ABC Television 2017

[TV.Cynic]

##2017 Update

ABC delivers ambitious, accessible & Australian programs for 2017

ABC Director of Television, Richard Finlayson, and Head of Programming and Digital, Rebecca Heap, today announced additional titles to be added to ABC’s impressive 2017 slate and has affirmed ABC’s commitment to ambitious, accessible and Australian programming.

Richard Finlayson said: “It’s with great pleasure we reveal another raft of world-class content today; programming that unequivocally confirms ABC as the home of Australian stories, conversations and the best creative talent. Our programs continue to not only entertain but tackle the things that matter, at home, in the community and to the nation.”

Major highlights unveiled today include outstanding drama (Pulse, The Easybeats), must-see comedy and entertainment (Get Krack!n’, Hannah Gadsby’s Nude, The Ex-PM, The Chinaboy Show), change-making factual event television (Brian Cox’s Stargazing Live in Australia, Craig Reucassel’s War on Waste, Todd Sampson’s Life on the Line, the Ian Thorpe hosted Bullied), and groundbreaking children’s programs (Mustangs FC, My Year 12 Life, Get Grubby TV and Joey’s Big Adventure).

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###MAGICAL FAMILY MOMENTS & CHANGE-MAKING TELEVISION EVENTS

Stargazing Live

Stargazing Live [image] Over three consecutive nights on ABC, Professor Brian Cox and a cast of Australia’s leading scientists and favourite faces inspire the Nation to ‘look up’ and appreciate the unique wonders of the Southern Sky. There’s nowhere better in the world to cast your eyes to the heavens than Australia. Here we can see up to 100 times more stars than in the Northern Hemisphere – and it’s not just because the skies are clearer. From the great southern land, we look directly out…

War on Waste

The exciting new three-part factual series War on Waste will turn the spotlight on the staggering amount of waste we produce as a nation, and how together we can do something about it. No stranger to confronting situations, presenter Craig Reucassel will take on the supermarkets, challenge Australians to go waste free, debunk recycling myths, and uncover some shocking truths about fashion waste. Most importantly he’ll take a critical look at household, retail and farming waste in Australia – and ask, what has changed in the Australian psyche, and in our consumer culture, that has led us to become among the most wasteful nations on Earth?

Bullied

###The Bully Project Ian Thorpe takes on bullying for ABC A new 3x60 documentary series The Bully Project is in production where Olympian and former Young Australian of the Year Ian Thorpe OAM will host a confronting new series aimed at tackling the issue of bullying by taking audiences to the frontline. The Bully Project will form the central plank of a season of programming running across the ABC. The aim of the season, which will be supported by partner ReachOut Australia, is to examine t…

Cyberhate with Tara Moss

Co-programmed on ABC2 and ABC iview the week of Bullied will be the revealing program Cyberhate with Tara Moss. Author, journalist, and human rights advocate Tara Moss will take us on a tour to the darkest corners of the web to uncover the world of cyber violence. Through interviews, discussion, cutting edge science and Moss’s own story of dealing with online threats, anger and trolls, this series will investigate why fury is reshaping the online world.

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FOR LOVERS OF LIFE

Compass

Compass returns at 6pm on March 4 in a new Saturday timeslot when Geraldine Doogue passes the baton to brand new Compass presenter Kumi Taguchi in an interview revealing why Kumi is the perfect person for the job.
But Geraldine is not stepping back completely and will continue to host specials throughout the year including Modern Prophets, an interview series with a refreshing perspective on key events in the religious and secular calendar and a powerful one-hour special exploring the potential outcomes of the Royal Commission.

Todd Sampson’s Life on the Line

###Todd Sampson’s Life on the Line [image] Todd Sampson puts his faith in science to the ultimate test in a series of epic experiments, trusting his life to the Laws of Physics. The Laws of Physics govern all life on this planet. They are one of the few things in life that are universal, immutable and predictable. We rarely think about them yet they impact everything we do. In this series Todd explores the fascinating world of physics, embarking on a series of challenges to reveal these p…

David Stratton’s Stories of Australian Cinema

###David Stratton’s Stories of Australian Cinema [image] David Stratton’s Stories of Australian Cinema, one of Australia’s most revered film critics takes the audience on a personal journey through the cinematic landscape that shaped both him and us, as he traces the story of Australian cinema.The series interweaves the cinematic visions of our greatest films and their filmmakers, telling intimate behind-the-scenes stories via the voices of iconic stars and industry protagonists alike. David…

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###FOR DRAMA LOVERS

ABC delivers the best dramas on Australian television.
Previously announced dramas for 2017 include Newton’s Law, Seven Types of Ambiguity, The Warriors plus new seasons of the strikingly original Cleverman and Glitch and home grown favourites Janet King and The Doctor Blake Mysteries.

Joining them on ABC’s already impressive 2017 drama slate are the Australian medical drama Pulse, the two-part Easybeats mini-series The Easybeats.

Pulse

###Pulse A high-flying financial analyst had it all before a failing kidney landed her at death’s door, and a transplant offered her a second chance. Inspired by the man who saved her life, Frankie alters course to become a doctor herself, working and learning in the high stakes, high pressure world of the cardio-thoracic and renal wards of a major teaching hospital. Along with her colleagues, both friends and rivals alike, Frankie must face the political, personal and professional realitie…

Friday On My Mind

Friday on My Mind is a drama mini-series about The Easybeats being produced by Playmaker Media for the ABC.

