ABC Upfronts 2023

[TV.Cynic]

Australia’s Wild Odyssey

New for 2023 Australia’s Wild Odyssey follows the flow of water across the Australian continent to uncover the incredible connections that link all creatures on earth: from ants, to eagles to us. Over three dynamic episodes, this wildlife series sets out on a journey across the driest continent on earth – following the rain, rivers and underground aquifers as they transform and connect distant ecosystems. Each stop on the journey reveals a new piece of the ecological puzzle that connects organi…

Back in Time for Dinner

Back in Time for the Corner Shop Back in Time for the Corner Shop looks at how Australian society has changed through the lens of the corner shop.* *Annabel Crabb will once again be on hand to help Carol and Peter Ferrone, and their children Julian, Sienna and Olivia, learn the highs and lows of being shopkeepers through 150 years of Australian history. The Australian corner shop was an institution for millions of Australians. More than a simple shop, it was the centre point of a neighbourhood,…

Better Date Than Never

Coming to ABC in 2023 Better Date than Never is a character-led, multi-part docuseries following a diverse group of single love seekers as they take a huge step in anyone’s life – into the dating world. Each participant has a unique story, and a different reason for a later start to their dating journey. But they all share a common goal – to step out on their first date. With a little help from the producers, they launch into a world they’ve always wanted to explore, on a journey that takes the…

The Black Hand

New for 2023 Anthony LaPaglia, delves back in time to explore an Australian Italian community’s struggle against hard times, extreme politics, looming war and the mafia in their midst. A personal journey from Queensland cane country to Calabria, Italy seeking answers to a question faced by all those who remake their lives in a new place what comes with us from the old country, what do we leave behind? WildBear Entertainment production for the ABC. Principal production funding from Screen Austr…

The ABC Of….

Returning in 2023, The ABC Of is an interview series that brings prominent Australians face to face with their earlier selves. Each episode is built around a one-on-one conversation with host Davd Wenham, with questions inspired by the content of the video clips, all of which are drawn from the vast ABC archives. Before they sit down, the guests are unaware of the clips that have been chosen. And these video memories often travel past the choices you’d expect, the obvious markers of the guest’…

Dolphins: Is Our Love Too Deep?

New for 2023 Dolphins: Is Our Love Too Deep? is a ground-breaking, investigative, environmental film that explores the impact humans are having on wild dolphins through hand feeding tourism programs in Australia at Monkey Mia and Bunbury in Western Australia, and Moreton Bay and Tin Can Bay in Queensland. Hand feeding in some of these locations has caused a litany of problems, high calf mortality, aggressive behaviour, and reduced survival rates in the wild. However, this is only the tip of the…

First Weapons

New for 2023 Host Phil Breslin sets out an action-packed adventure across Australia, visiting Country he meets weapon makers from Wadi Wadi lands to the Central Desert. From Adelaide to Tasmania and Menang Noongar country. He learns through the inherent knowledge how each weapon is sourced and crafted before facing a crash course in combat. A celebration of craftsmanship, ingenuity, and bravery. Then Phil puts himself and science to the test… With the weapon makers, he meets our scientific expe…

Great Australian Stuff

New for 2023 Presenter Tony Armstrong unpacks the surprising, strange, and sometimes dark history behind our most iconic Aussie stuff. From the pioneering Boomerang hills hoist and Victa lawnmower, to One Day Cricket, Sherrin footballs and the humble meat pie. And of course, some of our most questionable fashion staples, including speedos and stubbies.* *Featuring Ben Law, Nazeem Hussain, Jenny Kee, Nornie Bero, Richard Glover and Jean Kittson to name a few, Tony digs deep into the ABC archives…

Kitchen Cabinet

Revived for 2023 Kitchen Cabinet is back! In 2023, Annabel Crabb will be cooking and eating with some of the new Parliament’s most fascinating and powerful figures, hailing from across the political spectrum. The premise of the show is simple. Annabel visits the home of a prominent politician; they cook their favourite meal and Annabel brings dessert. Along the way, they have the kinds of conversations that are never ordinarily possible in the frenetic pace of the daily news cycle. What makes t…

New Leash on Life

New for 2023 Mental health issues and loneliness in Australia are on the rise and so are dogs on death row. Joel Creasey has a solution: a mutual rescue. New Leash On Life is a feel-good, family friendly documentary series with our love of dogs at it’s core. In each episode, Joel meets an Australian in need of unconditional love from a dog, then works with canine behaviourist Laura Vissaritis to rescue a suitable unwanted dog on death row, guiding them with behavioural modifications, before int…

Designing a Legacy

Season 2 - 2023 In Designing A Legacy (S2), comedian and architecture tragic Tim Ross travels around Australia to see buildings and meet people that help reveal a new story of what it means to be Australian, hidden in the architecture around us. If buildings shape our lives, he asks, can the story of what it means to be Australian be told through our buildings? And if so, is this the story we expect? From stunning private homes to schools and surf clubs, motels and mosques, Tim shows us some st…

Take 5 with Zan Rowe

Returning in 2023 You can learn a lot about someone from their mixtape. What if you asked extraordinary people to share 5 songs that made them who they are today? Take 5 with Zan Rowe is back by popular demand for a second series! What began as a segment on Zan’s much loved radio show 15 years ago, evolved into the award-winning podcast and a hit 5-part ABC TV series. Through their song choices each guest takes us deep into the moments that shaped them. The results are intimate, revelation fuel…

War on Waste

returning in 2023 In War on Waste (S3) we’ll put the critical issue of waste back on the agenda and highlight the connection between waste and climate change. At the helm, passionate planet advocate and prankster Craig Reucassel will look at the mindset change we need to fix the problems. He’ll champion our waste heroes and hold the villains to account, and set new challenges for corporations, councils and communities. Alongside new large scale public installations to show the shocking impact o…

Queerstralia

New for 2023 A three-part series for ABC that sees comedian Zoë Coombs Marr engage with the untold and fascinating queer (LGBTQI+) history of Australia - a place of gay Diggers, lesbian convict gangs, trans pioneers and cross-dressing bushrangers. From Cook to convicts to the ANZACS – most of us who’ve sat through primary school think we kinda know Australian history. But there’s another, hidden history – one of gay diggers, lesbian convict gangs, trans entrepreneurs and cross-dressing bushran…