar is heading to the bush to meet the locals and put his nose to the grindstone. Can he hack it though? Sheep shearing, pigeon racing, bow hunting, rally driving and bull riding aren’t exactly for the faint hearted. Well, maybe pigeon racing… But Neel gets to experience an Australia that most Aussies never see and at the same time, he’s feeding his stand-up schtick too. Saddle up for Virgin Bush.
Virgin Bush is an ABC Production. Premieres on ABC COMEDY on iview
New Series of Audience Favourites
Black Comedy, series 3
Black Comedy, a sketch comedy show by Blackfellas, is a fast paced, irreverent, thought provoking - at times silly but always funny look at Australia & Australian culture through the comedic prism of our first people. After a great first two seasons, the team is back with series 3.
Black Comedy is a Scarlett Pictures production for the ABC. Premieres on ABC
Gruen, series 10
Yes! Gruen will be back in 2018 for its 10th series. Gruen, the show that unpicks the dark arts of advertising, branding, and spin. Join host Wil Anderson, stalwarts Todd Sampson and Russel Howcroft and other advertising industry experts to unpick the ways we’re all bought and sold.
Gruen is a CJZ and ABC co-production. Premieres on ABC
Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2018
The ABC teams up once again with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to bring loads of laughs as we screen the festivals signature events - The Gala, Opening Night Allstars Supershow and The Great Debate, as well as a brand- new series of Comedy Up Late
The Gala
It’s the biggest night in the comedy calendar, where the finest and funniest from Australia and overseas come together for this special event.
Opening Night Allstars Supershow
Comedy legends and luminaries from around the world take to the stage alongside the freshest and funniest homegrown talent, showcasing the brilliant performers from the Festival.
The Great Debate
Bear witness to the battle of the biggest comedy brains as two teams fight it out to reign supreme. The topic will be contentious, the competition heated and the comedy world-class.
Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell, series 8
In a move guaranteed to prompt a flurry of poorly worded questions at the next Senate Estimates Committee, Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell returns in 2018 for its own record-breaking eighth season. Like a frenzied ape running amok in a museum of priceless Tiffany lamps, the Mad As team cleverly deconstructs Australian politics in the hope that it can be rebuilt into something more useful, like a giant Lithium battery, a climate policy that makes sense or perhaps an ashtray. Stars Shaun Micallef, Roz Hammond, Emily Taheny, Stephen Hall and Tosh Greenslade - with special guest star Francis Greenslade as ‘Dr Smith’.
Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell is an ITV Studios Australia and Giant Baby production for the ABC. Premieres on ABC
The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, series 4
The Weekly is a comedy show, news show, tonight show and chat show all in one. Comedian Charlie Pickering is ably assisted by hilarious co-hosts Kitty Flanagan, Tom Gleeson and Adam Briggs as they dissect the week’s news, solve the world’s problems and waste the nation’s time all in the name of award-winning entertainment.
The Weekly with Charlie Pickering is a Thinkative Television production for the ABC. Premieres on ABC
Comedy Next Gen, series 2
Comedy Next Gen showcases the next generation of stand-up comedians as they perform their latest live shows. Upcoming comedy acts will include: Aaron Chen, Becky Lucas, Cameron James, Daniel Townes, David Quirk, Demi Lardner, Geraldine Hickey, Nick Cody, Sam Taunton, Suren Jayemanne, Tessa Walters, Tom Walker and Yianni Agisilaou.
Premieres on ABC COMEDY
Fresh Blood S2
Re-sharpen your knives for a new season of the hugely successful comedy series Fresh Blood. The comedy initiative was created in 2013 by ABC and Screen Australia to kick start the careers of young writers, directors, and performers. In 2018 there are twenty fresh teams with 60 great new episodes showcasing the breadth of amazing local talent.
