How to Stay Married

Last updated

How to Stay Married
How to Stay Married title.png
Genre
Created by Peter Helliar
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Composer Kit Warhurst
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes24 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Emma Fitzsimons
  • Andrea Denholm
  • Peter Helliar
  • Paul Leadon
  • Rick Maier
Producers
  • Jess Leslie
  • Pennie Brown
  • Jenni Tosi
Production locations Melbourne, Victoria
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time23 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Network 10
Release8 November 2018 (2018-11-08) –
present
Related
It's a Date

How to Stay Married is an Australian television comedy series screening on Network 10. It premiered on 8 November 2018. The series is a spin-off of an episode of the 2013 anthology comedy series It's a Date on the ABC. The show is a Princess Pictures and Pablo Pictures co-production. [1]

Contents

The show was renewed for a second season on 22 August 2018, before the first episode aired. All episodes of season 2 were initially released on streaming service 10 Play on March 26, 2020 for two weeks as part of Network Ten's "10 Shows in 10 Days" promotion during the COVID-19 pandemic. [2] [3] It later premiered on Network Ten on Tuesday, 5 May 2020. [4] A third season premiered on May 4, 2021. [5]

Plot

After fifteen years of marriage, the lives of Greg and Em Butler and their two daughters change when Em returns to work, Greg is made redundant and his brother Brad moves in.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Guests

Main characters

List indicator(s)
  •   A green cell indicates the actor as a main cast member.
  •   A red cell indicates the actor as a recurring cast member.
  •   A blue cell indicates the actor as guest cast member.
  •   A grey cell indicates the actor has not participated in the respective season.
ActorCharacterSeasons
1 2 3
Peter Helliar Greg Butler
Lisa McCune Em Butler
Willow Ryan-FullerSophie Butler
Vivien TurnerChloe Butler
Phil Lloyd Brad Butler
Darren Gilshenan Terry Roach
Nikki BrittonMarlo Machelski
Judith Lucy Audrey Price
Nicki WendtNadia
Ranveer HarshRavi Sharma
Alyssa KtistakisLindsay
Casey Donovan Luna Keys
Adam Gilchrist Himself
Broden Kelly Brayden

Episodes

Series overview

SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 88 November 2018 (2018-11-08)20 December 2018 (2018-12-20)
2 85 May 2020 (2020-05-05)23 June 2020 (2020-06-23)
3 84 May 2021 (2021-05-04)22 June 2021 (2021-06-22)

Season 1 (2018)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateViewers
11"Episode 1"Natalie BaileyPeter Helliar8 November 2018 (2018-11-08)508,000 [6]
After fourteen years at home raising the kids, Em Butler is worried she has become boring and decides it’s time to go back to work. Her husband Greg is initially hesitant to disrupt the status quo but when redundancies are offered at his job, he starts to wonder whether a change might be good for them. Greg’s brother Brad announces that he needs to stay with them for an undisclosed amount of time, throwing yet another spanner into the works.
22"Episode 2"Natalie BaileyPeter Helliar15 November 2018 (2018-11-15)507,000 [7]
Greg and Em have planned an evening together at an Ed Sheeran concert, their first night out since Em got her new job and Greg lost his. Greg and Em each harbour little frustrations about the demarcation of domestic responsibilities and despite their best efforts to be romantic, there is friction during the date. Sophie is allowed to babysit for the first time (with Terry and Marlo instructed to keep an eye out from across the road), but things go from bad to worse when the power goes out.
33"Episode 3"Natalie BaileyPeter Helliar & Nick Musgrove22 November 2018 (2018-11-22)264,000 [8]
Greg and Em are frustrated by their flagging sex life. Since starting work, Em’s sex drive has dropped and the hassle of using condoms isn’t helping. Terry recommends that Greg have a vasectomy to simplify the contraception, and Marlo recommends that Em do something dangerous (like skydiving) to kick-start her libido. But as their initial excitement fades, the seriousness of their respective tasks starts to sink in.
44"Episode 4"Natalie BaileyPeter Helliar & Nick Musgrove29 November 2018 (2018-11-29)291,000 [9]
Greg and Em become worried about Sophie when she announces out of the blue that she wants to quit her basketball team. Greg, the coach of the team, has been so focused on winning that he has failed to notice that Sophie hasn’t scored a single point all season, and resolves that she will score in the next game no matter what. Em regrets that she hasn’t been around enough since going back to work and resolves to make it to the game to cheer Sophie on, but gets trapped in a well-known author’s impromptu adult fiction reading.
55"Episode 5"Colin CairnesPeter Helliar & Trent Roberts6 December 2018 (2018-12-06)N/A
The Butler family is running seriously low on personal space, a problem that becomes impossible to ignore when Brad brings a date over for the first time. Greg and Em decide that Brad needs to move into the backyard cubby house so that the girls can have their own rooms back. With hard rubbish collection coming up, they get to work clearing out the mountain of 'storage’ in the cubby - but while Em has no problem chucking stuff away, Greg gets increasingly sentimental over all of their old things.
66"Episode 6"Colin CairnesPeter Helliar & Nick Musgrove13 December 2018 (2018-12-13)281,000 [10]
Greg and Em attend Em’s 25 year high school reunion. Greg is determined to 'be cool’ with meeting Em’s significant high school ex-boyfriend while Em looks forward to flaunting her new job to her classmates. However, Greg is 'cool’ with the wrong person, accidentally encouraging the school heartthrob to flirt with Em. When a teacher undermines Em’s publishing career by suggesting that a poem she wrote at school was plagiarised, she becomes determined to clear her name.
77"Episode 7"Colin CairnesPeter Helliar & Trent Roberts20 December 2018 (2018-12-20)272,000 [11]
Greg and Em implement a screen ban to give the family a much-needed break from technology. Em takes Chloe on a 'girls day’ in the great outdoors but between interruptions from Brad and the interference of a drone pilot, the bonding activities don’t go to plan. Greg drives Sophie to her friend’s 'gathering’, intending to have a conversation in the car about the boy she likes, but he struggles to navigate without GPS and they get seriously lost.
88"Episode 8"Peter HelliarPeter Helliar & Nick Musgrove20 December 2018 (2018-12-20)272,000 [11]
It’s Greg and Em’s fifteen year wedding anniversary and Em has planned a weekend away at a surprise destination. Greg is disappointed to find that the destination is a roadside motel that they visited when they were first dating, a gesture that Em considers extremely romantic. Em is equally let down by Greg’s gift of celebratory home brew beer. Sophie decides it’s time for Brad to get back on his feet and coaches him to make a good impression on a woman he likes - an Uber driver who ruined Terry and Marlo’s perfect rating.

