We close out the year with the US premieres of two new series, one each from Australia and New Zealand, and the two-season return of another Aussie show.
For updates about shows from Australia and New Zealand added to US linear TV and streaming channels throughout the month, see the Down Under TV Viewing Guide.
(For details about the premieres of shows from the UK, Canada, Ireland, and countries in Europe and elsewhere, visit The British TV Place, The Euro TV Place, and The Global TV Place.)
Programs and dates are subject to change without prior notice.
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NATIONAL PREMIERES
Playing Gracie Darling (AU)
Morgana O’Reilly (The White Lotus, Mean Mums, Neighbours) stars in this new mystery thriller series as child psychologist Joni Grey. Nearly three decades ago, 14-year-old Joni’s (Eloise Rothfield, The Survivors) best friend, Gracie Darling (Kristina Bogic), vanished during a séance gone wrong, and this has haunted her ever since.
In the present day, some kids are playing with a Ouija board to reenact that mysterious event, but it is definitely not all fun and games when another Darling girl goes missing. To uncover the truth of these disappearances, Joni must face her fears about that fateful night twenty-seven years ago.
Costars include Rudi Dharmalingam (The Lazarus Project, The Split), Harriet Walter (Silo, Law & Order: UK), Celia Pacquola (Utopia, Rosehaven), Annie Maynard (Colin from Accounts), Dan Spielman (The Newsreader), Anne Tenney (RFDS), and Chloe Brink (The Twelve), amongst others.
Playing Gracie Darling, a Netflix Series, premieres in the US and other territories on Monday, December 1, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Happiness (NZ)
This musical comedy series revolves around Charlie Summers (Harry McNaughton, Shortland Street, Step Dave), a Kiwi Broadway director and golden boy who is forced to return to New Zealand. Devastated by his circumstance, especially after having spent twenty years working his way up to the top of the musical theater world, he finds himself back in his hometown of Tauranga, back in his childhood bedroom, and back helping his mum, Gaye (Rebecca Gibney, Under the Vines, Halifax: Retribution).
But we’re not talking the domestic kind of help, like tidying up and doing the laundry. Rather, Gaye’s enlisted him to lend his expertise to the local community theater, where they are gearing up for the production of a new musical, The Trojan Horse. While the eclectic cast and crew may lack professional skills, they are all in on the passion.
The cast also includes Peter Hambleton (“The Hobbit” trilogy), Jessie Lawrence (My Life Is Murder), Yvette Parsons (The Brokenwood Mysteries), and Maaka Pohatu (Wellington Paranormal), amongst others.
Happiness premieres in the US on Sunday, December 14, at 8pm ET, on PBS (check your local listings), with streaming available on PBS.org and the PBS app, as well as PBS Passport, where viewers who are members of their local PBS station can binge all six episodes.
The Farmer Wants a Wife Australia: Seasons 13-14 (AU)
This reality series follows single Aussie farmers who are looking for romance and everlasting love with that special someone.
The Farmer Wants a Wife Australia: Seasons 13-14 premieres in the US on Wednesday, December 17, on Hulu.
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