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Amazon Prime Video unveiled a slate of six new Australian originals for 2023 at a showcase in Sydney tonight, along with first looks at three Australian scripted dramas that the streamer has already announced.

Described as part of a drive to increase investment into Australian-produced content, Amazon confirmed four docuseries and documentary features, one 90-minute live special and a series of stand-up specials from comedians including Dave Hughes, Tommy Little and Lizzy Hoo.

Docuseries include a second season of The Test, featuring the Australian men’s cricket team and filmed in the run-up the first Ashes Test match, with Pat Cummins taking on the captaincy in the wake of Tim Paine’s decision to resign. Amazon Studios produced the four-part series with Cricket Australia and Whooshka Media.

Feature-length doc, Hot Potato: The Story Of The Wiggles, tells the story of global sensation The Wiggles, the children’s entertainment group that had...

Image Source: Getty / Frazer Harrison / The Recording Academy

Days after announcing she and John Legend are expecting another baby, Chrissy Teigen shared a second glimpse at her baby bump - this time on her husband's Zoom call. During an interview about his new album and his hit song "All of Me" with Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little of the "Carrie & Tommy" podcast, Teigen pops in to say a surprise hello.

"You don't love that person like you used to because you've grown together and you're experiencing new things, and [that love] is tested in different ways."

"If you were writing a song now, all these years later, how different would that song be for Chrissy [compared to 'All of Me']?" Bickmore asks. Smiling, Legend replies, "Wait 'til you hear the new album. We've got songs for Chrissy on it, for sure. One of the final songs on the album is called 'I Don't...

Wil Anderson.

Stan has commissioned Guesswork Television to produce the Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival, a series which will see local comedians perform material from their planned 2020 shows – from their homes.

Signed on are Wil Anderson, Cal Wilson, Nazeem Hussain, Dave Hughes, Zoe Coombs Marr, Tommy Little, Geraldine Hickey, Dilruk Jayasinha, Steph Tisdell, Aaron Chen, Sam Campbell, Michelle Brasier and Nath Valvo, with more to be announced soon.

The series has been announced as a direct result of the cancellation of many of Australia’s comedy festivals and tours as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Comedy Festival.

Filming will take into consideration all current health measures – including comedians setting up and operating their own cameras, with a director on hand via video conferencing.

Stan’s chief content officer Nick Forward said: “The brand-new Stan Original Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival will bring together some of our brightest talent,...

Amazon has scheduled its first scripted Australian Amazon Original series, Back to the Rafters, which will launch on Prime Video in Australia and around the world. Production on the series is expected to start next year.

Back to the Rafters offers the next chapter in the story of the Rafter family, who appeared for six years in one of Australia’s most popular drama series, Packed to the Rafters. At its center were parents Dave and Julie, working to balance their own journey as a couple with the ups and downs of raising a family into adulthood.

Set to begin production in Sydney in 2020, Back to the Rafters is produced by Seven Studios and will feature original principal cast members Rebecca Gibney (Julie Rafter), Erik Thomson (Dave Rafter), Jessica Marais (Rachel Rafter), Hugh Sheridan (Ben Rafter), Angus McLaren (Nathan Rafter), Michael Caton (Ted Taylor) and George Houvardas (Nick “Carbo” Karandonis...

Amazon has ordered its latest Australian original with a docuseries following the Australian Men’s Cricket Team.

The Svod service has ordered The Test: A New Era for Australia’s Team, which will give viewers a behind-the-scenes at one of the world’s best cricket teams which fell from grace before reclaiming their title.

The series, which will air in early 2020, picks up after a ball tampering controversy in South Africa and begins with the appointment of Justin Langer as coach before showing how they won the 2019 Ashes series.

The Test is produced by CA Films in partnership with Australian production company Whooshka Media and directed by Adrian Brown.

It is the latest Amazon original in Australia after the company ordered non-scripted series Lol: Last One Laughing, hosted and executive produced by Rebel Wilson earlier this year as well as a slew of Australian stand-up comedy specials from the likes of Tom Gleeson,...

‘Packed to the Rafters.’

Seven Studios is preparing to revive Packed to the Rafters, the first Australian drama commission by Amazon Prime Video.

Bevan Lee, who created the family comedy-drama which ran for six seasons on the Seven Network, is overseeing the reboot which is in pre-production.

Katherine Thomson is among the writing team and there will potentially be three series, each six episodes, If understands.

Virtually all members of the original cast including Rebecca Gibney, Erik Thomson, Hugh Sheridan, Jessica Marais, Ryan Corr, Jessica McNamee, Angus McLaren and James Stewart are returning, If believes.

Yet to be announced, the deal for the new series which has the working title Back to the Rafters was first mooted in September.

Amazon Prime has also acquired the streaming rights to the original series which was produced by Jo Porter for Seven Productions. The two hour finale in 2013, which saw Dave and Julie...

Celia Pacquola.

