Funding Approvals
IN THE ARCHIVE
2020-2021 TELEVISION development
PREMIUM
DETECTIVE COOPER
Goalpost Television and Quizzical
Genre Crime, Mystery
Writers James McNamara, Amy Jephta
Story Editor Malla Nunn
Producers Kylie du Fresne, Nimrod Geva, Rosemary Blight
Synopsis Adapted from Malla Nunn’s novels - a detective with a dangerous secret, a Zulu constable linked to the resistance, and a German surgeon tortured by loss unite to defy an all powerful police force and solve murders in Apartheid South Africa.
LAUGH OF LAKSHMI
Felix Media Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Musical
Director S. Shakthidharan
Writer S. Shakthidharan
Producer John Maynard
Executive Producer Bridget Ikin
Synopsis Separated during Sri Lanka’s civil war, a mother and son are re-united in modern day Sri Lanka.
LAWYER X
Fremantle Australia Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Writer Sarah Walker
Producer Carly Heaton
Executive Producer Chris Oliver-Taylor
Synopsis A Shakespearean epic of power and betrayal, Lawyer X is about a woman who wanted everyone to remember her name…and they will.
OUR HAUNT
Daniel Ashley Reisinger
Genre Comedy, Drama, Horror, Mystery
Directors Daniel Reisinger, Ben Howling
Writers Daniel Reisinger, Yolanda Ramke, Ben Howling, Romina Accurso
Producer Daniel Reisinger
Synopsis When a hapless couple buy an old Surry Hills terrace to do-it-up, they find this haunted house wants to do them in. Unable to afford to leave, they're forced to become bumbling investigators of the previous occupants' murders (all while choosing the perfect wallpaper).
SONG OF THE SUN GOD
Dragonet Films Pty Ltd (and Synchronicity Films UK)
Genre Thriller, Family saga
Writer Olivia Hetreed
Producers/Exec Producers Karen Radzyner, Claire Mundell
Executive Producers Olivia Hetreed, Shankari Chandran
Story Consultant Shankari Chandran
Story Producer Ruth Underwood
Synopsis A gripping contemporary emotional thriller based on the breathtaking novel set across Australia, Britain and Sri Lanka, that plunges us into the loves, lies and misdemeanours of the close-knit Rajan family, whose story is entangled in Sri Lanka’s dangerous political history. It’s set against the fallout today of decades of conflict between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities, derived in no small part from the island’s colonial history. For ex-pat Leela, Sri Lanka’s controversial 2019 elections, an ocean away from her home, will create unimaginable impact on her quest to find her missing aunt.
THE HIVE
Magpie Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Mystery
Writer Angela Betzien
Script Producer Blake Ayshford
Producer Lois Randall
Co-Producer Rebecca Ingram
Story Consultant Rhoda Roberts
Synopsis Adapted from the novel The World Without Us by Mireille Juchau - when human remains are discovered in a burned-out van on land that once belonged to a utopian community, a mother and daughter must confront the secrets that have silenced them.
TWO HANDS (WORKING TITLE)
Macgowan Films Pty Ltd and Fremantle Australia
Genre Comedy, Drama, Crime
Director Gregor Jordan
Writers Gregor Jordan, Melissa Bubnic, Gretel Vella, Sarah Bassiuoni, Greg Haddrick, Meyne Wyatt
Producers Marian Macgowan, Justin Davies
Executive Producers Tim White, Chris Oliver-Taylor
Synopsis Television adaptation of the hit Australian film Two Hands.
BLOOD IN THE SKY
Beyond Entertainment Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Creators Alexa Wyatt, Karl Zwicky
Directors Jocelyn Moorhouse, Karl Zwicky
Writers Alexa Wyatt, Andrew Anastasios, Larissa Behrendt, Michelle Law, Jess Paine
Producers Karl Zwicky, Alexa Wyatt
Executive Producer David Ogilvy
Script Editor Andrew Anastasios
Synopsis A sweeping drama of crime and family, the untold story of building the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, the migrants it brought and the lives it changed. UK company man Alex Rendell’s wilful daughter Rose helps riveter Tom Rourke uncover a web of intrigue and corruption after a fatal fall from the arches in a world devastated by the Depression.
