With the Olympics now long gone, the ABC has made a significant programming announcement confirming timeslots for a bunch of new and returning entertainment shows that will air on the network during the remainder of 2016.
Silvia’s Italian Table premieres on Thursday 6 October at 8:00pm (8×30’)
Silvia’s Italian Table is a unique eight-part cooking and celebrity chat series presented by cook Silvia Colloca. Self-taught cook Silvia leads three personalities around the kitchen bench and dining table as she teaches them to cook an Italian inspired entrée, main and dessert together, all while serving up delicious conversation on a chosen theme. With Silvia’s Italian upbringing revolving around cooking and chatting, this enlightening series sees Silvia visit Italy and includes guests Tom Gleeson, Marta Dusseldorp, Cathy Freeman, Claudia Karvan, Ian Thorpe, Tara Moss and many more.
Man Up premieres Tuesday 11 October at 8:30pm (3×60’)
Gus Worland’s mission to break the silence.
In Australia, men are traditionally seen as strong, stoic and tough as nails. They’re the alpha males of the world. They laugh in the face of fear. They excel at everything. And when life gets them down, they drink a cup of concrete and harden the f**k up. Or so the saying goes. But hardening up doesn’t seem to be working out too well for our blokes. Research shows Aussie men are lonelier and more disconnected than ever. Common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety go untreated. And suicide is the leading cause of death for men aged 15 to 44 years. So why are men killing themselves? And why isn’t anyone talking about it?
Enter Gus Worland: professional talker. As the star of Triple M’s breakfast radio team in Sydney, Gus thinks he has got his finger on the pulse of real Aussie blokes. Deeply impacted by the suicide of a dear friend 10 years ago, and with a teenage son of his own about to become a man, Gus sets out on a mission to save Aussie men from their biggest killer. Themselves.
Upper Middle Bogan Series 3 premieres Wednesday 12 October at 8:30pm (8×30’)
Australia’s best loved and acclaimed family comedy returns, as Bess Denyar continues to try to make a happy union between her adoptive upper middle family and her biological bogan family. Starring Annie Maynard, Robyn Nevin, Michala Banas, Patrick Brammall, Glenn Robbins, Robyn Malcolm, Madeleine Jevic, Rhys Mitchell, Dougie Baldwin, Lara Robinson and Harrison Feldman.
Rosehaven premieres Wednesday 12 October at 9:00pm (8×30’)
Rural Tasmania provides the spectacular backdrop for Rosehaven, a new comedy series created by, and starring, two of Australia’s most loved comic talents: Luke McGregor (Luke Warm Sex, Utopia) and Celia Pacquola (Utopia, The Beautiful Lie). Daniel McCallum (Luke) returns to his rural Tasmanian hometown, Rosehaven, to help his formidable mother in her real estate business. He gets a surprise when his best (city) friend Emma (Celia) turns up on the doorstep, on the run from a marriage that didn’t last the honeymoon.
Hard Quiz premieres Wednesday 19 October at 8:00pm (10×30’)
For two years, The Weekly’s Tom Gleeson has been putting hard questions to the big names in his regular segment, Hard Chat. Now he puts Australia’s armchair experts to the test in his new show Hard Quiz.
A serious quiz show. And seriously hilarious.
Streets of Your Town premieres Tuesday 8 November at 8.30pm (2×60’)
A look at the aesthetics of our suburbs. Tim Ross – comedian, broadcaster and aficionado of the Modernist era – is tour guide for this very personal journey exploring how and why our suburbs look the way they do. Travelling the country gaining unprecedented access to some of our most epic homes, meeting their owners, peeling back their history and revelling in their beauty Tim poses the question: from Modernism to McMansionism – how did we get here?
Please Like Me Series 4 premieres on Wednesday 9 November at 9.30pm (6×30’)
After its recent launch in the UK, where it’s been hailed as “the best original Australian TV comedy ever”, “like Girls directed by Wes Anderson” and “low-key, kooky-cool and warm-hearted”, Please Like Me returns for a fourth season, as Josh and his friends hurtle towards the end of their twenties and try to convince themselves that everything is gonna be OK.
