Ryan Johnson, Catherine Văn-Davies, and Aaron Glenane will lead the cast of Screentime miniseries The Claremont Murders, set to premiere on Seven next year.
First announced last year as Claremont, the investigative drama explores how the disappearance of three young women in Perth in the late 1990s launched a 25-year investigation by the police and one tenacious journalist.
Seven used its 2023 upfronts today to unveil the full cast, with Laura Gordon, Andrea Demetriades, Craig Hall, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Tasma Walton, Joel Jackson, Tom O’Sullivan and Dalip Sondhi also set to set to star.
Peter Andrikidis is director and also produces with Kerrie Mainwaring and Jamie Hilton, while Michaeley O’Brien and Justin Monjo penned the scripts. The project recieved major production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Seven and See Pictures, as well as finance from Screenwest and Screen NSW.
A quest for truth is also at the centre of the network’s upcoming docuseries Con Girl, which aims to give greater insight into the identity of Samantha Azzopardi – a serial Australian con artist who has amassed more than 75 aliases and repeatedly deceived her victims and authorities around the globe.
Produced by CJZ, the series is built on eyewitness accounts spanning three continents.
Leading the lighter side of Seven’s 2023 programming is Helium comedy series We Interrupt This Broadcast, starring Christie Whelan Browne, Bridie Connell, Michelle Brasier, Adele Vuko, Duncan Fellows, Greg Larsen, Ben Russell, and Bjorn Stewart.
Billed as “irreverent, accessible and occasionally absurd”, the series promises to revive the “almost forgotten art of taking the piss out of everything”.
Of the formats set to debut on Seven next year, Endemol Shine Australia will present Blow Up, a balloon sculpting competition hosted by Stephen Curry and comedian Becky Lucas, who will appear alongside resident balloon expert Chris Adamo and a host of celebrity judges.
There is also a local version of UK game show format The 1% Club, by which 100 contestants are whittled down through questions that an increasingly small percentage of the population can answer. Comedian Jim Jefferies will front the program, which is being produced by BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand.
Rounding out the new titles is a rebooted Australian Idol from Eureka Productions, as well as Beyond Entertainment factual series Animals Aboard With Dr Harry, and the previously announced Million Dollar Island, also from Eureka Productions.
They join returning programs The Voice, Farmer Wants A Wife, Home and Away, RFDS, My Kitchen Rules, SAS Australia, Big Brother, Kitchen Nightmares Australia, The Chase Australia, Better Homes and Gardens, This Is Your Life, Border Security: Australia’s Front Line, Highway Patrol, Code 1: Minute by Minute, and several special events, including the TV WEEK Logie Awards.
Elsewhere, the network announced a new multi-year content partnership with NBCUniversal Global Distribution that includes sci-fi series Quantum Leap, and family comedy Lopez vs. Lopez, starring George Lopez, both of which will debut on channel Seven in 2023. NBCUniversal’s reality and true crime content will be used on new channel 7Bravo.
Parent company Seven West Media has also sought to integrate interactive technology into its BVOD service 7plus via an investment in Australian media gaming and technology business, Aura, known for its use of video game technology that can stream content.
Speaking about the year ahead, Seven West Media managing director and CEO, James Warburton, remained confident of the network maintaining its number one ratings position from last year.
“We have a superior offering in total TV and no one can match the reach of Seven,” he said.
“We are very proud and honoured to be Australia’s most-watched television network. As our 2023 content clearly shows, we are working very hard to give our viewers and clients what they want.
“Our new partnership with NBCUniversal is a great example of how we strive to give Australians more of what they want. NBCUniversal is one of the leading entertainment and media companies in the world and we can’t wait to bring 7Bravo and its amazing content to viewers.”