LADIES IN BLACK
Bunya Entertainment
Genre Drama
Writers Sarah Bassiuoni, Joan Sauers, Greg Waters, Randa Sayed
Producers Greer Simpkin, Sophia Zachariou
Executive Producers Sue Milliken, Allanah Zitserman
Synopsis The series takes place in Sydney in 1961, six months after the events of the novel/film and in a time of great change and upheaval. Set inside Goodes department store, Sydney University and the homes of Magda, Fay, Angela and the Miles Family, Ladies in Black is an optimistic dramatisation of ordinary women facing extraordinary challenges at a time of surprising social and cultural change.
SEX & THUGS & ROCK’N’ROLL
Ghost Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Musical, Crime
Writer/Directors Richard Lowenstein, Lynn-Maree Milburn
Producers Mark Fennessy, Richard Lowenstein, Lynn-Maree Milburn, Andrew De Groot
Synopsis At the rise of the youth and civil rights movements in the early sixties, three young lives collide in Kings Cross, Sydney, where they enter a world of free love, romance, rock ‘n’ roll music, vice and crime.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR
Werner Film Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Thriller
Writers Debra Oswald, Michael Lucas
Producer Joanna Werner
Executive Producer Debra Oswald
Synopsis Based on the novel by Debra Oswald - a dedicated GP, desperate to protect women and their children from violent partners, is driven to use her medical skills to commit murder.
THE TWELVE
Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Thriller, Crime
Writers Sarah Walker, Brad Winters, Leah Purcell, Anchuli Felicia King, Tommy Murphy
Executive Producers Liz Watts, Hamish Lewis, Michael Brooks
Synopsis Twelve ordinary people are selected for jury duty in a murder trial, in which a woman stands accused of killing her sister’s child. Behind the façade of their anonymity, these twelve ordinary people bring with them their own histories. Lives that are as complex as the trial. Through the multiple lenses of these jurors, we see the fragility and imbalances of the law, and the chaotic and flawed way we attempt to determine justice in our society.
UNFATHERED
Blackfella Films Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Thriller
Creator Rachel Griffiths
Writers TBA
Producer Darren Dale
Synopsis Two women's lives are torn apart when a university student discovers that her adoption was based on a lie.
CRITICAL INCIDENT
Matchbox Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Crime
Writer Sarah Bassiouni
Producer Sheila Jayadev
Executive Producer Debbie Lee
Synopsis When a civilian bystander dies during a police pursuit, the lives of the pursued and the pursuer are thrown into turmoil.
DUCK TURPIN
Cheeky Little Media Pty Ltd
Genre Action adventure, Comedy, Science fiction
Creator Darren Keating
Writer Ray Boseley
Producer Celine Goetz
Executive Producers Patrick Egerton, David Webster
Synopsis The most important duck in history, yanked into the future by time-travelling rebels on a mad scramble to the ends of the Earth... And the beginnings of something big!
FIVE BEDROOMS SEASON 3
Hoodlum Active Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama
Writers Christine Bartlett, Michael Lucas, Mithila Gupta
Producers Nathan Mayfield, Tracey Robertson
Executive Producers Nathan Mayfield, Tracey Robertson
Synopsis In season three the weight of the world bears down on the house, triggering both painful betrayal, and powerful new shows of strength and commitment— but will they prevail as a collective?
PRINCESS PRIME MINISTER
Timothy Bain
Genre Family
Writers Tim Bain, Charlotte Rose Hamlyn
Synopsis In a fabulous mythological medieval realm, a democratically-elected princess solves fairytale-style crises, as she blossoms into a strong, wise and empathetic leader.
DEVOTION.
Lingo Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Writers Matt Cameron, Liz Doran
Producer Jason Stephens
Executive Producer Helen Bowden
Synopsis Devotion. is a drama about a high-profile family, as they grapple with morality, money, and family loyalty.
SNOWBALL
Matchbox Pictures
Genre Comedy, Drama
Writers Hannah Carroll Chapman, Romina Accurso, Briar Grace-Smith
Producer Warren Clarke
Executive Producer Penny Chapman
Synopsis Inspired by the hit ABC podcast Snowball, this is the story of how a swank Yankee con-artist scammed a naïve New Zealand family and what happened when they went in pursuit.
THE RICH MAN’S HOUSE
Fremantle
Genre Thriller, Mystery, Science fiction
Writer Alexei Mizin, Ryan van Dijk
Executive Producer Nat Lindwall
Synopsis When an avalanche traps Rita in an eccentric billionaire’s mountaintop mansion, she must confront the ghosts of her past to escape a powerful supernatural foe. Fusing Agatha Christie with Stephen King, and based on Andrew McGahan’s final novel, The Rich Man’s House is a series about wealth, ego and mankind’s fractured relationship with the natural world.
