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When you look at Michael Cusack’s work, “order” is not the first word that comes to mind. Both “Yolo,” which premiered its third season on Sunday, and “Smiling Friends” exist in worlds where anything can and does happen. Night clubs open in the beds of oversized interstellar trucks, and outdated video game mascots can become depressed clients. But when it comes to his aggressively random and vulgar worlds, Cusack has a surprisingly strict understanding of what is and is not allowed.

“You do this for as many years as I’ve been making ‘Yolo,’ and they become almost like daughters, in a way. You become very protective over them,” Cusack told TheWrap about Sarah (Sarah Bishop) and Rachel (Todor Manojlovic), the stars of “Yolo: Rainbow Trinity.”

“Yolo” has always been a show about two hard-drinking young women jumping from weird to weirder party. But even that conceit comes with rules.

Gold Coast, Australia: The Asia Pacific Screen Academy in strategic partnership with Aw Jewel welcomes its International Jury members, nominees and guests from across the globe to the Gold Coast for the 17th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The prestigious international film event honours the cinematic excellence of 78 countries and areas of the Asia Pacific and films that best reflect their cultural origins and the diversity of the vast region.

Film industry guests from Australia, Cambodia, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, People’s Republic of China, Singapore, Thailand, Türkiye, and the USA are confirmed to participate in the 6th Asia Pacific Screen Forum, to be held from 27 to 30 November.

Australian actress, writer and comedian Nina Oyama (Deadloch, Utopia) is set to host the Gala Awards Ceremony, on the evening of Saturday 30 November in the elegant Diamond Ballroom of The Langham, Gold Coast, on the traditional...

Prime Video, Guesswork Television, and Ok Great Productions today announced that Australian actor Luke Hemsworth has joined lead cast members Kate Box, Madeleine Sami, Nina Oyama, and Alicia Gardiner in Season 2 of the Prime Video global hit series Deadloch.

In the new season, Dulcie and Eddie are in Darwin investigating the death of Eddie’s former policing partner, Bushy. When a body is discovered in a remote town, they are flung into a new, sweatier, stickier investigation.

Photo courtesy of Prime Video

In the series, created and written by powerhouse comedy minds Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, Luke Hemsworth will play Jason Wade, creator and star of “Jason Wade’s Adventures Down Under” and the owner of “Jason Wade’s Land of Crocs and Other Animals Wildlife Park.”

Having completed filming in the Northern Territory, the Deadloch production has now moved to Queensland, utilizing the Brisbane studios and, for cast safety,...

Luke Hemsworth has joined the cast of Australian cop comedy Deadloch‘s second season on Prime Video.

The actor has been filming in his native Australia, joining leads Kate Box, Madeleine Sami, Nina Oyama and Alicia Gardiner in the comedy series, which has been hit for Amazon’s streaming service.

Hemsworth will play Jason Wade, creator and star of ‘Jason Wade’s Adventures Down Under’ and the owner of ‘Jason Wade’s Land of Crocs and Other Animals’ Wildlife Park.

The show follows Dulcie (Box) and Eddie (Sami), a pair of mismatched detectives. In the new season, they are investigating the death of Eddie’s former policing partner, Bushy. When a body is discovered in a remote town, they are flung into a new sweatier, stickier investigation.

Filming has wrapped in the croc-infested waters of the Northern Territories and moved to Brisbane’s studios in Queensland.

Exclusive: Emmy winner Nick Offerman (The Last Of Us), Emmy nominee Amy Sedaris (BoJack Horseman), Aacta winner Nina Oyama (Utopia), Grammy nominee and American Idle winner Jordin Sparks (Sparkle), SAG winner Miranda Otto (The Lord Of The Rings), and Aacta nominee Remy Hii (Spider-Man: Far from Home) have been set to voice animated film The Pout-Pout Fish.