Season 2 (2020)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateViewers
91"Episode 1"Amanda BrotchieVanessa Burt & Peter Helliar5 May 2020 (2020-05-05)441,000 [12]
Envious of not being considered "the cool house" where kids like to hang out, Greg and Em encourage Sophie to have her friends over, promising not to embarrass her.
102"Episode 2"Amanda BrotchieNick Musgrove & Peter Helliar12 May 2020 (2020-05-12)439,000 [13]
When Brad announces his plans to propose to new flame Nadia, Greg and Em seize the opportunity to right the wrongs of their own botched proposal seventeen years earlier.
113"Episode 3"Amanda BrotchieNick Musgrove19 May 2020 (2020-05-19)428,000 [14]
Greg hatches a 'foolproof' plan to earn funds for his promised family holiday on a cruise by selling TurboMax mixers to his neighbours and family. Em brings Chloe to work for Curriculum Day and scores a book deal from her boss Audrey, about her relationship with her "neanderthal" husband, after Chloe lets slip that her mum likes to write.
124"Episode 4"Peter HelliarPeter Helliar26 May 2020 (2020-05-26)400,000 [15]
When Em's pompous father and stepmother come over for a family BBQ, Greg attempts to ask them for money for their family holiday while Em stokes the fires of familial conflict, under the guidance of her boss Audrey, for her new book.
135"Episode 5"Sarah Lang & Peter HelliarMat King2 June 2020 (2020-06-02)428,000 [16]
Greg has to wait at home for the NBN technician but he is tempted from his post by his brother, who asks him to visit the supermarket for a once-in-a-lifetime Aldi special buy: a The Slumberwell: Endless Dream bed which Em wants. His absence means that all the family's problems fall in her lap.
146"Episode 6"Trent RobertsMat King9 June 2020 (2020-06-09)407,000 [17]
After a sobering cyber-safety information night, Greg and Em Butler decide to install a secret surveillance app on Sophie's phone and are shocked to discover her sexting with a friend, Ravi, from school.
157"Episode 7"Lou SanzPeter Helliar16 June 2020 (2020-06-16)425,000 [18]
Em's determined to finally tell Greg about the book that she is writing about him. An unexpected dinner invitation by Carlos Garcia has Em taking drastic actions to prevent Greg from finding out about it in the wrong way.
168"Episode 8"Peter HelliarMat King23 June 2020 (2020-06-23)423,000 [19]
As Greg and Em try to resolve their tension over Em's book, the Butler household prepares for Brad and Nadia's wedding.

