Whodunits and comedies lead breakthrough Australian hits

Australia’s TV sector is alert but not alarmed, with production falling from historic highs, executive changes slowing the content pipeline and overseas jitters finally reaching our shores. But Australian stories still resonate with international audiences and many of the recent breakout hits have a mystery at their heart or offer laughs with a bit of bite.

When trade body Screen Australia asked industry representatives to describe their feelings about the local business, there were a range of concerns. Words like “worried,” “frustrated,” and “disappointed” were suggested, but one word stood out from the rest: “hopeful.”

Of the 1,000 TV professionals surveyed, 70% believe the future of diverse on-screen storytelling will remain the same or improve; there were similarly high figures when producers were asked about collaboration and staying abreast of industry trends. However, this positivity was tested on questions such as job security, with only 27% believing that things will get better.

This reflects a local business that has seen some turmoil of late. Screen Australia reported that only 15 Australian free-to-air TV and broadcast video-on-demand dramas had been made for general audiences in 2023–2024, generating 275 hours of content on a budget of $126 million. This figure is down from the average of 38 titles in the 2010s and the average of 29 titles in the 2000s. Australia has seen a slow decline in hours of local content for almost three decades.

“It has undoubtedly been a quieter year as the global slowdown and international sales challenges have reached our shores,” said Carly Heaton, head of scripted, Fremantle Australia. “At the same time, we have seen significant shifts in the assignment teams across our local broadcasters, which has of course created a period of uncertainty. That said, there is a real sense that the dust is beginning to settle. We are seeing assignment strategies taking shape, buyers re-engaging and conversations starting to focus on the next wave of content rather than the constraints of the past twelve months. This reset will ultimately create opportunities for bold, distinctive projects and a stronger year ahead.”

Ausfilm CEO Kate Marks acknowledges a slight decline in incoming TV production from the peak a few years ago, but over the past year the country has welcomed a healthy pipeline that she sees as a testament to Australia’s strength not only as a producer of high-quality local content, but also as an international production partner.

“It was extremely satisfying to see Australian talent in key creative roles on projects like [Peacock series] ‘It’s all her fault’ and [Apple TV+’s] ‘The Dispatcher’,” says Marks. “At the same time, the breadth of work across post, digital, animation and visual effects has been impressive, with titles such as ‘Alien: Earth’, ‘The Last of Us’, ‘Ted’ and the upcoming ‘Stranger Things: Tales from ’85’ showcasing the capabilities and diversity of our screen companies.” Marks emphasizes co-productions, including ‘Mix Tape’ with Ireland and the upcoming animated series ‘Flower and Flour’ with Canada, as examples of how well Australia collaborates internationally in television storytelling.

Louise Gough, director of narrative content at Screen Australia, agrees the industry is on the road to recovery, pointing to the 100-plus Australians walking the halls of Mipcom this year.

But not only is she confident in the future of Australian TV content, she is also proud of the great successes of recent years.

“The last five years have seen some brilliant shows that have sold very well worldwide,” says Gough. “’The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ is a brilliant Australian IP from an Australian author; ‘Newsreader’, ‘The Twelve’, ‘Black Snow’, ‘100% Wolf: Legend of Moonstone’ – these are just some of the top grossing titles worldwide.” Gough adds that Australian talent is still in demand with series like ‘Heartbreak High’, ‘Fisk’, ‘Colin From Accounts’ and of course ‘Bluey’, the top dog when it comes to any conversation about the success of Australian TV.

“What it does well is content that is recognisably Australian, but with global themes,” she says. “Globally, audiences are leaning towards work that has great conversations and also has diasporic resonances, and there’s a lot in the pipeline – whether that’s beautiful work like ‘Top End Bub,’ which has just been released and is performing fantastically, ‘The Chaplain,’ or ‘High Country.’

“High Country,” a thriller set in the picturesque Victorian Alpine region, was a breakout star for the British BBC; it is a resilient genre.

“It always makes me laugh because everyone says, ‘Oh, we have so many detective shows,’ but then they all want one,” says Rosemary Blight of Goalpost Pictures, makers of the whodunit “Black Snow” starring Travis Fimmel. “I think audiences still respond really well to top-notch detective dramas, especially when it takes them into a world they don’t know. Something like ‘Black Snow’ works incredibly well, with someone of the caliber of Travis Fimmel in the middle who has such a big international reach.” Blight says discussions are underway around the series’ third outing.