Fresh Blood is a joint initiative between ABC and Screen Australia. Premieres on ABC COMEDY on iview
When TV Was Awesome, series 2
We’ve headed back to the goldmine that is the ABC archive to unearth some hidden comedy gems – they’ve been dusted off and creatively re-voiced, giving them the comedy makeover they deserve.
When TV Was Awesome is an ABC Production Premieres on ABC COMEDY on iview
New Australian Podcasts
Positions Vacant
Comedians Ray Badran and Susie Youssef have started a company to develop creative apps (CRapps) and are looking for new employees. Join them in the empty offices as they interview high profile Australians (Ronny Chieng, Hamish Blake, Gen Fricker and others) to find the best candidate for the job. Awkward and misinformed, Ray and Susie ask brazen and naive questions that push the envelope with guests who have been briefed to turn everything into a positive, just like in a job interview. Think ‘Between 2 Ferns’ meets ‘The Office’.
Positions Vacant is an ABC Audio Studios production. Premieres on ABC listen
Santo, Sam and Ed’s Total Football Season 2
From Working Dog (Utopia, Have You Been Paying Attention?) and featuring Santo Cilauro, Sam Pang and Ed Kavalee comes the season return of their #1 iTunes podcast hit. This season there are 28 new episodes dissecting the week’s European football news and results… continuing all the way through to the 2018 World Cup.
Santo, Sam and Ed’s Total Football is a Working Dog production for ABC. Premieres on ABC listen
The Urnbelieveable Ashes Podcast
A weekly Ashes-based comedy show, to run through the 2017-18 Australia v England series, co-hosted by comedians Andy Zaltzman, from England, and Australian Felicity Ward. Each episode will feature discussion of the action so far, Andy and Felicity’s spoof commentary of the highlights and lowlights of the matches, random cricket-related tangents, genuine punditry, and occasional barrages of Andy’s trademark statistics in the style of Andy’s globally successful podcast, The Bugle.
The Urnbelieveable Ashes Podcast is an ABC Audio Studios production. Premieres on ABC listen
Troll Play
The world is full of hate, with online comments sections, Reddit boards, Twitter and Facebook comments descending rapidly into an exponentially deepening cesspit of meanness. Alice Fraser, Cal Wilson, and Sami Shah will use their improv/comedy skills to take apart some of the worst examples of the week including personal attacks, online rants and conspiracy theories along the lines of logic, grammar, etiquette, and kindness. They’ll provide useful troll strategies, as well as communication techniques for victims, as well as an online ethics approach to try to educate listeners to make a kinder world.
Troll Play is an ABC Audio Studios production. Premieres on ABC listen
COMEDY ON THE ABC – The Full List
NEW AUSTRALIAN LONG FORM TITLES
- Back in Very Small Business
- Corey White’s Road Map to Paradise
- Sando
- Squinters
- Tonightly with Tom Ballard
NEW INTERNATIONAL LONG FORM TITLES
- Game Face
- Catastrophe S3
- Episodes S4&5
- Murder in Successville
- Inside Amy Schumer S3&4 The Office
- Tonightly with Tom Ballard
- 30 Rock
- Parks and Recreation Fleabag 2018
NEW AUSTRALIAN SHORT FORM TITLES
- Aussie Rangers
- #CelesteChallengeAccepted
- Other People’s Problems
- Kiki and Kitty
- The Chinaboy Show
- Virgin Bush
PODCASTS
- Positions Vacant (Ray Badran and Susie Youssef) Santo, Sam & Ed’s Total Football series 2
- The Urnbelievable Ashes Podcast (Andy Saltzman and Felicity Ward) Troll Play (Alice Fraser, Sami Shah & Cal Wilson)
RETURNING AUSTRALIAN TITLES
- Black Comedy, series 3
- Fresh Blood, series 2 (short form)
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2018
- The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, series 4
- Comedy Next Gen, series 2
- Gruen, series 10
- Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell, series 8
- When TV Was Awesome, series 2 (short form)
ABC COMEDY Summer Binge on iview
- Almost Midnight
- Comedy Up Late S4, S5
- Fancy Boy
- Goober
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival showcases
- The Katering Show S1 and S2
- Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am
- A Moody Christmas
- DAFUQ
- Get Krack!n’
- Lost in Pronunciation
- Rosehaven S1 and S2 The Edge of the Bush
- Upper Middle Bogan S1, S2 and S3
- Growing Up Gracefully
Not bad at all, I assume it is the USA Office ?