The film adaptation of Deborah Diesen’s popular preschool book franchise has been boarded for sales by German outfit Sola Media, which will be looking to reel in buyers at the upcoming American Film Market in Las Vegas.

The Pout-Pout Fish is the story of an unlikely duo: Mr. Fish (Offerman), a pouty recluse, and Pip (Oyama), a high-energy sea dragon. When catastrophe strikes, they must embark on a daunting, undersea quest in search of a fabled mythical fish to grant their wish to save their homes. Below is artwork from the movie.

Prime Video, Guesswork Television, and Ok Great Productions, with the support of Screen Queensland and Screen Territory, today announced that production has started on Deadloch Season 2. Filming on the six-part season is currently taking place in the Northern Territory, including Darwin and surrounds, before production moves to Brisbane, Queensland.

While a premiere date has not been announced yet, Deadloch Season 2 will launch globally on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories.

Created and written by powerhouse comedy minds Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, the second season features the return of lead stars Kate Box and Madeleine Sami in their roles as detectives Dulcie Collins and Eddie Redcliffe, along with Nina Oyama as Abby Matsuda and Alicia Gardiner as Cath York.

This season will also introduce new cast members, including Steve Bisley, Shari Sebbens, writer Jean Tong in their acting debut role, Genevieve Morris, Byron Coll, Nikki Britton, Anthony J Sharpe,...

Deadloch is heading north. Amazon Prime Video Australia’s hit comic murder mystery drama has begun production on its second season, and relocates the action from Tasmania to the sweltering heat and humidity of the Northern Territory.

In June, it was revealed that Amazon had renewed Deadloch. On Friday, the streamer offered up more details including a first-look production image and casting news for season two, which sees Detective Eddie Redcliffe (Madeleine Sami) and Senior Sergeant Dulcie Collins (Kate Box) travel to Darwin to investigate the death of Eddie’s former policing partner, Bushy. However, Eddie and Dulcie are drawn into a bigger mystery when the body of a local icon is discovered in a remote town right in the middle of croc country.

From left: Madeleine Sami, Kate Box, Kate McLennan, Kate McCartney, Nina Oyama and Alicia Gardiner

The six-episode second season of Deadloch will feature some familiar faces,...

Exclusive: Many people decided the office was no longer for them after the Covid-19 pandemic, but not so Felicity Ward, or her new alter-ego, Hannah Howard. Comedian and actress Ward is starring in The Office Australia, one of the most hotly anticipated series outside of the U.S., marking the first time a woman has played the iconic (mis)manager role that Ricky Gervais first made famous on the BBC.

Sarah Christie, Senior Development Executive at Amazon MGM Studios in Australia, which is working on The Office for the Prime Video streaming service, is aware of the weight of expectation and the need to try something new. “It is huge, iconic IP,” she told Deadline. With NBC’s Michael Scott joining Gervais’ David Brent in the annals of TV comedy history, and other incarnations in countries as wide apart as Germany and Chile, the challenge is sizeable.

“We want to...

Prime Video, Guesswork Television, and Ok Great Productions, with the support of Screen Queensland and Screen Territory, have announced that Amazon Original Deadloch has been renewed for a second season.

Season one of the award-winning crime comedy, from co-creators Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, garnered widespread global success in 2023. Production on the six-part second season will commence later this year and will be released globally on Prime Video.

Deadloch became a bona fide breakout hit, reaching the Top 10 TV Shows in over 165 countries and territories on Prime Video, including the U.S., UK, and Canada. The first season, set in Tasmania, saw two very different detectives thrown together to solve a man’s murder.

The series won five Aacta Awards earlier this year, including Best Acting in a Comedy for Kate Box and Best Screenplay in Television for Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan. The series recently scored three nominations in...

Deadloch, a critically acclaimed murder mystery, is renewed for season 2 on Prime Video. Lead stars Kate Box and Madeleine Sami return as Dulcie Collins and Eddie Redcliff. Season 2 focuses on a new investigation in Australia's Northern Territory, featuring returning actors Nina Oyama and Alicia Gardiner.

