2022’s most anticipated Australian movies & TV shows (2023)

When Spider-Man: No Way Home stormed to an opening weekend gross of over $26million in December, it finally gave cinema chains and local studio bosses something to smile about.

  • READ MORE: The best Australian films of 2021

The major streamers and free-to-air channels, meanwhile, had a smile plastered over their collective face all 2021 as locked-down audiences sunk further and further into their sofas and greedily absorbed whatever sounds and lights emanated from their TVs.

And looking at the clutch of Australian movies and TV shows slated for 2022, all those grins are only going to grow wider. Here are 10 local productions to get excited about.

Heartbreak High

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Netflix, release date TBC

2022’s most anticipated Australian movies & TV shows (1)

Heartbreak High started life in 1987 as a stage play about a young teacher who falls for one of her 17-year-old students. Six years later it became a movie and then one of Australia’s most iconic teen rom coms, shown in over 70 countries.

So Netflix are wagering that nostalgic, millennial parents and their Gen Z to A offspring will share the joy and pain of Sydney’s Hartley High School’s notably-more-diverse students over the eight new episodes. (Just don’t expect too many sympathetic love stories of teachers and pupils.)

If it’s a hit, it could seriously boost the streamers’ subscription numbers among the ever-fanatical Home and Away audience.

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  • READ MORE: I binge-watched the entire first season of Heartbreak High – and it remains vital Australian television

Barons

ABC, release date TBC

Barons is a new twist on the well-trodden theme of hippy surf drop-outs bonding over wipe-outs. In this eight-part cautionary tale, the wave riders cash in on their little slice of paradise, swapping boardshorts for boardrooms and becoming embittered corporate rivals.

Friendships they swore would last forever are jettisoned in the flotsam as they learn the hard way that the sharks in the business world have sharper teeth than the ones they used to surf alongside.

Shot on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, its impressive cast includes Sean Keenan, Jillian Nguyen, Ben O’Toole, Hunter Page-Lochard, Sophia Forrest, George Pullar, Lincoln Younes and Vivenne Awosoga.

Significant Others

ABC, release date TBC

Between them, the writers of this six-part psychological family potboiler have scripted The Hunting, Mystery Road, Broadchurch, Beautiful People, Glitch and Saving Mr Banks, so expect sparky dialogue and some taut, no-holds-barred exchanges.

In this show, a single mum disappears during her morning swim, leaving two teenagers to piece together what happened. Creator Tommy Murphy has described the show as a “character-driven series with an undertow of intrigue” – a potentially unfortunate choice of expression given the subject matter.

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Murphy cut his teeth in the theatre, but is best known for his pitch perfect screenplay for Timothy Conigrave’s memoir adaptation Holding The Man (2015).

  • READ MORE: The best Australian TV of 2021

The Twelve

Foxtel, release date TBC

Foxtel’s flagship original Aussie production for 2022 is a 10-part courtroom drama with a stellar cast led by Sam Neill and including Brooke Satchwell (Mr Inbetween), Kate Mulvany (Hunters) and Marta Dusseldorp (Wentworth).

A woman is accused of killing a young child and the jury of 12 supposedly ordinary Australians, carrying more emotional baggage between them than the average Dreamliner, must consider all the confusing and contradictory pieces of evidence before deciding which side has the best barrister.

Produced by Warner Bros, it’s an adaptation of the award-winning 2019 Belgian series De Twaalf and already has a clutch of international distribution deals.

Gold

Stan (January 26) and in cinemas (January 13)

If the recent trailer is anything to go by, the real hero of Zac Efron’s outback survival thriller is the make-up artist who transformed the former pretty boy into a cross between Captain Birdseye’s corpse and a homeless sea captain.

Efron’s character is stranded in the brutal Flinders Ranges in South Australia, guarding a gigantic gold nugget and wondering if the man he sent to get excavating equipment (co-writer and director Anthony Hayes) will ever return. Cue a descent into paranoia as real (and imagined) threats slowly engulf him.

6 Festivals

Paramount+, release date TBC

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2022’s most anticipated Australian movies & TV shows (2)

The new(ish) streamer’s first local feature film is an emotional tour ’round six of Australia’s iconic music festivals, as seen through the eyes of three teenage friends, Maxie, James and Summer. Just as they begin their six-month pilgrimage, James is diagnosed with a brain tumour and the music helps them keep reality at bay – albeit fleetingly.

The movie, written and directed by Macario de Souza, gained access to shoot at Groovin The Moo, Lost Paradise, Yours & Owls, The Drop and Big Pineapple, and features a diverse line-up of local acts including G Flip, Alison Wonderland, B Wise, Dune Rats and Peking Duk.

  • READ MORE: G Flip: “There’s no difference between G Flip and Georgia Flipo. They are literally the same person”

Blaze

In cinemas, release expected in late autumn

Archibald Prize-winning painter Del Kathryn Barton makes her feature directorial debut with an intense drama about Blaze (Julia Savage), a teenager who’s rendered catatonic after witnessing a violent rape.

The film, partly inspired by one of Barton’s paintings, mixes live action and stop motion animation to conjure up Zephyr, an enchanted, imaginary dragon who’s been part of Blaze’s life since she was little.

