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Seven returning to sketch comedy

Helium rumoured to be producing a new sketch series for 2023 on Seven.

EXCLUSIVE:

TV Tonight hears whispers that Seven has a new sketch comedy in the pipeline for 2023.

Helium, recently founded by Mark Fennessy, is understood to be producing the new series, which has been running a Writers’ Room in recent weeks. It has recently produced 6 Festivals and Last King of the Cross for Paramount+ with drama series Paper Dolls announced for 10.

Seven had a hugely successful run with Fast Forward from 1989 – 1992 followed by Full Frontal from 1993 – 1997.  More recently series have included Housos: The Thong Warrior, Australia’s Sexiest Tradie, Orange is the New Brown and Kinne.

Seven is also due to announce details of its upcoming Kath & Kim revival, believed to be a 20th anniversary special.

Network Upfronts will be held on October 25. Watch this space.

Seven and Helium were both contacted for comment.

13 Responses

  1. CH 7 also had decent sketch comedy in the 2000’s with big bite and double take and while CH 10 had the comedy company and the much lesser skithouse nothing beats CH 9 offering of comedy inc which I think worked best for sketch comedy with most of the material writing itself sending up well known television commercials

  2. I would love this to work as sketch comedy can be great and is sorely missed on Aussie TV. I agree though it will need to be very edgy indeed to work in today’s climate and really push the limits of what can be said and done on television in order to work.

    The country that produced Let Loose Live and Live From Planet Earth needs another great sketch comedy soon.

  3. l don’t see sketch comedy working in the current cultural climate. It’s supposed to be edgy and push the boundaries, but social media backlash happens at the touch of a feather now, meaning only bland and inoffensive sketches will ever sir.

  4. Lowkey looking forward to this as I always like to give Aussie comedy a go, even tho Ben Elton & Open Slather still haunt me. Also, this randomly reminded me but did that Channel 7 comedy announced a few years ago with Michala Banas (i think called Fam Time) ever air or did I completely miss it?

  5. Sounds interesting. The sketch shows made a across the FTA networks in the past 10 years at least have been very very poor and unfunny. Hopefully Seven can break that mould!

  6. Is sketch comedy still a relevant genre? Yes I think so, it’s the casting and quality of the humour that counts. When you hear cast recollections, what made some of the earlier sketch comedy shows so funny is that they couldn’t stop laughing at what they had written or what was happening, to the point where they had to do several takes. If you want the audience to think it’s funny, the cast and crew should think it’s funny too.

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