Crime Night!

Television ABC
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Julie Zemiro to host ABC’s new true-crime panel show Crime Night!

Julia Zemiro
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The ABC is thrilled to announce that Julia Zemiro will host Crime Night! a comedy true-crime panel show where real-life cases are examined through the lens of criminology and comedy.

Produced by Dreamchaser and Maverick Entertainment, the six-part series will see Julia, alongside a panel of criminologists and comedians dissect famous cases. They will discover the science behind the crimes and use that same science to examine our own lives with hilarious consequences.

Host Julia Zemiro says: “Excellent criminologists and brainy comedians? Check! One very engaged host? (That’s me!) Yes Check!

“I am so excited to be back at the ABC steering a panel show about modern day criminology. This new team of writers and producers are a breath of fresh air to work with, as we delve into the science behind the crimes. The how, the what and the why. The curious, the serious and ultimately very human side of crime.”

Rachel Millar, ABC Head of Entertainment, said: “Australians can’t get enough of True Crime, and we’re excited to join forces with Dreamchaser and Maverick to bring this innovative and original format to ABC screens. For anyone who loves bingeing the latest true crime podcast, or playing detective in the group chat, this is the show for you. Led by the inimitable Julia Zemiro, this is a show that will make your spine tingle with intrigue, whilst making you laugh at the same time.”

Carl Fennessy and Monique Keller, Dreamchaser Executive Producers, said: “Crime Night! is the first commission under our Maverick Entertainment and Dreamchaser producing partnership. We’re thrilled to be launching this brand-new comedy true-crime panel show in partnership with the ABC. The combined talents of Executive Producers David Forster, Frank Bruzzese and Julia Zemiro are exceptional, working alongside a brilliant panel of criminologists and comedians to examine the fascinating real-life cases we’re all obsessed with in the funniest possible way.”

Filming will begin in early August in Melbourne, to be part of the studio audience click here

Crime Night! will air later this year on ABC TV and ABC iview.

Production credits: Commissioned by the ABC. Produced by Dreamchaser and Maverick Entertainment in association with the ABC. Maverick Executive Producers: David Forster, Frank Bruzzese and Julia Zemiro. Dreamchaser Executive Producers: Carl Fennessy, and Monique Keller. ABC Executive Producer: Michiko Smith. ABC Head of Entertainment: Rachel Millar.

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Who knew true crime is funny? :woozy_face:

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Can’t wait for them to do the Katherine Knight case… :nauseated_face: :face_vomiting:

They’ll probably do cases that aren’t so serious and where there is a little humour.

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Whatever the case, the concept of comedy about crime just seems wrong.

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I reckon the show will take on historical crimes rather than more recent crimes, and concentrate on heists and fraud cases rather than murders.

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I’d agree with that if you’re referring to real crime. But you will always have some dickhead thinking murder and cannibalism and drugs and whatever is piss funny.

Fictional crime, you could get away with. So long as the criminals aren’t being glamorised as shining beacons of moral success.

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the ABC trying to turn crime into comedy is like a News Corp editors wet dream.

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That in itself is a crime being turned into comedy. :rofl:

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The ABC needs to bring back the Chaser in some form or other (CNNNN, The Chasers War on Everything, Hampster Wheel).

I don’t see anything funny about True Crime, especially with domestic violence and some recent high-profile murders taking place in this country.

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(Crime Night) is the first production to get announced with Marks as MD. Did he have anything to do with it? Marks says it was green-lit before he arrived, but the announcement came now because it’s begun filming. Still, having the co-founder in the big chair should be a handy “in” for Dreamchaser.

In his favour, Marks financially divested himself from the production company when he arrived at the ABC in March. An update to corporate records from the same month show he was removed from the company’s share register.

EDIT: An ABC spokesman told The Guardian Australia’s Amanda Meade:

The ABC commenced development of Crime Night! in May 2024. Hugh Marks’ association with Dreamchaser ceased when he was appointed as Managing Director of the ABC in March 2025. Hugh was not involved in the decision to commission the series.

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Good to see some more satire on the ABC.

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The lighter side of seven murders. Christ.

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Probably will do the mushroom murders next.

Clearly ABC have gone nuts.

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Crime Night! puts crime under the microscope this November

Hosted by the award-winning Julia Zemiro, ABC’s brand new entertainment show Crime Night! premieres on Wednesday 5 November at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.

The six-part series dives beneath the surface of crime to explore the science and psychology behind it all.

Each week Julia is joined by expert criminologists Professor Danielle Reynald and Dr David Bartlett, alongside a rotating panel of Australia’s sharpest comedians to unpack a different area of crime and criminology. Special guests include Celia Pacquola, Mel Buttle, Claire Hooper, Rhys Nicholson, Susie Youssef, Nick Cody, Ryan Shelton, Lizzy Hoo, Alexei Toliopoulos and Steph Tisdell.

Each episode features a unique Experiment of the Week, where panellists or the studio audience become unwitting accomplices in testing long-held assumptions about criminal behaviour. Adding to the mix is comedy sensation, Lou Wall, who delivers their own analysis on a quirky criminal curiosity tied to the week’s theme.

While the criminologists share insightful analysis and the comedians ask the questions we’re all dying to know, Crime Night! blends real-life criminal cases, witty storytelling and entertaining social experiments to expose the frailties, illusions and delusions of our very human obsession with crime.

Production credit: Commissioned by the ABC. Produced by Dreamchaser and Maverick Entertainment in association with the ABC. Maverick Executive Producers: David Forster, Frank Bruzzese and Julia Zemiro. Dreamchaser Executive Producers: Carl Fennessy, and Monique Keller. ABC Executive Producer: Michiko Smith. ABC Head of Entertainment: Rachel Millar. World distribution rights managed by ABC Commercial.

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EPISODE 1

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WEDNESDAY 5 NOVEMBER 8.30PM

Eyewitness Testimony

Tonight, host Julia Zemiro and expert criminologists Professor Danielle Reynald and Dr. David Bartlett are joined by comedians Celia Pacquola and Mel Buttle to explore the complexities of eyewitness testimony.

They discuss the importance of eyewitness accounts while also examining their unreliability, referencing the wrongful conviction of Richard Phillips and factors like own-race bias and weapon focus. The “forgetting curve” illustrates memory’s rapid decay, even when witnessing significant events like the JFK assassination.

The “Experiment of the Week” tests the panel’s recall of a staged altercation, and Lou Wall discusses animal and AI witnesses. The panel examines how memories can be altered through suggestion, citing Elizabeth Loftus’s research and the case of NBC anchor, Brian Williams.

Finally, in the End Game, the studio audience’s memory is put to the test when they are asked to pick out a suspect in a real-life line-up.

The episode underscores the contentious impact of eyewitness testimony, both in securing convictions and in miscarriages of justice.

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EPISODE 2

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WEDNESDAY 12 NOVEMBER 8.30PM

Julia Zemiro, Professor Danielle Reynald, Dr David Bartlett, Rhys Nicholson and Steph Tisdell delve into the world of phishing scams.

The panel highlights the significant global cost of scams, estimated at $1.5 trillion, and discusses the psychological tactics used to lure victims, such as creating a sense of urgency and exploiting trust.

The “Experiment of the Week” creates a harmless “quishing” scam to test the audience’s susceptibility.

The panel also dissects “Hi Mum” scams and explores the history and dangers of deepfakes, with Lou Wall creating their very own.