Schedule
Launch Night:
MONDAY 4 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm (new time)
Seriously, you didn’t think we’d stop Spicks and Specks did you? No way! Adam, Myf and Alan are joined by a revolving door of musos and comedians for the best Australian music comedy panel show ever. #SpicksAndSpecks
Upper Middle Bogan, series 1 (double episodes) from 8pm
ABC COMEDY launches with classic Aussie content every weeknight at 8pm! In this hit comedy, middle-class woman, Bess Denyar, discovers she’s adopted. She’s shocked to find her birth parents head up a drag racing team in the outer suburbs. CAST: Glenn Robbins, Michala Banas, Patrick Brammall. #UpperMiddleBogan
Tonightly with Tom Ballard, 9pm
World Premiere
Armed with nothing but jokes and access to memes, Tonightly with Tom Ballard will investigate and explain the latest headlines and the things you missed.
It’s the show you didn’t know you desperately needed, until now. #Tonightly
Game Face, series 1 (double episodes) from 9.30pm
Australian Premiere
Hot on the heels of the UK E4 broadcast and after a smashing pilot, UK comedian Roisin Conaty stars as Marcella, an aspiring actress recovering from a relationship break up. Despite her optimistic attempts, and with help from her friends, therapist and driving instructor, she is unable to get her life back on track. #GameFace
Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Series 2, 10.20pm
For more music comedy panel action, check out this irreverent pop quiz from the U.K. Host Mark Lamarr and regular team captains Phill Jupitus and the late Sean Hughes are joined by guest competitors from the worlds of music, TV, and comedy. #NMTB
Then every weeknight a chance to enjoy The Office, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation.
TUESDAY 5 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
Adam, Myf and Alan are joined by a revolving door of musos and comedians for the best Australian music comedy panel show ever. #SpicksAndSpecks
Ronny Chieng: International Student, pilot episode and series 1 (double episodes) from 8pm
Ronny Chieng is a Malaysian student who’s come to Australia to study law. He’s smart, driven, and competitive, which would make him the perfect law student if he actually wanted to be a lawyer. Blunt, barbed and not afraid to cut through BS, it’s not long before Ronny is at odds with most people on campus. As a genuine outsider, Ronny is suspicious of any group that wants him as a member, be it the beer-drinking Australians, the Mah-jong playing Asians or the pompous blazer-wearing… idiots. Ronny is caught between his old life and his new life, between the international students and the local students, and between his mum’s expectations and his own dreams, whatever the hell they may be. #InternationalStudent
Tonightly with Tom Ballard, 9.00pm
Armed with nothing but jokes and access to memes, Tonightly with Tom Ballard will investigate and explain the latest headlines and the things you missed.
It’s the show you didn’t know you desperately needed, until now. #Tonightly
Kiki and Kitty, 9.30pm
World Premiere
Kiki is a young black woman trying to make it as an overworked paralegal for a corporate law firm in the big smoke. Kiki has always been the “Good Aboriginal Girl”, but after an embarrassing scene at an office party, Kiki wakes up to find a big, black, bold woman in a black sequin dress, red lippie and martini in her hand, straddling her in bed. Kitty is impulsive, outspoken, sexy as hell… she’s Kiki’s vagina come to life as a real person! Kiki is the only one who can see Kitty. But Kitty knows just what Kiki needs to get control of her life, and makes it her mission to fix it.