Deadloch, the murder mystery with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, nabs a season 2 renewal at Prime Video and reveals plot details in addition to returning cast members. Created by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, and debuting in June 2023, the Australian dark comedy unfolds in the titular settlement and follows what happens after the body of a local man turns up on the beach. Two detectives soon reluctantly take care of the charge. Following the Deadloch season 1 ending, the critical favorite has now received a major update.

Deadline confirms that Prime Video will be moving forward with Deadloch season 2. Lead stars Kate Box and Madeleine Sami...

There’s more in store for fans of Amazon’s Australian crime comedy Deadloch. The producers of the breakout show revealed Tuesday that a six-episode second season will go into production later this year and be released globally on Prime Video.

Co-created by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, the first season of Deadloch followed a pair of odd-couple detectives — played by stars Kate Box and Madeleine Sami — who are thrown together to solve the murder of a man in Tasmania. Amazon says the title became “a bonafide breakout hit” on Prime Video, reaching the service’s list of Top 10 TV Shows in more than 165 countries and territories, including the U.S., UK, and Canada.

Season two sees the return of Box and Sami as detectives Dulcie Collins and Eddie Redcliffe, as the duo is drawn to Darwin in northern Australia to investigate the death of Eddie’s former policing partner,...

Odd couples are everywhere in life, and they’re usually hysterical to watch. You can see one of the newest odd couples on TV when “Deadloch” premieres on Prime Video on Thursday, June 1. The series centers on two Australian detectives with massively different approaches to their work. This doesn’t normally cause any problems until they’re forced to work together when a corpse mysteriously washes up on the beach in their town. You can watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Amazon Prime Video.

How to Watch ‘Deadloch’ Series Premiere When: Thursday, June 1, 2023 Where: Amazon Prime Video Stream: Watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Amazon Prime Video. 30-Day Free Trial$8.99 / month amazon.com About ‘Deadloch’ Series Premiere

The Tasmanian town of Deadloch, a once sleepy seaside hamlet, is left reeling when a local man turns up dead on the beach. Two female detectives are thrown together to solve the...

This year has seen the release of several new comedic golds, including Beef, Mrs. Davis, and Apple TV+'s Shrinking, as well as a slew of returning shows, like Ted Lasso, Succession, and Barry. While most of these have been hugely successful as they captivated audiences from the start through the end with flawless comedic timing, a handful of them have kept viewers coming back for more. To add more to the year's collection, Prime Video is releasing an exciting comedy series, Deadloch.

Deadloch is an upcoming comedy series co-created by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan that will star Kate Box and Madeleine Sami. The series, produced by Amazon Studios, Guesswork Television, and Ok Great Productions, will combine a riveting mystery storyline with the Kates' signature sense of humor. That said, here's everything you need to know about Deadloch, the forthcoming mystery comedy series on Prime Video.

Deadloch: The Plot...

This week, Netflix announced that Season 6 of its popular real-estate reality show “Selling Sunset” will premiere on May 6. The high-powered realtors of The Oppenheim Group return with luxe listings, new rivalries, and pregnancies. They are competitive and driven — and L.A. real estate is waiting for them to descend. Jason and Brett Oppenheim are joined by Chrishell Stause, Emma Hernan, and Mary Fitzgerald, among others.

Check out the “Selling Sunset” Season 6 trailer: Sign Up $6.99+ / month netflix.com

The new comedy “Primo,” from Mike Schur (“Parks and Recreation”) will begin streaming on May 19 on Amazon’s free streaming service Freevee. Based on the best-seller by Shea Serrano, the show is about a 16-year-old boy raised by his clever mother and his five overbearing uncles on the south side of San Antonio. “Primo” stars Christina Vidal, Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Johnny Rey Diaz, Henri Esteve, Johnathan Medina, Efráin Villa, and Carlos Santos.

Watch the...