Amazon has commissioned Guesswork Television to produce a series of stand-up comedy specials from ten Australian comedians.

The specials include Tom Gleeson’s Joy; Celia Pacquola’s All Talk; Tommy Little’s Self-Diagnosed Genius; Judith Lucy’s Judith Lucy vs Men; Lano & Woodley’s Fly; Anne Edmonds’ What’s Wrong With You?; Zoë Coombs Marr’s Bossy Bottom; Tom Walker’s Very Very, Dilruk Jayasinha’s Live and Alice Fraser’s Savage.

“Amazon’s comedy series and stand-up specials have excited our customers around the world, and we’re looking forward to welcoming this talented group of Australian comedians to the Prime Video family,” said Amazon Studios head of international originals James Farrell.

“These are hilarious performances that we know our customers will love in Australia and around the world.”

The specials will be filmed at The Coopers Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne. Tickets are available here. They’re...

In today’s roundup, HBO’s “Watchmen” gets a premiere date and Netflix has ordered the animated musical series “Centaurworld.”

Dates

HBO‘s “Watchmen” will premiere on Sunday, Oct. 20. The series will follow an original story based on the world of the graphic novel of the same name. Nicole Kassell directs the pilot written by Damon Lindelof. Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson and Tim Blake Nelson star.

Greenlights

Netflix has ordered the animated comedy series “Centaurworld,” about a war horse transported to a world filled with singing centaurs. The series will feature original songs and a mixed-animation style. Megan Nicole Dong will serve as showrunner and executive producer.

HBO Sports and NFL Films have announced the feature length documentary “Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching,” about the friendship between and coaching philosophies of football coaches Bill Belichick and Nick Saban.

Freeform has picked up the Thanksgiving-themed film “Turkey Drop” from Muse Entertainment.

Amazon has announced a series of 10 stand-up specials featuring Australian comedians to premiere exclusively on Prime Video in early 2020.

Set to be filmed this month at the Coopers Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, the specials will feature performances by Lano & Woodley, Zoë Coombs Marr, Judith Lucy, Tommy Little, Anne Edmonds, Tom Walker, Celia Pacquola, Dilruk Jayasinha, Alice Fraser and Tom Gleeson. See details of each below.

“Amazon’s comedy series and stand-up specials have excited our customers around the world, and we’re looking forward to welcoming this talented group of Australian comedians to the Prime Video family,” said James Farrell, Head of International Originals for Amazon Studios.

Here are details about the specials and the comics, per Amazon:

Joy

Tom Gleeson

Gold Logie winner. Chief celebrity interrogator. Host of the highest-rated Australian quiz show on TV. All-round hard man (especially in Cairns). There’s not much Tom Gleeson didn’t...

Amazon is going Down Under for the latest additions to its stand-up comedy slate.

The tech and retail giant has added 10 comedy specials from Australian performers to its growing library of stand-up performances. All 10 shows will film this month in Melbourne and premiere in early 2020 on Amazon's Prime Video streaming platform.

The specials are Joy, from Tom Gleeson; All Talk, from Celia Pacquola; Self-Diagnosed Genius, from Tommy Little; Judith Lucy vs. Men, from Lucy; Fly, from the duo of Lano & Woodley; What's Wrong With You?, from Anne Edmonds; Bossy Bottom, from Zöe Coombs Marr; Very Very, from Tom Walker; Live, from Dilruk ...

Marvel movies are not known for their steamy love scenes, and there is actually very little in the way of romance when it comes to most of these superhero adventures. So leave it to Thor: Ragnarok to bring Marvel it's first nude scene, which is played for laughs more than anything. Don't get too excited, either. The one most Marvel fans want to see in the buff stays mostly clothed, giving this 'groundbreaking' moment to a brother of another color.

Yes, that's right. It's Hulk who shucks off his clothes. Spoiler alert, we know. And this comes amongst an abundance of very attractive actors, with Chris Hemsworth winning a few 'sexiest man alive' awards in his day. But the God of Thunder stays mostly in his armor throughout the duration of the latest Thor sequel, which has garnered a 100% fresh rating on the Rotten Tomatoes meter.

There is what some...

Back: Tegan Higginbotham & Tom Walker, Middle: Steen Raskopoulos, Cal Wilson, Rhys Darby & Susie Youssef, Front: Tommy Little & Bridie Connell (Photo credit: Foxtel/Kelly Gardner)

The Comedy Channel has revealed the cast of its local adaptation of the popular improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

The lineup boasts the likes of Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords, Hunt for the Wilderpeople), alongside comedy festival favourites Cal Wilson, Tegan Higginbotham, Susie Youssef, Steen Raskopoulos and newcomers Bridie Connell and Tom Walker.

The ten-part series is currently filming in front of live audiences in Melbourne, led by host Tommy Little.

Whose Line Is It Anyway? Australia will air later this year on The Comedy Channel.

It is executive produced by Kevin Whyte, Guesswork Television, and Craig Campbell, +61 TV. .