Kiki and Kitty is a Porchlight Films production for the ABC. Principal production investment from Screen Australia. #KikiAndKitty
Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Series 2, 10.20pm
For more music comedy panel action, check out this irreverent pop quiz from the U.K. Host Mark Lamarr and regular team captains Phill Jupitus and the late Sean Hughes are joined by guest competitors from the worlds of music, TV, and comedy. #NMTB
Then every weeknight a chance to enjoy The Office, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation.
WEDNESDAY 6 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
Adam, Myf and Alan are joined by a revolving door of musos and comedians for the best Australian music comedy panel show ever. #SpicksAndSpecks
Stop Laughing This is Serious, series 1, 8pm
Chart a course through the story of Australian comedy with interviews by the men and women that make us laugh including; Barry Humphries, Eric Bana, Colin Lane, Celia Pacquola, Charlie Pickering, Magda Szubanski, Wendy Harmer, Shaun Micallef, Paul Hogan and many more. Through intimate conversations, classic archival footage, and a detailed retelling of Australian social history, our beloved jokesters all understand one sacred truth – that every Australian’s greatest gift is the ability to laugh at ourselves. #StopLaughing
Tonightly with Tom Ballard, 9pm
Armed with nothing but jokes and access to memes, Tonightly with Tom Ballard will investigate and explain the latest headlines and the things you missed.
It’s the show you didn’t know you desperately needed, until now. #Tonightly
Catastrophe series 3 (double episodes) from 9.30pm
Australian Premiere
Rob (Rob Delaney) picks up where he left off last time, with an unexplained receipt for the morning after pill in his hand and a lot of questions for Sharon (Sharon Horgan). Too drunk at the time to remember what she did, Sharon dodges Rob’s interrogation and goes to see Nico (Phil Dunster) perform with his band to find out the truth. Will she tell Rob what actually happened? The issue is unexpectedly forced when one of the kids has an accident. Also starring the legendary Carrie Fisher. #Catastrophe
Never Mind the Buzzcocks, series 2, 10.30pm
For more music comedy panel action, check out this irreverent pop quiz from the U.K. Host Mark Lamarr and regular team captains Phill Jupitus and the late Sean Hughes are joined by guest competitors from the worlds of music, TV, and comedy. #NMTB
THURSDAY 7 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
Adam, Myf and Alan are joined by a revolving door of musos and comedians for the best Australian music comedy panel show ever. #SpicksAndSpecks
The Ex-PM, series 1 (double episodes) from 8pm
Shaun Micallef plays Andrew Dugdale, the fictitious, third longest serving Australian prime minister in The Ex-PM. #TheExPM
Tonightly with Tom Ballard, 9pm
Armed with nothing but jokes and access to memes, Tonightly with Tom Ballard will investigate and explain the latest headlines and the things you missed.
It’s the show you didn’t know you desperately needed, until now. #Tonightly
The IT Crowd, series 4, 9.30pm
Moss (Richard Ayoade), Roy (Chris O’Dowd) and Jen (Katherine Parkinson) are still working in the basement for the IT department of Reynholm Industries.