Production has begun in Tasmania, Australia on “Deadloch,” a noir comedy that will be an Amazon original series.

The story is set in the once sleepy seaside hamlet of Deadloch and begins after a man’s dead body is found on the beach. Two female detectives are thrown together to solve the case, one fastidious, the other a more rough and ready type from out of town. Along with an over-eager junior they have to pool forces to solve the case while the town is putting on its annual crafts, culture and cooking festival.

The eight-part show was conceived by comedy duo Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan and will star Kate Box, Madeleine Sami “The Breaker Upperers”), Alicia Gardiner (“Wakefield”) and Nina Oyama (“Utopia”), as well as an ensemble cast.

“Deadloch” is to be directed between February and May by acclaimed Australian directors Ben Chessell, Gracie Otto and Beck Cole.

For producer Hannah Ngo and writer-director Ab Morrison, crafting Sbs series Iggy & Ace was an exercise in balancing light and darkness; saying something meaningful while also making it entertaining.

The 6 x 10 minute Perth-shot dramedy, premiering today on Sbs On Demand, follows two young, gay best friends who live, work and play together, inseparable in every way.

When Ace, played by Josh Virgona, starts to suffer debilitating panic attacks when hungover, he winds up at a gay chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous determined to get sober.

Iggy, portrayed by Sara West, is horrified, convinced that her friend has been indoctrinated into a religious cult, and views his rejection of their shared lifestyle as a rejection of her. Stung, she does everything she can to disrupt Ace’s recovery and keep her best friend close.

Joining West and Virgona are Roz Hammond, who plays Gwen, leader of ‘gay AA’; Joanna Tu, playing Justine,...

New seasons of TikTok series The Formal and YouTube’s Australia’s Best Street Racer are among the six projects to share in more than $920,000 from Screen Australia’s Online Fund.

There is also Facebook/YouTube comedy Counter Girls, which is a spin-off of hit series Rostered On, TikTok vertical series Krystal Klairvoyant, as well as satire Clockwork and therapy exploration It’s Fine I’m Fine, both of which are for Facebook.

Screen Australia’s senior online investment manager Lee Naimo said it was pleasing to see online creators working hard to identify and then hook in their audiences with great characters and storylines.

“We can see great examples of this with new seasons of 2 Street 2 Racer and The Formal which both connected with viewers on YouTube and TikTok respectively,” he said.

‘The Formal’

The funded projects are:

2 Street 2 Racer: A second series of Australia’s Best Street Racer...

A Beginner’s Guide to Grief is the latest project to be greenlit via Sbs and Screen Australia’s Digital Originals initiative, with an additional six projects selected for further development.

The series, written by and starring Anna Lindner, follows 31-year-old Harriet Wylde as she returns to her hometown in remote South Australia to care for two terminally ill parents. When both pass away within weeks of each other, she’s forced to face her ultimate fear: absolute aloneness. After reconnecting with her dysfunctional childhood friend Daisy, Harriet discovers that grief doesn’t play by any rules and soon, neither will she.

Renee Mao directs and the series’ EP and creative producer is Linda Ujuk, working with Kojo Studios colleague Kate Butler. Julie Byrne also produces. The South Australian Film Corporation (Safc) has supported the production.

The series emerged from the Digital Originals initiative in 2019, which also included the upcoming queer dramedy Iggy & Ace,...

Australian indie producer Aquarius Films is to develop and produce a comedy drama series adapted from the acclaimed feminist manifesto book “Fight Like A Girl.”

The book, a memoir and expose of how unequal the world continues to be for women, was published in 2016 by feminist writer and online sensation Clementine Ford. It earned Ford the Matt Richell Award for new writer of the year, a prize given by Australian Book Industry Awards.

The story charts the political awakening of 15-year-old future feminist icon on the suburban grounds of her 1990s high school as she attempts to rally those around her to the cause. She soon discovers that her message will be met with opposition every step of the way, and she must choose between fitting in or fighting for a future world she wants to live in.

