Exclusive: Foxtel confirms Working Dog comedy Pacific Heat for early 2016

It was touted as “Australia’s first prime time adult animation”, and while all good things come to those who wait word afoot was that Working Dog’s PACIFIC HEAT had gone off the boil.

Foxtel happily shouted about it last year when they launched their 2015 schedule, announcing it as a title for The Comedy Channel:

Pacific Heat is a new Australian animated series currently in development. The idea comes from the creative minds of Working Dog, the highly successful Australian production company, responsible for  incredibly successful TV series such as “Frontline”, “Thank God You’re Here” and “The Panel.” This series will be Australia’s first prime time adult animation created and produced locally.

Here we are in November 2015 and… nothing. Not even a mention of the series in Foxtel’s 2016 UpFronts leaving one ‘leading’ TV website to speculate that the project had been canned. DeciderTV can however confirm Pacific Heat is very much alive with a spokesperson for Foxtel telling us:

Pacific Heat is currently in production and is planned for an early 2016 premiere on The Comedy Channel. 

Foxtel will advise more details regarding the series in the new year, and the team at Working Dog tell us they’re still hard at it and work was progressing on the series. The good news is that while the voice cast is still secret DeciderTV has learned the likes of Rob Sitch & Jane Kennedy will lend their voices to the ensemble cast.

Pacific Heat is an exciting project for Working Dog, and one they’re understandably proud of as they’re making the entire series in Australia (the animation studio has been set up a short walk down the road from their Melbourne offices).

After the far-too-lukewarm Open Slather in 2015, its good to see The Comedy Channel still investing in such an ambitious project as Pacific Heat. The channel is also understood to be considering a replacement sketch comedy program that would feature some of the younger Open Slather cast members in a series that would target a more adult and contemporary audience.