TRADECRAFT
Rainfall Entertainment Pty Ltd
Genre Action adventure, Drama
Writers Maryam Master, Felicity Packard, Greg Haddrick
Producer Louisa Kors
Executive Producer Greg Haddrick
Synopsis In 1948 Dick Helms and Eloise Page joined the CIA as young idealists, determined to collect the Intelligence needed to plan targeted operations that would soon see the entire world filled with enlightened, peaceful, American-led democracies. So what happened?
GENERATE
TELLUS
Technofossil
Genre Animation, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure
Creators William Bennett, Laren Bright
Writers Dena Curtis, Natesha Somasundaram, Victoria Madden
Executive Producers Julia Berg, Victoria Madden, William Bennett, Bernard Edlington, Laren Bright
Synopsis In a world not unlike our own, three outcast youth come together and find their true power, when they are sent on an epic adventure to uncover the mysterious force corrupting their planet’s life-giving energy.
DIRTY THIRTIES
John Kassab
Genre Comedy, Drama
Creators John Kassab, Khaled Abdulwahab
Directors John Kassab, Craig Irvin
Writers John Kassab, Candy Bowers, Craig Irvin, Jane Allen
Producer John Kassab
Executive Producer Michael McMahon
Synopsis A group of newly single African-Australian friends navigate the ups and downs of modern dating and traditional family life.
GOO ZOO
Big Serious Studios Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Family
Directors Charlotte Rose Hamlyn, David Peers
Writers Charlotte Rose Hamlyn, Bruce Griffiths, Maria Lewis, Roshelle Fong
Producer Katrina Peers
Synopsis Set within a petri dish in a world populated by microbes, Goo Zoo blends the amazing world of microbiology with classic toon comedy.
NEXT BIG THING
Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
Writers Michele Lee, Rachel Perks
Producer Cathy Rodda
Story Producer Kelly Lefever
Synopsis A hot young talent in the Australian theatre scene is offered her first big break as a director in a prestigious theatre company but she has to start the job five months’ pregnant and with her inner doubt literally following her around.
STUCK
Nicole Dade
Genre Drama, Crime
Writer Nicole Dade
Synopsis The unravelling of a seemingly happy family culminates in an international abduction.
THINKADINKS
Big Serious Studios Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Musical, Family, Adventure
Director David Peers
Writers David Peers, Charlotte Rose Hamlyn, John Armstrong, Roshelle Fong
Composer Matthew Lee Robinson
Producer Karina Peers
Synopsis The THINKADINKS - Miff, Craniac, Booga and Squirt - are an adorable band of adventurers who love solving puzzles that expand their fantastical world.
ROMANTIC INFORMATION
Kewl Studio Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Romantic comedy
Directors Tobias Willis, Kathleen Lee
Writer Kathleen Lee
Producers Tobias Willis, Julie Eckersley
Synopsis Romantic Information is an offbeat comedy drama that follows a young woman as she discovers she is on the spectrum when she falls in love with a charismatic autistic man. Euphoric at this unexpected self-discovery and meeting of a like being she enters headlong into an absurd, colourful, intense romance that quickly escalates out of control.
AVENGE MY DEATH
unko Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Director Claudia Pickering
Writers Nicole Conway, Michaeley O’Brien, Mark Bonanno
Producers Belinda Dean, Ellen Fraser
Synopsis Wild 20-somethings Erin, Jax and Sara are inseparable. That is, until Erin goes on a date with a guy she met online and winds up dead. With the police bungling the investigation, Jax and Sara vow to hunt down her killer using the only piece of evidence they have: a dick pic.
BENDING SPOONS
Simone Nicholson
Genre Comedy, Drama
Director Alyssa McClelland
Writer Emme Hoy
Producer Simone Nicholson
Synopsis An undervalued magician’s assistant kidnaps a drug dealer’s telekinetic dog in order to win a national magic competition that will pay for her dad’s cancer treatment.
CONFIDENCE
Invisible Republic Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Crime
Writer Lou Sanz
Producer Michael Wrenn
Synopsis Melbourne. 1988. Bicentennial celebrations grip the country. When career con woman Connie Valdez inherits the family’s famed Lygon St restaurant following the suspicious death of her father, she thinks he has left her a second chance. But after closing up one night, Connie discovers her father didn't leave her a second chance. He left her a criminal enterprise.