The trade association continues to believe that “crime is always green,” Gough said. “What’s so brilliant about crime and the criminal practices that come out of Australia is that the country has the 80-20 rule,” says Gough. “It’s 80% known because the genre is known, but there’s 20% where it’s told in a distinct story world or a distinct tone or a distinct point of view, whether it’s a comedic crime or a deep, dark crime.”

The comedy whodunit ‘Deadloch’ is more of a parody of the genre, peppering the tropes of police and forensic procedures. The series, written by ‘The Kates’ comedians Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, is in its second season. Kevin Whyte of ‘Deadloch’ producer Guesswork says shows sell better with a clear creative perspective.

“We always do better in entertainment when we focus on empowering the creatives to tell the best stories, and that math has never changed,” he says. “It is sometimes overshadowed by the business, but at the root of all those conversations about trends, formats and platforms, the same truth continues to emerge: if you get great creators, give them the space to tell surprising stories and then give them the tools to do it well, then you will get an audience.”

Guesswork also has a new comedy in the works, “Bad Company,” starring comedians Anne Edmonds and Kitty Flanagan (“Fisk”). This ‘workplace setting’ genre is another that is performing well for Australian companies, with shows like ‘Newsreader’, ‘Fisk’ or even Sam Neill starrer ‘The Twelve’, a legal drama for Fox Showcase, performing well.

Australia’s other recent international click, ‘Colin From Accounts’, from Easy Tiger Prods., has reinvigorated the comedy sector in Oz.

Rob Gibson, CEO of Easy Tiger, says comedy is always a hard sell because people worry about whether it will get laughs. “We broke open the conventional wisdom about comedy that doesn’t travel with ‘Colin’, and we’re having a lot of conversations in the UK and the US about comedy that could be made here in Australia.”

Fremantle’s Carly Heaton says this lighter fare will be a big focus for them going forward. “There’s a real hunger at the moment for shows with heart: lighter, funnier, more escapist stories that give audiences a break from the real world,” says Heaton. “Many of our commissioned projects, and those in development, share that DNA. We can’t name any titles yet, but you’ll see a through line of hope and humor across our slate, which we think is very strong and exciting.”

Blight says Goalpost also prides itself on its lighter fare, thanks to the recent success of the Amazon Prime original ‘Top End Bub’, a TV spin-off of the Australian feature film ‘Top End Wedding’. The laffer was launched at Mipcom and received a great response from the audience Down Under. “’Top End Bub’ is about a large hectic family, responsibilities and unconditional love.

It takes place in the upper part of Australia. That area is green and aqua blue and a world full of crocodiles, and it’s a world that many Australians haven’t seen and certainly the world hasn’t seen,” says Blight. “The overseas public think of Australia as the red sand, but they don’t know there’s a beautiful tropical world up there. We shoot in the Tiwi Islands, and thanks to Amazon on that in Australia and New Zealand we were able to make something to scale. We have a very good feeling about that.”

In fact, Blight says one of the most important things in today’s environment is the power of a local partner. In addition to Amazon’s excellent partnership with ‘Top End Bub’, streamer Stan threw his support behind ‘Black Snow’.

“If your partner really gets behind the show, that success spreads around the world,” she says.

Matt Deaner, CEO of Screen Producers Australia, sees significant encouragement from national broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “There has been a strong signal from the ABC and its new director, Hugh Marks,” Deaner said. “He has said he is doubling down on regional intellectual property rights because the national broadcaster has the ability to take risks, and that is great. They are being aggressive in a way that we haven’t seen for a while; that is great news for our industry.”

The ABC booth at Mipcom represents “Fisk,” as well as the comedy reboot “Mother and Son” and the thriller “Pine Gap.”

Guesswork’s Whyte adds that on-air successes are one thing, but what he’s heard on the ground is that they are the tip of the iceberg and there are many more development conversations underway.

“I certainly feel, and I think others do too, that after a few years where it felt like we were walking through wet cement, the gears are turning again, maybe they’re turning at a lower volume, but it certainly feels like decisions are being made and development is moving forward,” he says.

Blight added: “We are punching above our weight, we have to look at those successes and be really proud of them. We are now in a time where the world doesn’t really care what language you speak, they are educated and watching content from all over the world and we fit in very well with that.”