Jen applies for the post of Entertainment Manager. When she finds out that amusing her boss Douglas’s (Matt Berry) business connections has its darker side, she has to turn to Moss and Roy for help. #TheITCrowd
Murder in Successville, series 1, 9.55pm
Australian Premiere
Successville is a surreal place with a high celebrity homicide count. Each week D.I. Sleet (Tom Davis) is partnered by a celebrity sidekick as they investigate the latest high-profile murder. When Bruno Tonioli is murdered, DI Sleet and new recruit Jamie Laing must interview Tonioli’s ex-wife Darcey Bussell and explore the underworld of Successville’s mobs headed by the Carr twins (Jimmy and Alan) and their rivals Harry Styles and his One Direction gang. #MurderInSuccessville
Never Mind the Buzzcocks, series 2, 10.25pm
For more music comedy panel action, check out this irreverent pop quiz from the U.K. Host Mark Lamarr and regular team captains Phill Jupitus and the late Sean Hughes are joined by guest competitor from the worlds of music, TV, and comedy. #NMTB
FRIDAY 8 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
Adam, Myf and Alan are joined by a revolving door of musos and comedians for the best Australian music comedy panel show ever. #SpicksAndSpecks
Gruen XL, series 8, 8pm
An extended edition of the show that unpicks the dark art of advertising, spin and branding. Wil Anderson, Russel Howcroft and Todd Sampson are joined by a team of experts to look at the Good, the Bad & the Ugly of Advertising. #Gruen
Hard Quiz, series 2, 8.45pm
Hard Quiz, where host Tom Gleeson sets out to find Australia’s hardest quiz champion, pitting four contestants against each other in a battle of attrition. #HardQuiz
Best of Tonightly with Tom Ballard, 9.20pm
Join host Tom Ballard as he checks out all the best bits from the Tonightly week of news. #Tonightly
Episodes, series 4 (double episodes) from 9.50pm
Australian Premiere
Matt LeBlanc stars as Matt LeBlanc in Episodes, the hilarious comedy series about remaking a comedy series. When husband and wife writing team Sean (Stephen Mangan) and Beverly (Tamsin Greig) set out to reproduce their British TV hit for an American network, all of their worst fears come true as Hollywood lives up to its reputation for absurdity. Not only does the network cast Matt LeBlanc in the starring role, but Matt takes the lead in deviously twisting their beloved series into a terrible cliché, while testing the couple’s marriage with diversions and temptations. #Episodes
Never Mind the Buzzcocks, series 2, 10.50pm
For more music comedy panel action, check out this irreverent pop quiz from the U.K. Host Mark Lamarr and regular team captains Phill Jupitus and the late Sean Hughes are joined by guest competitors from the worlds of music, TV, and comedy. #NMTB
SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
Adam, Myf and Alan are joined by a revolving door of musos and comedians for the best Australian music comedy panel show ever. #SpicksAndSpecks
Would I Lie to You, series 11, 8pm
Rob Brydon hosts the ever so slightly deceitful comedy panel show in which two teams, headed by David Mitchell and Lee Mack, try to hoodwink each other with absurd facts and plausible lies. #WILTY
Live at The Apollo, Christmas Special, series 11, 8.30pm
In the fabulously festive episode from the legendary Hammersmith Apollo, the incredible Nina Conti is the host, introducing Tanyalee Davis, Royal Variety Show favourite Hal Cruttenden and star of The Last Leg Josh Widdicombe. #LiveAtTheApollo
Comedy Next Gen, series 2, 9.15pm
Australian Premiere
Comedy Next Gen showcases the next generation of stand-up comedians as they perform their latest live shows. Upcoming comedy acts will include: Aaron Chen, Becky Lucas, Cameron James, Daniel Townes, David Quirk, Demi Lardner, Geraldine Hickey, Nick Cody, Sam Taunton, Suren Jayemanne, Tessa Walters, Tom Walker and Yianni Agisilaou.
First up is Tom Walker – the self-described ‘stand-up comedian, improviser and clown’ and the winner of the Best Newcomer Award at the 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
#ComedyNextGen
SUNDAY 10 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
Adam, Myf and Alan are joined by a revolving door of musos and comedians for the best Australian music comedy panel show ever. #SpicksAndSpecks
Michael McIntyre Comedy Roadshow, Series 1, 8pm
Star of stand-up comedy, Michael McIntyre visits six of the UK’s most prestigious and iconic comedy venues, unearthing a raft of comedy’s brightest new talent and finest comedians en- route. #ComedyRoadshow
Tom Gleeson, Live at the Enmore, 8.45pm
Host of the ABCs Hard Quiz and regular on The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, Tom Gleeson is one of the best comedians in Australia. He sells out shows wherever he goes, and you can check him out at his stand-up gig at Sydney’s iconic Enmore Theatre.