Aquarius is planning a six-part TV series adaptation with episodes of 30 minutes each,...

As cinemas across the country do it tough, Sydney Film Festival’s Traveling Film Festival has partnered with Independent Cinemas Australia (Ica) to present two curated programs of features and shorts designed to drive audiences back to local theatres.

Supported by Screen Australia, the initiative dubbed ‘My Cinema My Film Festival’ will run in 19 cinemas in metro and regional Nsw, Queensland, Wa, Sa and the Act across November and December.

The first program showcases independent and arthouse features from Australia and overseas, and the second a selection of Australian short films and interview footage.

Among the highlights is Stephen Johnson’s High Ground, starring Simon Baker, Jack Thompson and Jacob Junior Nayinggul, which will be the opening night film in each regional cinema.

Written by Chris Anastassiades and produced by Bunya Productions’ Greer Simpkin and David Jowsey, Maggie Miles, Johnson and Yothu Yindi co-founder Witiyana Marika, the film earned raves...

Ben Lawrence took home the main prize – Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M+) – at last night’s Australian Directors’ Guild (Adg) Awards, for his debut narrative feature Hearts and Bones.

Held virtually and hosted by Greta Lee Jackson and Nina Oyama, this year’s Adg Awards also saw female directors take home 10 of the 19 prizes – marking the first time ever that women have made up more than 50 per cent of winners.

Among them were Josephine Mackerras, who took home Best Direction of A Feature Film (Budget under $1M) for the French-language Alice; Maya Newell whose In My Blood It Runs saw her win Best Direction of a Documentary Feature, and Emma Freeman, who won Best Direction of a TV or SVOD Mini-Series for Stateless: Episode 3.

The guild suggests this reflects the push for gender parity in the industry. Traditionally, women have been extremely underrepresented in director roles, and last week,...

‘Yolo: Crystal Fantasy’.

Adult Swim’s next animated series will be set in a perhaps unexpected location – Wollongong. The WarnerMedia-owned network has commissioned eight episodes of Yolo: Crystal Fantasy from Australian creator Michael Cusack, the first series order it has made outside the Us.

Produced by Princess Pictures, the 8 x 15 minute series will follow two Australian party girls looking for “fun times, new experiences, positive vibes, and hopeful horoscopes. Sarah’s quest is to find love, whereas Rachel hungers for chaos, often bringing them into conflict as they encounter surreal Australiana, strange bush creatures, and eccentric nomads.”

The series expands on characters first seen in Cusack’s YouTube hits Yolo and Yolo 2; though he tells If they’re more developed and get into situations you might not expect if you’ve watched the shorts.

“It’s a lot of stream of consciousness writing,” he says.

The first 2-minute iteration...

‘Why Are You Like This‘.

Comedy Why Are You Like This, one of four pilots supported through Screen Australia and the ABC’s Fresh Blood initiative, has been greenlit for a six-part series.

Created and written by Naomi Higgins, Humyara Mahbub and Aunty Donna’s Mark Samual Bonanno, Why Are You Like This follows best friends Mia and Penny as they navigate their 20s in Melbourne, along with Penny’s dramatic and aloof housemate, Austin. Guided by their own modern day moral code, they confront complex social issues in an outrage driven world, leaving a path of destruction in their wake.

Screen Australia and the ABC’s ongoing Fresh Blood initiative is designed to uncover a new generation of comedic talent. Why Are You Like This was one of four pilots produced thanks to the program in 2018, alongside Michael Cusack’s Aacta-nominated Koala Man, Becky Lucas and Cameron James’ Be...

Goran Stolevski, Hannah Lehmann and Nina Oyama.

Twelve Aussie creatives are off to Los Angeles for Talent USA: La, a week-long program that involves meetings, workshops and networking opportunities.

Talent USA: La is an initiative of Screen Australia and the Australian Writers’ Guild, and participants were selected due to their existing international profile or having already attracted Us interest in their work.

