ABC Comedy: guide

ABC Comedy launches on December 4, replacing ABC2 in primetime.

The flagship show is Tonightly with Tom Ballard, screening Monday – Thursdays at 9pm with a “Best of” on Friday.

There are new seasons of Catastrophe, Episodes, Inside Amy Schumer, Comedy Next Gen and the premiere of Murder in Successville and Game Face.

There are also locally-produced shorts kicking off with Kiki and Kitty and Fresh Blood titles.

Other titles will play repeat episodes such as Upper Middle Bogan, The Ex-PM and Ronny Chieng: International Student while 12-2am there are episodes of The Office, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation. Between 2am-5am will be double j, as it exists today, and ABC KIDS starts at 5am.

In 2018 expect Fleabag (series 1), Idiot Sitter (series 1), Plebs (series 3), Asian Provocateur, US documentary series The History of Comedy and more.

In 2018 ABC’s primary channel will include Gruen, Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell, The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, Black Comedy and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2018, Squinters,  Back in Very Small Business, Sando is a new family comedy that follows the trials of lovable larrikin Victoria ‘Sando’ Sandringham and Corey White’s Road Map to Paradise tackles the big issues of the day and aims to solve them.

David Anderson, Director Television says, “The ABC is committed to investing in great content for all Australians. We have a long and impressive history of entertaining Australians through iconic comedy and entertainment programs. Our announcement today reaffirms this commitment and underscores the ABC as a powerhouse of great Australian comedy into the future.”

https://tvtonight.com.au/2017/10/tonightly-with-tom-ballard-leads-abc2-rebrand-to-abc-comedy.html

MONDAY DECEMBER 4
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm (new time)
Upper Middle Bogan, series 1 (double episodes) from 8pm

Tonightly with Tom Ballard, 9pm
World Premiere
Armed with nothing but jokes and access to memes, Tonightly with Tom Ballard will investigate and explain the latest headlines and the things you missed.
It’s the show you didn’t know you desperately needed, until now. #Tonightly

Game Face, series 1 (double episodes) from 9.30pm
Australian Premiere
Hot on the heels of the UK E4 broadcast and after a smashing pilot, UK comedian Roisin Conaty stars as Marcella, an aspiring actress recovering from a relationship break up. Despite her
optimistic attempts, and with help from her friends, therapist and driving instructor, she is unable to get her life back on track. #GameFace

Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Series 2, 10.20pm
Then every weeknight a chance to enjoy The Office, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation.

TUESDAY 5 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
Ronny Chieng: International Student 8pm
Tonightly with Tom Ballard, 9.00pm

Kiki and Kitty, 9.30pm
World Premiere
Kiki is a young black woman trying to make it as an overworked paralegal for a corporate law firm in the big smoke. Kiki has always been the “Good Aboriginal Girl”, but after an embarrassing
scene at an office party, Kiki wakes up to find a big, black, bold woman in a black sequin dress, red lippie and martini in her hand, straddling her in bed. Kitty is impulsive, outspoken, sexy as
hell… she’s Kiki’s vagina come to life as a real person! Kiki is the only one who can see Kitty. But Kitty knows just what Kiki needs to get control of her life, and makes it her mission to fix it.
Kiki and Kitty is a Porchlight Films production for the ABC. Principal production investment from Screen Australia. #KikiAndKitty

Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Series 2, 10.20pm

WEDNESDAY 6 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
Stop Laughing This is Serious, series 1, 8pm
Tonightly with Tom Ballard, 9pm

Catastrophe series 3 (double episodes) from 9.30pm
Australian Premiere
Rob (Rob Delaney) picks up where he left off last time, with an unexplained receipt for the morning after pill in his hand and a lot of questions for Sharon (Sharon Horgan). Too drunk at the
time to remember what she did, Sharon dodges Rob’s interrogation and goes to see Nico (Phil Dunster) perform with his band to find out the truth. Will she tell Rob what actually
happened? The issue is unexpectedly forced when one of the kids has an accident. Also starring the legendary Carrie Fisher. #Catastrophe