Adam Hills: The Last Leg, series 12, 10.30pm
Joined by a host of special guests, Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe show no fear or favour as they tackle the weird and wonderful stories of the week and answer your #IsItOk questions. #TheLastLeg
MONDAY 11 DECEMBER
Inside Amy Schumer, series 4, 10pm
This hit show returns for its fourth season of too-real comedy. Whether it’s dating, body shaming or any other hot-button issue, Amy Schumer is on top of it with fearless sketches, stand-up and on-the-street interviews. #InsideAmy
Spicks and Specks every night at 7:30pm immediately indicates a lack of imagination and a lack of good content. Great program, but the ABC has already repeated it to death.
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I hope this isn’t the channel logo. Yuck!
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Looking forward to the watermark.
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Is this the first time 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation airs on the ABC? Both are NBC shows and aired on Seven before.
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I mean, I had my doubts.
Now this I like a lot
They’ve both aired on SBS too. I assume it’s cheap programming?
So now ABC and SBS compete for the same content?
Neither of those have been on SBS lately so maybe their claim to rights has ended? Its filler programming, doubt it cost ABC much. Wonder do they keep That 70’s Show too?
Ooo okay, I like what I see. Certainly gonna check out Tonightly.
I do agree with others here - it’s a bit risky to limit a channel to strictly one genre. I would much prefer the ABC keep the 2 branding, just so documentaries and some dramas can continue to air at times.
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I think the ABC need to be careful with what show they put on at the first slot at the daily change from ABC Kids and Spicks and Specks is something quite family friendly, I know quite a few people who do watch that after Shaun the Sheep and Hoot has gone onto the night watch because it’s on within 30 seconds of those shows finishing and the parents do sit down as a family to watch so I can see those sorts of reasons for keeping it as easy light entertainment. After that though, anything goes.
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Tonightly with Tom Ballard
From Monday 4 December at 9:00pm
At last! A comedy show that smacks and unpacks the latest trends, news, inputs, life hacks and gossip and serves them up for you as a nightly dose of hot, must see entertainment. Tonightly with Tom Ballard will screen nightly Monday to Thursday with a highlight show airing Fridays at 9.10pm on ABC Comedy, ABC iview and the ABC Facebook page. A podcast of the show will also be available from Friday December 9th
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Armed with nothing but jokes and access to memes, Tonightly with Tom Ballard will investigate and explain the latest headlines and the things you missed. It’s the show you didn’t know you desperately needed, until now.From the chaos in Canberra to the mildly-troubled Middle East, from the outer reaches of space to the depths of the internet, Tonightly isn’t afraid to go there and ask the big questions, like “What is a apple?”, “Should the Big Four banks lose weight?”, “Will Donald Trump nuke political correctness with climate change?” and “Popular Culture - do we need it?”. Nor will it shy from giving you guaranteed advice on how to be a hit at the discotheque with all your cool facts about blockchain.
Helming the desk and wrangling live interviews, sketches, infographics, reviews and the daily headlines is award-winning comedian Tom Ballard (triple j breakfast, Q&A for some reason). “Tonightly will have the journalistic credibility of Sunrise coupled with the comedic chops of Landline,” he said. “I just can’t wait to get started and win a Logie, even if it means going to the Gold Coast to collect it.”
Ballard will be joined by a team of three news, tech, culture and sports addicts who are fully across everything ever: Greta Lee-Jackson (SkitBox), Greg Larsen (Fancy Boy) and Bridie Connell (Whose Line Is It Anyway? Australia). These three are the show’s field reporters, putting their bodies on the line for the sake of truth, facts and punchlines. A wider family of contributing comedic voices from around the nation will provide insights and “fire” “content” on a regular basis.Filmed at ABC Ultimo, the series launches with a thorough look back at the year: examining the big themes and events that made 2017 one of the most 2017 of years on record, then returns early in 2018 to quickly break its resolutions to eat less cheese.
The series will pause for 2017 on Friday December 22 to return early 2018.
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