Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe

Television ABC
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Aunty Donna serves up their first narrative comedy series for ABC

The ABC and Screen Australia are thrilled to announce that Australia’s rock stars of comedy, Aunty Donna, are making their first foray into narrative comedy with the brand-new half hour series Aunty Donna’s Untitled Project.

Filming from next week in Melbourne and starring Aunty Donna’s Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly, and Zachary Ruane, the high octane and unpredictable series follows the story of three best mates running a trendy cafe down one of Melbourne’s less-than-iconic laneways.

Aunty Donna says: “We make show, you will love.”

Todd Abbott, ABC Head of Comedy, says: “ABC audiences first got a taste of Aunty Donna in 2014 in Fresh Blood, so we couldn’t be more excited to have them back where they belong and to be the home of their first narrative comedy series. Strap yourselves in… this is going to be a wild ride.”

Screen Australia’s Head of Online Lee Naimo said, “We’ve been proud to support Aunty Donna throughout their career as they’ve gone from strength to strength creating original content and building a cult audience online, from their Fresh Blood series to 1999 through Skip Ahead and Glennridge Secondary College on YouTube. So naturally we’re delighted to support their first foray into a sitcom format bringing along their trademark absurdity. We’re confident this series will be a hit with devoted fans and newcomer audiences alike.”

VicScreen’s CEO, Caroline Pitcher, says: “We’re delighted to support the debut sitcom from the iconic comedy trio, Aunty Donna. Bringing together two Melbourne greats – laneway cafes and the absurd comedy of Aunty Donna – audiences are set to be thoroughly entertained when it hits our screens next year.”

Aunty Donna’s Untitled Project will air on ABC TV and ABC iview in 2023.

Production credit: Aunty Donna’s Untitled Project is a Haven’t You Done Well Productions production for ABC. Principal production investment from the ABC and Screen Australia in association with VicScreen. Aunty Donna’s director/producer Max Miller and writer/executive producers Sam Lingham, Broden Kelly, Mark Samual Bonanno, Thomas Armstrong and Zachary Ruane are joined by producer Nicole Minchin and executive producer Georgia Mappin. ABC Executive Producers Rachel Millar and Todd Abbott.

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Looking forward to this, in whatever capacity it may be in. I would prefer they stick to their original Youtube and Screen Australia stuff and avoid something similar to what they did for Netflix as I don’t think that would gel well with the ABC audiences.

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Starring Aunty Donna’s Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly, and Zachary Ruane, the high octane and unpredictable series follows the story of three best mates running a trendy cafe down one of Melbourne’s less-than-iconic laneways. A Haven’t You Done Well Productions production for ABC.

Principal production investment from the ABC and Screen Australia in association with VicScreen. Director/producer Max Miller and writer/executive producers Sam Lingham, Broden Kelly, Mark Samual Bonanno, Thomas Armstrong and Zachary Ruane. Producer Nicole Minchin and executive producer Georgia Mappin. ABC Executive Producers Rachel Millar and Todd Abbott.

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Wednesday 12 April 9:00 pm

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Strange but I’m intrigued.

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Not sure how I feel about this, but nice to see such a diverse cast!

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i love these boys

they have great youtube skits, and good to see they will now be on the ABC

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that’s what always gets comedy over the line for me.

Not a fan of the OTT schtick they do personally

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More artwork

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Wednesday 12 April 9.00pm

The high-octane and unpredictable adventures of three best mates running a trendy Melbourne café. Starring Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly, and Zachary Ruane

Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe is a high-octane and unpredictable comedy series about the adventures of three best mates running a trendy Melbourne cafe.

Hell-bent on creating the best joint in the neighbourhood (without having any of the necessary skills), Mark, Zach and Broden embark on weekly adventures that lead them on strange and unexpected exploits into the world of hospitality and small business.

These adventures cover everything from dealing with a bad review to calming evil spirits who have a penchant for Gardening Australia. It’s a ridiculously fun, rollicking sitcom featuring songs, characters and constant left turns. However, at the heart of this show is a story about three friends, working together to make something special.

Every episode has its own distinct flavour from courtroom shenanigans, bucks parties with the boys and an over the top farce. Whilst audiences might never know what to expect next at least they’ll have the company of our three loveable idiots Mark, Zach and Broden. Our world is filled out with our amazing ensemble of Stephanie, Michelle, Sally-Anne and the Nameless One. With a cavalcade of other colourful characters played and the country’s best comedic performers, both rising stars and beloved faces.

Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe is the debut sitcom from the team and promises to be as exciting for both fans of Aunty Donna and sitcoms alike.

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ABC have released the first 2 episodes for preview. I watched the first one. The show is as bizarre as it looks in the promos. It is in the form of a narrative related to their coffee shop rather than individual skits, though there are some almost stand alone segments. There were some very hilarious LOL parts to it - some of the best I’ve seen recently. The rest, wasn’t really funny but more bizarre,. I think their You Tube fans will probably be more attuned to those parts. It was enough for me to plan to check out the next episode. After that who knows.