Film Independent and Australians in Film USA (AiF) will assist setting up the program, and AiF are also providing financial assistance to Mentor La recipients to attend the Talent USA: La program.

“La is the epicentre of the English-speaking screen industry, so Talent USA is an opportunity for the Australian creators to understand how the Us system works and increase their visibility amongst core decision-makers,” said Screen Australia’s head of development Nerida Moore.

“The ultimate goal of the program is to empower these creators to do their best work back in Australia,...

Sophie Hyde, Rachel Perkins.

Warwick Thornton, Garth Davis, Joel Edgerton and Anthony Maras have been nominated for best direction in a feature film budgeted at $1 million or more in the 2019 Australian Directors’ Guild Awards.

So Sweet Country, Mary Magdalene, Boy Erased and Hotel Mumbai will compete in the awards to be announced on Monday May 6 at the City Recital Hall in Sydney.

In the new category of best direction in a feature budgeted below $1 million, the nominees are Christopher Kay (Just Between Us), Donna McRae (Lost Gully Road), Dustin Feneley (Stray) and Jason Perini (Chasing Comets).

The nominees for best direction in a TV or SVoD drama series episode are Rachel Perkins (Mystery Road series 1), Nash Edgerton (Mr Inbetween series 1), Tony Krawitz and Emma Freeman.

Jeffrey Walker (Riot), Daina Reid and Shannon Murphy (On The Ropes) have been nominated for best direction in a TV or SVoD miniseries and telefeature.

Courtney Gibson.

Screen Nsw has stepped up its push for gender equity, announcing that all TV drama series must now include female key creatives in order to receive development or production finance.

CEO Courtney Gibson said Screen Nsw had worked closely with industry to identify the best ways to achieve systemic change.

"Production companies, broadcasters and other screen organisations have been incredibly supportive and we.re starting to see real impact as a result,. she said.

.But in order to move the needle even further, going forward, it will be a requirement for any television drama series to include female writers and/or directors and/or producers to secure development or production finance from us.

.If we are to achieve gender parity in our industry, we need to ensure there is equity of opportunity for women, and increased opportunities for people from other under-represented groups in the community..

Gibson said...

Nina Oyama.

Screen Nsw will fund an internship to enable emerging writer Nina Oyama to join the writers. room for The Chaser.s Election Desk.

The funding has come from a Screen Nsw Strategic Opportunities partnership with production company Giant Dwarf.

Giant Dwarf co-founder and managing director, Julian Morrow, said: "After five federal elections as a leading provider of patriarchy services in TV comedy, there's never been a better time for The Chaser to be a part of this Screen Nsw initiative. We're very happy that Nina will have a seat at the writer's table on The Chaser's Election Desk.".

.Oyama said it had always been her dream to work with the team behind Australia's best political comedy show..

"Maybe one day I'll get there, but I'm glad The Chaser has accepted me for now," she said.

.This is the third comedy writing internship for women funded by Screen Nsw during the past three months.

Sbs Comedy today named the 12 finalists for Comedy Runway, a nationwide initiative to assist in the development of Australia.s next generation of comedy talent. In partnership with ScreenWest, Screen Tasmania, the South Australian Film Corporation, ScreenNSW and Film Victoria, 12 finalists will each receive $20,000 to create a five-minute web pilot..

Sbs plans to select at least one pilot to develop and produce as a five episode web series. Marshall Heald, Chief Digital Officer Sbs said:. .The response to this initiative has been incredible and we.re delighted to showcase the next generation of Australian comedy with the development of these 12 unique, provocative and hilarious pilots.. The first pilot,. The Victim.s Guide to Kidnapping, will be released in mid-August and a new pilot will follow every month. The 12 finalists by state are: New South Wales Fully Furnished Comedians Tom Ballard and Tommy Dassalo star as Todd and Dayne, two terrible...