Austin is an eight-part Australian-British comedy drama series which premiered on ABC TV in Australia on 9 June 2024. It is set to be aired in the UK later in 2024.
| Austin | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Written by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | Australia United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer |
|
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC TV |
| Release | 9 June 2024 – present |
Synopsis
Austin is a comedy drama series.[1] An English author, Julian, meets and gets to know his autistic son, Austin, of whose existence he was unaware, along with his mother and grandfather, in Australia. Embracing Austin may be Julian's path to redemption if he and wife Ingrid can move past their mistakes.
Production
The eight-part series was filmed in Canberra, Australia, starting in November 2023,[2] and in England. It was produced by Northern Pictures[3][4] and Lincoln Pictures.[5]
It is supported by the ACT Government, Screen Australia, ITV Studios,[2] and Screen Canberra.[5]
Cast
Michael Theo, a neurodivergent participant on reality series Love on the Spectrum, makes his acting debut as the title character Austin.[6] Austin also stars Ben Miller as Julian, Sally Phillips as Ingrid,[3] Gia Carides as Austin's mother and Roy Billing as Austin's grandfather.[5]
Broadcast
Austin was aired from 9 June 2024 in Australia.[6] The series will be broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom later in 2024.[7]
Episodes
Season 1 (2024)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Aus. viewers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | 9 June 2024 | 806,000[8] | |
Julian Hartswood, a best-selling British children's author who is partway through an Australian book tour with his wife and long-time illustrator Ingrid, wakes up one morning to the shocking revelation that one of his retweets the previous day was from a neo-Nazi influencer, which quickly ruins his own reputation and derails the rest of his tour. After Julian and Ingrid narrowly avoid a public appearance that he unknowingly arranged at a far-right bookstore, their day is further complicated by the sudden arrival of Austin Hogan, an autistic man from Canberra who claims to be Julian's son; Austin's explanation of how he was conceived also upsets Ingrid, who realises that she and Julian were already married when it happened. Julian, trying to keep his life at least partly on track while his publishers manage the fallout from the retweet, reluctantly accepts an invitation to meet Austin's mother and grandfather, although Ingrid insists on coming along so she can learn the truth. | |||||
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | 16 June 2024 | 577,000[9] | |
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | 23 June 2024 | 481,000[10] | |
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | 30 June 2024 | 428,000[11] | |
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5" | 7 July 2024 | 395,000[12] | |
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6" | 14 July 2024 | TBD | |
| 7 | 7 | "Episode 7" | 21 July 2024 | TBD | |
| 8 | 8 | "Episode 8" | 28 July 2024 | TBD | |
Reception
David Knox of TV Tonight wrote of Michael Theo's performance, "The authenticity, warmth and humour that made him so beloved in Love on the Spectrum is on display as the neurodivergent, optimistic son, with the awkward one-liners... Theo nails his scenes alongside more experienced performers, with all the required comic timing".[13] Craig Mathieson of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote, "Austin is not a show about autism. It has an autistic character in one of the lead roles, but the central focus is the father and son connection between Julian and Austin".[14] Anthony Morris of ScreenHub wrote, "Having an extremely predictable story isn't necessarily a bad thing in a comedy."[15] Luke Buckmaster of Guardian Australia wrote "The plotline involving Julian making a documentary about himself gets a tad silly, but even when the story slips a little, the writing and performances never lose their wit and sharpness. Another season, please!"[16]