INVISIBLE BOYS
Asphodel Films / Feisty Dame Productions
Genre Drama, Romance, GLBTIQ+
Writer/Director Nicholas Verso
Producers Nicholas Verso, Tania Chambers
Synopsis Based on the book by Holden Sheppard - Charlie is a fiery teen outcast living in the remote coastal town of Geraldton, Western Australia - a world where homosexuality is invisible, and so is he. But when a one-off encounter with a married man is exposed, Charlie is outed and suddenly everyone in his conservative town knows his secret. And then Charlie discovers he’s not alone...
MINORITY REPORT
Arcadia
Genre Comedy, Drama
Creators Sleena Wilson, Mithila Gupta
Writers Mithila Gupta, Kodie Bedford, Michelle Law, Miranda Aguilar
Producers Lisa Shaunessy, Sleena Wilson, Mithila Gupta
Synopsis Maya has blown up her entire life and her only hope of redemption: her new crew of misfit ethnic chicks from IT call centre, GeekGirls4U. Not ideal.
RAINBOW GIRLS
The Fiction Bureau Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Comedy
Creators Willoh Weiland, Tam Nguyen
Directors Beck Cole, Willoh Weiland
Writers Willoh Weiland, Jada Alberts, Beck Cole, Jane Allen
Script Producer Jane Allen
Producers Tam Nguyen, Elisa Argenzio
Executive Producer Mat King
Synopsis In 2045, the Australian Republic’s first President Rachel Radford - a Ngunnawal woman - is sworn in. Elsewhere, 24 year old Abigail Bread is sworn into the Freemasons - the first woman in 2000 years to enter the organisation. Her mother, Marsha, stands beside her, looking on with loathing. Feminism, white nationalism and the preservation of a two billion dollar real estate empire collide in this dark comedic drama about the spectacular ways women negotiate power.
ANDREW THE BIG BIG UNICORN
Pirate Size Productions Australia Pty Ltd
Genre Family
Writer Dan Nixon
Producer Bryony McLachlan
Executive Producer Avrill Stark
Synopsis A creative and sweet hearted rhinoceros named Andrew grapples with growing up a bit different to his peers.
SEEN (formerly BROWN SKIN GIRL)
Roadshow Rough Diamond
Genre Comedy, Drama
Writers Ayeesha Ash, Emily Havea, Angela Nica Sullen, Sopa Enari, Jessica Tuckwell
Producers Dan Edwards, John Edwards
Synopsis It’s hard being mixed race in white spaces; especially when you (unintentionally) get mixed up in all sorts of drama. Follow Ayeesha, Emily and Angela as they glide (and sometimes elbow) their way through life in Sydney, as they struggle to maintain their hair and their sisterhood, dodging toxic relationships and trying not to let ‘where are you from?’ ruin their days.
OVER MY DEAD BODY
Amal Awad
Genre Comedy, Drama
Writers Amal Awad, Jane Allen, Kacie Anning, Adele Vuko
Synopsis A Muslim woman’s newly-independent life is disrupted by the ghost of her recently-deceased, conservative mother, whose supernatural presence is a mystery to both.
SICK TO DEATH
Everyone We Know, Rhapsody Films
Genre Comedy, Drama
Creator / Writer Thomas Wilson-White
Producers Lizzie Cater, Alice Willison
Executive Producer Justine Flynn
Script Editor Jean Tong
Synopsis When both of his mothers are diagnosed with terminal cancer, Chance, a self-involved queer playwright is forced to abandon his burgeoning career and return to his childhood home to become their full-time carer.
SORRY ABOUT THE MESS
Princess Pictures Animation Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Fantasy, Animation
Writer Cassie Workman
Producers Mike Cowap, Sarah Lang
Synopsis Lilly Peril, a cynical transgender punk-rocker, begins to lose her grip on reality when she is rejected by her mother. In this mind-bending animated comedy series, Lilly navigates heartbreak, new love, transition and a boss in the witness protection program in pursuit of her most honest life.
TROUBLED YOUTH
Vanessa Bates
Genre Comedy, Drama
Writers Vanessa Bates, Ross Mueller
Synopsis Three suburban middle-aged women reform their teenage rock band, Troubled Youth, to rage against the dying of the light.
WE ATE JEFF
Cordell Jigsaw Productions Pty Ltd in association with Tandem Media
Genre Comedy
Creators Nick Musgrove, Nick Russell
Director Catriona McKenzie
Writers Nick Musgrove, Nicolette Minster, Anna Barnes
Executive Producer Damian Davis
Synopsis A group of strangers survive a plane crash in the desert and reluctantly eat the dead pilot. To their surprise, they are rescued later that afternoon. They resolve to cover up their terrible secret.