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Fresh Blood 2018: introducing the four pilots

We take a look at the four new Fresh Blood pilot episodes as they release on ABC iview and ABC COMEDY YouTube.

Beginning in 2013, Fresh Blood is a joint ABC and Screen Australia initiative created to unearth a new generation of comedic talent. From the Fresh Blood Class of 2017, four comedy teams were selected to expand their project into a half-hour pilot.

Koala Man

Koala ManKoala Man, voiced by Michael Cusack

This ‘adults only’ animated comedy from Michael Cusack (Ciggy Butt Brain) tells the story of Kevin Williams, a divorced dad who works in a dead-end IT job at the Unanderra Council. As dull as his life may seem, Kevin has a secret; at night he becomes Koala Man, a masked superhero dedicated to ridding Unanderra of crime, although he lacks any actual superpowers. When someone fills the town fountain with detergent, Koala Man is hot on the vandal’s trail, hoping to finally prove himself to the people of Unanderra, but at what cost?

Why Are You Like This?

Why Are You Like This?Naomi Higgins as Penny and Olivia Junkeer as Mia in Why Are You Like This?

Created by Naomi Higgins, Humyara Mahbub and Aunty Donna’s Mark Samual Bonanno, Why Are You Like This? follows best friends Penny and Mia, two socially conscious twenty-somethings as they navigate the uncertainties of emerging adulthood. When Mia loses her job (for being fundamentally useless) and Penny’s R U OK Day presentation is hijacked by a male co-worker, these young women, armed with their modern-day moral codes, confront complex social issues head on… with somewhat disastrous results.

The Angus Project

The Angus ProjectNina Oyama as Nina and Angus Thompson as Angus in The Angus Project

Co-written by Nina Oyama (Tonightly) and Melina Wicks (The Weekly, The Checkout), The Angus Project is loosely based on Nina’s real life friendship with Angus Thompson. In the pilot we meet Angus, an aspiring sports journalist with cerebral palsy, and his best friend and carer, Nina, a professional slacker and failing university student. When Angus is tasked with writing a story for the front page of The Bathurst Gazette, he’s thrilled to be covering a motivational speaking event by his idol, the famous Paralympian Wayne ‘Wizza’ Miller, who has a questionable (and rather illegal) task for the duo.

Be Your Own Boss

Be Your Own BossBecky Lucas and Cameron James in Be Your Own Boss

From comedian writer/performers Becky Lucas (Please Like Me) and Cameron James (The Feed), this mockumentary follows the struggles of small business owners in the Pearl Arcade. There’s Jason and Michelle, the P!nk-obsessed fitness instructors; Paula and Angelo, the mother and son owners of the world’s first ‘cageless’ pet shop; and Ashley and Ashleigh, two attention seeking, antisocial drama teachers. As recipients of an initiative that allows them to operate rent free in the Pearl Arcade, this colourful cast of characters must prove their worth to the local community, or shut up shop for good.