Airdate: Crazy Fun Park

New ABC ME series Crazy Fun Park will debut on New Year’s Day.

The series set in an abandoned theme park, is created by Writer / Director Nicholas Verso (Boys In The Trees) and produced by Joanna Werner (The Newsreader, Dance Academy, Surviving Summer).

It tells the story of high school best friends Chester (Henry Strand) and Mapplethorpe (Stacy Clausen) who must grapple with life after death when tragedy strikes.

Verso was inspired to create a show after losing several friends as a teenager.

“I never really spoke about it,” he said. “There was no language for a teenage boy to process grief and what happens when you watch somebody’s life get ripped away from them. So I wanted to create a show that dealt with grief and loss but was also a fun, explosive celebration of life and spirit and how that energy can live on in our memories.”

The emerging cast also included Hannah Ogawa as Violetta, Justin Holborow as Remus, Pedrea Jackson as Nimrod, Charli Wookey as Siobhan, Jason Thompson as Zed, Georgia La Belle as Destinee, Lee Halley as Gonzo and Ziggy Zilberman-Sharp as Tigger plus appearances from adult guest cast including Judith Lucy, Kim Gyngell, Katherine Tonkin, Bernard Curry, Alexandra Schepisi, Kuni Hashimoto, Alicia Banit, Simon Burke, Sally-Anne Upton, Anne Charleston and Rachael Maza.

The show was filmed in a custom-designed theme park, built in Altona by production designer, Paddy Reardon (Muriel’s Wedding, Chopper, Underbelly).

A haunted adventure ensues as the group of ghoulish teens who reside in the old, abandoned theme park appear. The fun park offers Chester a reprieve from dealing with the loss of his best friend when he discovers Mapplethorpe now lives among the undead in the park.

However, Chester and Mapplethorpe must face the reality of life apart or deal with the deadly consequences.

6pm. Sunday, 1 January on ABC ME All episodes on ABC iview from 7am.