Good to see something original, though it did remind me of the Soul Mates episode Bondi Hipsters only crazier.

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Episode 2

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Wednesday 19 April 9.00pm

The boys form a kangaroo court in the café in order to put the Blueberry Burglar on trail for burgling blueberries. Starring Broden Kelly, Mark Bonanno, Zachary Ruane, Richard Roxburgh.

Morning Brown gets Wi-Fi installed and things are going well until the Blueberry Burglar starts stealing blueberries from the blueberry muffins. After the police dismiss their problem as frivolous, the boys form a kangaroo court in the café to put the Blueberry Burglar on trial.

After a comedic ‘recess’ pun-based incident Mark gets stuck having to explain why he is dressed as a King’s Counsel at a local primary school. At the trial there’s much hubbub as the defence attorney has gone missing, thankfully Rake comes in to save the day. Yes that’s right, Rake/ Richard Roxburgh/ Cleaver Greene agrees to defend the Blueberry Burglar.

Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe is a high-octane and unpredictable comedy series about the adventures of three best mates running a trendy Melbourne cafe.

Hell-bent on creating the best joint in the neighbourhood (without having any of the necessary skills), Mark, Zach and Broden embark on weekly adventures that lead them on strange and unexpected exploits into the world of hospitality and small business.

All episodes of Aunty Donna’s Coffee Café will be able to stream from 9pm on Wednesday 12th April.

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Episode 2 is hilarious - should have been the first episode!!!. Richard Roxburgh appears playing Rake in a courtroom where instead of barristers there are baristas :grin:

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Episode 3

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Wednesday 26 April 9.00pm

Things take a turn for the spooky when Mark and Zach decide to keep the cafe open past 3.30pm. Broden goes to a bucks party. CAST: Mark Samual Bonanno, Zachart Ruane and Broden Kelly.

Mark and Zach decide to keep the cafe open past 3.30pm. Broden attends the bucks party of the Blueberry burglar. In the cafe things become spooky and weird as Mark and Zach are slowly driven crazy. Meanwhile, the bucks party undertakes lots of different wholesome activities such as laser tag, go karts and a picnic.

Mark and Zach are about to kill each other when Stephanie interrupts them. A ghost then appears and explains that at 5pm she likes to watch Gardening Australia in the cafe so she has to get the boys to leave. Mark and Zach show the ghost ABC iview (which keeps crashing) and then the bucks party comes to the cafe. The episode wraps up nicely with a spooky iview bucks party.

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Episode 4

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Zach is forced to host the Annual Real Estate Awards at the cafe while Broden helps Mark kick his addiction. CAST: Pia Miranda, Mark Samual Bonanno, Zachary Ruane, Broden Kelly,

The boys’ property manager, Nic, comes to the cafe to evict them as they haven’t been paying rent. However, Nic offers them an extension on paying the rent if they’ll host the annual real estate agent awards, The C***ies.
Mark reveals he hasn’t been paying the rent due to an addiction to a drumming arcade game. Broden takes Mark to the arcade to help him overcome his addiction.

At the cafe Zach decides he needs to stop The C***ies because it’s awful and real estate agents are awful. Zach pops the real estate bubble, so the real estate agents return to the swampy marsh to hibernate until the market regains confidence.

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The C***tie’s from their quite frankly underrated Real Estate Agents video, are they just recycling content now?

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Weird that they bleeped all the swear words at the start of this episode but then didn’t later. :man_shrugging:

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Episode 5

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Wednesday 10 May 9.00pm

Broden is convinced that there is a conspiracy behind Australia’s five dollar note. Mark and Zach make cakes that look like other things that are not cake. Cast: Broden Kelly, Mark Bonanno, Zachury Ruane.

After reviewing the customer complaints box, the boys realise that their toilet should really have a door. Their landlord, Sally-Anne (Sally-Anne Upton) agrees to build a door but only after she shows them the $5 note can be folded to make it look like a whale-sucking-a-fat-one. Broden decides the $5 note is the tip of the iceberg involving a deep conspiracy and heads out to find answers.

Sally-Anne builds a door but out of cake. Mark and Zach think this is wonderful and spend the day tricking people by making things out of cake. Broden’s ‘research’ leads him to believe that all the historical figures on the money are immortal and this is all connected to Harold Holt’s disappearance in 1967. Somehow Broden is actually correct and it’s very confusing, thankfully the episode ends before things get too carried away.

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Episode two aired tonight on ABC. It was bizarre, but hilarious. Richard Roxburgh / Cleaver Greene / Rake was in it, playing “all three”, sending himself and his show up. I loved the Ready Steady Cook reference towards the end of the show too

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Maybe the YouTube thing about no swearing in the first part? Or if you are watching by the end of the show you won’t be offended but you might be there for the start and not realise?