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Returning: Utopia

Uh oh. The brilliant minds of the Nation Building Authority return to ABC -in an all new timeslot.

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Season 5 of Utopia will premiere on ABC in early June, moving to an 8pm slot in place of Hard Quiz.

Returning cast Rob Sitch include Celia Pacquola, Dave Lawson, Dilruk Jayasinha, Kitty Flanagan, Anthony Lehmann, Emma-Louise Wilson, Nina Oyama, Jamie Robertson, Mike McLeish and Rebecca Massey.

The eagerly-awaited series heads back to the offices of the Nation Building Authority, a federal government organisation responsible for overseeing major infrastructure projects. Utopia explores that moment when bureaucracy and grand dreams collide. It’s a tribute to those political leaders who have somehow managed to take long-term vision and use it for short-term gain.

The fifth season of the award-winning series sees the beleaguered staff of the Nation Building Authority still trying to get the job done in the face of endless backflips, government interference and ever-shifting priorities. C.E.O. Tony Woodford and his loyal staff are forced to deal with project management teams interested only in talking points. Billion dollars projects announced without a business case or cost-benefit study. Shifting geo-political priorities. Rural road construction held up by a problematic statue. Cyber-attacks and an embarrassing UNESCO report.

Utopia is written and produced by the award-winning team of Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch. Michael Hirsh and Deb Herman are Executive Producers. Original Casting by Jane Kennedy. Series Casting by Kate Leonard. The series is directed by Rob Sitch. ABC TV Executive Producers Brett Sleigh and Todd Abbott. A Working Dog Production, in association with ABC.

8pm Wednesday June 7 on ABC.

7 Responses

  2. How many of the projects portrayed in Utopia will eventually be built in real life? I remember a couple of weeks ago, I saw a couple of clips from Utopia in regards to the building of a stadium in Tasmania, which according to Jim and Rhonda is what the Tasmanian people “wanted” (despite being low on the priority list). And a couple of years after the episode aired, there is talk of a stadium in Tasmania in real life (opposed by the people of Tasmania). Straight out of Utopia.

    Will definately be watching.

  3. What…I can see “shovel ready” being a new saying used a lot, especially in my home. I’m even going to try it on my gardener when he turns up next just to see his reaction… Good one ABC 👍

    1. They’re not there at the moment, hopefully they’ll be put up before this starts. I was watching previous seasons on Netflix but it’s been taken off before I got a chance to finish S4.

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