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###THE ENTERTAINERS
2017 will also see the return of award-winning comedies Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell and Utopia, plus comedian Anne Edmonds’ original noir comedy The Edge of the Bush and new autobiographical comedy Ronny Chieng: International Student, which has just gone into production this week for ABC in Australia and Comedy Central in the US.

Back too is the team at The Checkout, Shaun Micallef in The Ex-PM and we’re serving up even more of the Katering Show girls in Get Krack!n’.

Get Krack!n’

###Get Krack!n’ [image] Having conquered the cut throat world of satirical online cooking shows, The Kates (McLennan and McCartney) are ready to take their trademark sassy swipe at breakfast TV with Get Krack!n’. With no sense of on-camera technique, the Kate’s will shuffle through a roster of unsafe demonstrations, surly guests, underprepared experts and the over-lit decomposition of the duo’s already rocky relationship. Like any televisual format that The Kates put their rough, manly han…

The Ex-PM

###The Ex-PM EX-PM-Smicallef-box_sized [image] After the surprising success of his autobiography, Ex-PM Andrew Dugdale (Shaun Micallef) answers his party’s call to stand for election in a marginal Murray Darling electorate. They tell him they want a ‘sure thing’ in the contest. With his entire household in tow, all of them working on his campaign, Dugdale sets up house at the local sewage farm and begins engaging with the local community, particularly over a contentious plan to expand a nat…

Hannah Gadsby’s Nude

###Hannah Gadsby’s Nude [image] “The Nude” is one of the most enduring subjects in western art and culture. In this two part Arts-doc series, comedy queen Hannah Gadsby undresses the nude and lays bare our compelling relationship with the human form. Wielding her wit like a TV detective with a UV light, Hannah reveals the invisible clothing of The Nude. The Nude has survived the crumbling of ancient civilizations and the shaming of well-placed medieval fig leaves. Our art galleries are ful…

The Checkout

[quote]ACCC warns of increased risk of ACCC impersonators The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued a public warning pursuant to section 223 of the Australian Consumer Law about a likely increase in bodgy advice to consumers by scammers masquerading as a serious consumer affairs program. The ACCC particularly advises Australians to be on the lookout for a suspicious television program called The Checkout which purports to offer advice to consumers. Credible intelligence sug…

The Checkout resumes its unwavering mission to make the Australian Consumer Law sexy, expose the ways we’re all being ripped off and give us the tools to fix it.

ABC will also continue to offer snappy, bite-sized servings of ambitious and innovative entertainment exactly when you want it, with must-see ABC iview exclusives Pop-Ability and The Chinaboy Show.

Pop-Ability

The Sisters of Invention are the world’s first pop girl group with disabilities. Determined to challenge society’s pre-conceived ideas about who can be a pop star, the group are getting ready to release an ambitious music video to accompany their debut album. But can they break free of the tough reality of living with a disability? This is an unforgettable series exclusive to ABC iview.

The Chinaboy Show

John Luc’s The Chinaboy Show is the first ABC sketch comedy written from the perspective of a Vietnamese–Chinese Australian. Front and centre of this series is online sensation John Luc (AKA Mychonny), whose content has enjoyed more than 300 million views, easily making him one of Australia’s most loved YouTube stars.

###For Young Viewers

ABC continues to deliver new shows for young children and teens that they can watch at times and on devices that best suit them.

Must-see shows this year for young viewers include Mustangs FC, Get Grubby TV, My Year 12 Life and Joey’s Big Adventure.

Mustangs FC
Mustangs FC is a goal-kicking comedy drama about girls who abandon the sidelines and start their football club’s first all-girls team. Against the odds, they’ll stand united and overcome any challenges the club, the boys, or the opposition can throw at them. All while wrestling with what it means to be a friend; a sister; a daughter; a girlfriend.

Get Grubby TV
Get Grubby TV takes the Australian Emmy award-winning animated TV series, dirtgirlworld, and reimagines the story to reveal the real place and the real characters…unreal! Having invented the ‘costavator’, dirtgirl and scrapboy have also gained a new friend, Costa the Garden Gnome (Costa Georgiadis from Gardening Australia), and together they are travelling across Australia to new places and getting grubby… big time!

My Year 12 Life

##My Year 12 Life ABC’s My Year 12 Life challenges whether one number can define our future [image] New Australian vlogumentary series in production This week, 200,000 Australian students nervously await their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) results. Fourteen of those have documented their final year of school, all its challenges and its fun, for the ABC’s upcoming series My Year 12 Life. The stress the ATAR is putting on kids was the inspiration for the extraordinary series whic…

Joey’s Big Adventure
Play School’s brand new toy Joey will jump into a big adventure to explore the world of baby animals. Joey will join Play School presenter’s Miranda, Luke, and Rachel as they introduce pre-schoolers to the wonderful world of wildlife. They’ll meet and uncover facts about a range of baby animals, from hatching Gentoo Penguin chicks in their snow enclosure to a litter of adorable six week old puppies. With a beautiful catchy song to accompany each episode, Joey’s Big Adventure will provide insights into the animal kingdom with plenty of giggles along the way.