Season 3 (2021)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateViewers
171"Episode 1"Fiona BanksPeter Helliar4 May 2021 (2021-05-04)247,000 [20]
Greg spies an older boy eating Chloe's lunch and instantly concludes his daughter is being bullied. Greg's determined to seek justice, which brings him into direct conflict with perfect parent Luna Keys.
182"Episode 2"Fiona BanksTrent Roberts11 May 2021 (2021-05-11)272,000 [21]
Greg's on a mission to procure the most prizes for the school's trivia night and to outshine rival parent Luna in the process, but when he also has to deal with a sleep-deprived Chloe, his mission seems impossible. Em learns of her "lucrative" book deal from Audrey — as the ghostwriter of Adam "Gilly" Gilchrist's autobiography.
193"Episode 3"Fiona BanksSarah Lang18 May 2021 (2021-05-18)N/A
At the school's dry trivia night, Greg's rivalry with Luna heats up and Em disrupts the evening's proceedings by unwittingly orchestrating a rival event in the school's car park.
204"Episode 4"Peter Helliar Vidya Rajan and Peter Helliar25 May 2021 (2021-05-25)N/A
Greg has never been able to talk about death and the passing of Chloe's pet is no exception. Em challenges Greg to discuss their own inevitable funerals only to find they're on very different pages.
215"Episode 5"Mat KingNick Musgrove1 June 2021 (2021-06-01)N/A
Greg is desperate to prove he's cleaner and greener than Luna, but when he posts an innocent photo on the school's social media platform, he starts an online war that could see him cancelled.
226"Episode 6"Mat KingSarah Lang and Vidya Rajan8 June 2021 (2021-06-08)N/A
Em has a sex dream that inspires her to become more experimental in the bedroom, but after eighteen years of marriage, how does she tell Greg she's suddenly keen to expand their repertoire?
237"Episode 7"Mat KingVanessa Burt15 June 2021 (2021-06-15)N/A
Em is adamant the controversial material she's uncovered about Gilly will result in a bestseller, but when Gilly prematurely promotes the book on television, it creates a public relations nightmare.
248"Episode 8"Mat KingPeter Helliar22 June 2021 (2021-06-22)N/A
Greg's ongoing battle with Luna comes to a head when he makes the bold decision to oust her as President of the Parent and Friends Committee.

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References

  1. ↑ "How To Stay Married Series 1 2018". Screen Australia.
  2. ↑ "10 play Drops 10 Series In 10 days". 10 Play . Network Ten. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  3. ↑ Knox, David (26 March 2020). "10 Play: How to Stay Married returns". Network Ten . Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  4. ↑ Knox, David (22 August 2019). "Renewed: How to Stay Married". TV Tonight. TV Tonight . Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  5. ↑ Perry, Kevin (20 April 2021). "CHANNEL 10 CONFIRMS RETURN DATE FOR PETER HELLIAR COMEDY SERIES HOW TO STAY MARRIED". TV Blackbox. TV Blackbox. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Knox, David (9 November 2018). "Thursday 8 November 2018". TV Tonight . Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  7. ↑ Knox, David (16 November 2018). "Thursday 15 November 2018". TV Tonight . Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Knox, David (23 November 2018). "Paramedics powers Nine to a win". TV Tonight . Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  9. ↑ Knox, David (30 November 2018). "Thursday 29 November 2018". TV Tonight . Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  10. ↑ Knox, David (14 December 2018). "Thursday 13 December 2018". TV Tonight . Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  11. 1 2 Knox, David (21 December 2018). "Thursday 20 December 2018". TV Tonight . Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  12. ↑ Knox, David (6 May 2020). "Tuesday 5 May 2020". TV Tonight . Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  13. ↑ Knox, David (13 May 2020). "Tuesday 12 May 2020". TV Tonight . Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  14. ↑ Knox, David (20 May 2020). "Tuesday 19 May 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight . Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  15. ↑ Knox, David (27 May 2020). "Tuesday 26 May 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight . Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  16. ↑ Knox, David (3 June 2020). "Tuesday 2 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight . Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  17. ↑ Knox, David (10 June 2020). "Tuesday 9 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight . Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  18. ↑ Knox, David (17 June 2020). "Tuesday 16 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight . Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  19. ↑ Knox, David (24 June 2020). "Tuesday 23 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight . Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  20. ↑ Knox, David (5 May 2021). "Tuesday 4 May 2021". TV Tonight. TV Tonight . Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  21. ↑ Knox, David (12 May 2021). "Tuesday 11 May 2021". TV Tonight. TV Tonight . Retrieved 12 May 2021.
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