Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe

Last updated

Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe
Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe poster.jpeg
GenreSketch comedy
Created by
Starring
Theme music composerTom Zachariou
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Todd Abbott
  • Thomas Armstrong
  • Mark Samual Bonanno
  • Katherine Dale
  • Broden Kelly
  • Sam Lingham
  • Georgia Mappin
  • Rachel Millar
  • Max Miller
  • Zachary Ruane
Running time23–26 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network ABC iView
Release12 March 2023 (2023-03-12) –
present
Related
Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun (2020)

Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe is an Australian absurdist sitcom television show on ABC iView, created by and starring the comedy group Aunty Donna and premiering on 12 April 2023. [1] It follows the three main members of Aunty Donna running a trendy cafe in the Melbourne laneways, and is the second television series by the troupe after Netflix's Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun .

Contents

Cast

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in seasonTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"We Need Cool Customers"Max Miller Aunty Donna 12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)
22"We Got Burgled!"Max Miller Aunty Donna 12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)
33"We're Open Til 5pm Today"Max Miller Aunty Donna 12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)
44"We're Closed (Didn't Pay Rent)"Max Miller Aunty Donna 12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)
55"We're Getting a Toilet Door"Max Miller Aunty Donna 12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)
66"We Got a Bad Review :("Max Miller Aunty Donna 12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)

Production

Aunty Donna had previously created a self-titled half hour pilot for the ABC in 2015 as part of Screen Australia's Fresh Blood Pilot Season initiative, but this pilot was not picked up. [3] [4] The series also followed Netflix's Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun , which did not receive a second season, allowing the group to work on Coffee Cafe instead. [3]

During the pitching phase, the ABC asked the group to "dial up" the sitcom element present in the show to involve more workplace comedy. The show was filmed in Docklands Studios Melbourne. [3] Coffee Cafe was announced on 25 August 2022 as Aunty Donna's Untitled Project, [5] and a trailer premiered on 15 March 2023. [6] [7]

Release and reception

The series received mixed reviews. The Guardian put forward that the series "isn't their best," but also stated that "much joy comes from their zaniness and unpredictability," and that "even when they’re not brilliant, their shtick still feels fresh." [1] Concrete Playground compared the show to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as well as I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson , and stated that its gags [fly] so thick and fast that laughing at one joke or bit of banter usually means drowning out the next with your own chuckles." [8] TV Tonight concluded that "it all makes for an entertaining nonsense, that reminds us why ABC Comedy still leads the genre, backing original voices and risky ideas rather than replicating traditional tropes." [9]

The show received negative attention from right-wing pundits such as Chris Kenny at Sky News Australia , who stated that the show was "uncreative" and "unintelligent" and noted that "it was funded by the taxes that adults like you and I pay", [10] which Aunty Donna themselves reacted positively to.

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References

  1. 1 2 Buckmaster, Luke (11 April 2023). "Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe review – sketch comedy trio scramble for laughs in new show". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Knox, David (15 March 2023). "Airdate: Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024. Special guest stars include Richard Roxburgh, Pia Miranda, Nazeem Hussain, Miranda Tapsell, Shaun Micallef, Tony Martin, Melanie Bracewell, Steven Oliver, Sam Pang and Sammy J.
  3. 1 2 3 Mathieson, Craig (5 April 2023). "'We had to blow up a hamster': Inside Aunty Donna's bonkers ABC comedy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Martin, Josh (11 November 2020). "Aunty Donna: "We got started because we all realised that acting is not a real job"". NME. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  5. ↑ Ward, Sarah (24 August 2022). "Aunty Donna Are Coming to Aunty to Star in a New ABC Sitcom Set in a Melbourne Laneway Cafe". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  6. ↑ Ward, Sarah (14 March 2023). "'Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe' Will Bring Its Cups of Morning Brown to the ABC in April — and It Has a Trailer". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  7. ↑ "'Aunty Donna's Coffee Café' (Trailer)". IF Magazine. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  8. ↑ Ward, Sarah (11 April 2023). "Aunty Donna Are Back on Your Screen — and 'Coffee Cafe' Is Your Next Absurdist Comedy Obsession". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  9. ↑ Knox, David (11 April 2023). "Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe". TV Tonight . Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "Aunty Donna's Coffee Café the most 'uncreative' and 'unintelligent' show ever: Chris Kenny". Sky News Australia . 15 May 2023.
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