Never Mind the Buzzcocks, series 2, 10.30pm

THURSDAY 7 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
The Ex-PM, series 1 (double episodes) from 8pm
Tonightly with Tom Ballard, 9pm
The IT Crowd, series 4, 9.30pm

Murder in Successville, series 1, 9.55pm
Australian Premiere
Successville is a surreal place with a high celebrity homicide count. Each week D.I. Sleet (Tom Davis) is partnered by a celebrity sidekick as they investigate the latest high-profile murder.
When Bruno Tonioli is murdered, DI Sleet and new recruit Jamie Laing must interview Tonioli’s ex-wife Darcey Bussell and explore the underworld of Successville’s mobs headed by the Carr
twins (Jimmy and Alan) and their rivals Harry Styles and his One Direction gang. #MurderInSuccessville

Never Mind the Buzzcocks, series 2, 10.25pm

FRIDAY 8 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
Gruen XL, series 8, 8pm
Hard Quiz, series 2, 8.45pm
Best of Tonightly with Tom Ballard, 9.20pm

Episodes series 4
Australian Premiere
Matt LeBlanc stars as Matt LeBlanc in Episodes, the hilarious comedy series about remaking a comedy series. When husband and wife writing team Sean (Stephen Mangan) and Beverly
(Tamsin Greig) set out to reproduce their British TV hit for an American network, all of their worst fears come true as Hollywood lives up to its reputation for absurdity. Not only does the
network cast Matt LeBlanc in the starring role, but Matt takes the lead in deviously twisting their beloved series into a terrible cliché, while testing the couple’s marriage with diversions and
temptations. #Episodes

Never Mind the Buzzcocks, series 2, 10.50pm

SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
Would I Lie to You, series 11, 8pm
Live at The Apollo, Christmas Special, series 11, 8.30pm

Comedy Next Gen, series 2, 9.15pm
Australian Premiere
Comedy Next Gen showcases the next generation of stand-up comedians as they perform their latest live shows. Upcoming comedy acts will include: Aaron Chen, Becky Lucas, Cameron
James, Daniel Townes, David Quirk, Demi Lardner, Geraldine Hickey, Nick Cody, Sam Taunton, Suren Jayemanne, Tessa Walters, Tom Walker and Yianni Agisilaou. First up is Tom Walker – the self-described ‘stand-up comedian, improviser and clown’ and the winner of the Best Newcomer Award at the 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Upcoming comedy acts will include: Aaron Chen, Becky Lucas, Cameron James, Daniel Townes, David Quirk, Demi Lardner (pictured left), Geraldine Hickey, Nick Cody, Sam Taunton, Suren Jayemanne, Tessa Walters, Tom Walker and Yianni Agisilaou.  #ComedyNextGen

SUNDAY 10 DECEMBER
Spicks and Specks, 7.30pm
Michael McIntyre Comedy Roadshow, Series 1, 8pm
Tom Gleeson, Live at the Enmore, 8.45pm
Adam Hills: The Last Leg, series 12, 10.30pm

And on MONDAY 11 DECEMBER…
Inside Amy Schumer, series 4, 10pm
This hit show returns for its fourth season of too-real comedy. Whether it’s dating, body shaming or any other hot-button issue, Amy Schumer is on top of it with fearless sketches, stand-up
and on-the-street interviews. #InsideAmy

All New Comedy Shorts (screening variously)

Kiki and Kitty
Kiki is a young black woman trying to make it as an overworked paralegal for a corporate law firm in the big smoke. Kiki has always been the “Good Aboriginal Girl”, but after an embarrassing scene at an office party, Kiki wakes up to find a big, black, bold woman in a black sequin dress, red lippie and martini in her hand, straddling her in bed. Kitty is impulsive, outspoken, sexy as hell… she’s Kiki’s vagina come to life as a real person! Kiki is the only one who can see Kitty. But Kitty knows just what Kiki needs to get control of her life, and makes it her mission to fix it. Kiki and Kitty is a Porchlight Films production for the ABC. Principal production investment from Screen Australia.

#CelesteChallengeAccepted
#CelesteChallengeAccepted is a celebration of the unique comedic personality of Celeste Barber. It’s what has made her popular with over 2.5million Instagram followers. Except now… it’s moving! A piss-take of modern celebrity, a satire of modern values, and a parody of the over-stylised unrealistic imagery created by the Hollywood machine. #CelesteChallengeAccepted is a Red Christmas production for the ABC.

The Chinaboy Show
John Luc (AKA Mychonny) has had over 300 million views on his YouTube channel, easily making him one of Australia’s most loved online stars. His notable successes include the web series Mychonny Moves In (over 2 million hits) and Mychonny’s Asian Gangsters video (over 5 million hits). Now he brings a brand-new series The Chinaboy Show to the ABC, the first ABC sketch comedy written from the perspective of a Chinese Vietnamese Australian. The Chinaboy Show is an RKPix Pty Ltd production for the ABC. Principal production investment from Screen Australia and Screen West. #ChinaboyShow

Virgin Bush
He’s a stand-up comedian, an internet sensation and a self-proclaimed ‘city slicker’. So, Neel Kolhatkar is heading to the bush to meet the locals and put his nose to the grindstone. Can he hack it though? Sheep shearing, pigeon racing, bow hunting, rally driving and bull riding aren’t exactly for the faint hearted. Well, maybe pigeon racing… But Neel gets to experience an Australia that most Aussies never see and at the same time, he’s feeding his stand-up schtick too. Saddle up for Virgin Bush. Virgin Bush is an ABC Production. #VirginBush

Aussie Rangers
Out in the middle of nowhere is Black Stump National Park. Wally, Regina, and Francis are the Indigenous contemporary parks and wildlife Rangers that run the station. The Park is under threat of being shut down. Wally, obsessed with the elusive and endangered Quokkacoot (that no-one has seen), and his fellow rangers must find a way to reinvent themselves and combat the Parks and Wildlife Department before they too become extinct. Aussie Rangers are mismanaging wildlife, one natural disaster at a time. Aussie Rangers a Factor 30 Film production for ABC Indigenous in association with Screen West.
#AussieRangers

Other People’s Problems
From the producers of The Dressmaker, Florence (Sisters star Maria Angelico) is a reluctant copywriter and would-be eco-warrior, who embarks on a venture to ghost-write other people’s letters in exchange for second-hand clothing. Her bestie and housemate Ann is a lifesaving paramedic. Florence is determined to prove she’s equally adept at helping people. Even if it’s with solving problems like… who gets to keep the friends when a couple breaks up? And how should you behave when you meet someone you’ve been creeping online? But is Florence really helping people or is her ever-consuming obsession with other people’s problems really just Florence trying to avoid her own? Other People’s Problems is a Seymour Films production in association with ABC, Screen Australia, Film Victoria and Film Art Media. Part of ABC and Screen Australia’s Long Story Short initiative. #OtherPeoplesProblems

When TV Was Awesome, series 2
We’ve headed back to the goldmine that is the ABC archive to unearth some hidden comedy gems – they’ve been dusted off and creatively re-voiced, giving them the comedic makeover they deserve. When TV Was Awesome is an ABC Production #WhenTVWasAwesome

https://tvtonight.com.au/2017/03/new-comedy-teams-announced-for-fresh-blood.html

ABC COMEDY BINGE on iview
Our annual summer comedy bonanza! For two months over summer on ABC iview, you’ll find full series of: Rosehaven (series 1&2), The Ex-PM (series 1 &2), The Edge of the Bush, Get Krack!n’, The Katering Show (series 1&2), Upper Middle Bogan (series 1,2&3), Almost Midnight, DAFUQ, Goober, Fancy Boy, Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am, Growing Up Gracefully, Lost in Pronunciation, and The Melbourne International Comedy Festival showcases and Comedy Up Late.