Following her two dazzling short films – an animated interpretation of Oscar Wilde’s The Nightingale and the Rose and Red, a museum installation with Cate Blanchett embodying a redback spider – expect a surreal and confronting mosaic of dreamscapes and kitchen-sink reality.

Elvis

In cinemas, June 24

Tom Hanks was famously one of the first celebrities to catch COVID-19 in 2020 while filming his role as Colonel Tom Parker, manager to Austin Butler’s Elvis, in this biopic. And his suffering didn’t stop there – he’s fully bald in the movie, a look he claimed was “scaring the children”.

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There’s a lot riding on Elvis for Aussie director and co-writer Baz Luhrmann, after the lukewarm responses to his last two efforts, Australia (2008) and The Great Gatsby (2013).

A 21-second teaser trailer of the great man swaggering backstage in a sequined jumpsuit as ‘Suspicious Minds’ plays in the background is all we’ve seen so far.

  • READ MORE: Thor, Elvis and Joe Exotic in Aussiewood: 15 film and TV productions that shot in Australia’s pandemic screen boom

Seriously Red

In cinemas, release date TBC

The first feature from Bridesmaids star Rose Byrne’s Dollhouse Pictures sees disillusioned office worker Red (Krew Boylan, who also wrote the script) leave behind the 9 to 5 to sing ‘9 to 5’ as a Dolly Parton impersonator. She begins a destructive relationship with a Kenny Rogers tribute act (Bobby Cannavale) only to be disowned by her mother, who recoils in horror at Red’s silicon enhancements.

Director Gracie Otto follows up Under the Volcano, her well-received doco on AIR Studio in Monserrat, with what promises to be a colourful empowerment parable about escaping the drudgery to find yourself and become a contented island in the stream.

Transfusion

Stan and in cinemas, release date TBC

The plot of this Stan production sounds like any number of recent Liam Neeson vehicles: a disillusioned special ops vet (Sam Worthington), struggling with the death of his wife, is drawn into the criminal underbelly to save his only son from being taken from him.

And writer/director Matt Nable has previous history with Neeson – they were both candidates for DC supervillain Ra’s al Ghul in Arrow. Neeson had previously played the role in Batman Begins, but ultimately the former Rabbitohs and Sea Eagles player Nable was chosen.

His previous feature writing credit was footy drama The Last Winter (2007), which bombed at the box office despite critical acclaim.

FAQs

What is the number 1 TV show 2022 Australia? ›

Two Australian TV shows, The Block and Home and Away, garnered reader attention this year. According to Nine's latest ratings report The Block has a Total TV audience of 2.664 million. While The Seven Network in its yearly report claims Home and Away as Australia's number one drama.

What TV series is set in Australia 2022? ›

T
  • This Is Your Life (Australian TV series)
  • The Tourist (TV series)
  • The Traitors (Australian TV series)
  • Troppo (TV series)
  • True Colours (Australian TV series)
  • Turn Up The Volume.
  • The Twelve (Australian TV series)

What movies are being filmed in Australia 2022? ›

Filming Location Matching "Sydney, New South Wales, Australia" (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) ...
  • Last King of the Cross (2023– ) ...
  • True Spirit (2023) ...
  • The Matrix (1999) ...
  • The Twelve (2022– ) ...
  • The Great Gatsby (2013) ...
  • Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) ...
  • Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

What should I watch in Australia 2022? ›

  • Better Call Saul (Season 6): streaming now on Stan. ...
  • Stranger Things (Season 4): streaming now on Netflix. ...
  • Only Murders in the Building (Season 2): streaming now on Disney Plus. ...
  • Barry (Season 3): streaming now on Binge. ...
  • Severance: streaming now on Apple TV Plus. ...
  • Andor: streaming now on Disney Plus.
Dec 15, 2022

What is the highest rating TV show in Australia? ›

Top-rated programs
YearProgramRating
20192019 State of Origin series Game I3.23 million
20182018 AFL Grand Final Presentations2.62 million
20172017 AFL Grand Final2.72 million
20162016 AFL Grand Final Presentations3.20 million
17 more rows

Are there any good Australian series on Netflix? ›

Popular on Netflix
  • Wentworth.
  • H2O: Just Add Water.
  • Mako Mermaids: An H2O Adventure.
  • Gymnastics Academy: A Second Chance.
  • The New Legends of Monkey.
  • The InBESTigators.
  • Glitch.
  • The Bureau of Magical Things.

What is the most watched Netflix show in Australia? ›

Weekly Top 10 lists of the most watched TV and films in countries around the world.
...
Top 10 By Country.
#TV in AustraliaWeeks in Top 10
1Outer Banks: Season 32
2Formula 1: Drive to Survive: Season 52
3Sex/Life: Season 21
7 more rows

What is the new Australian TV drama for 2023? ›

Best new Australian TV of 2023: Claremont Murders, Boy Swallows Universe, Strife, Wellmania and more. From gripping dramas and adaptations of beloved books to a highly anticipated true-crime tale, the Aussie TV landscape has never looked brighter.

What should I watch in Australia June 2022? ›

Top Picks: TV
  • Borgen: Power and Glory: season four (June 2) ...
  • Peaky Blinders: season six (June 10) ...
  • God's Favourite Idiot: season one (June 15) ...
  • The Umbrella Academy: season three (June 22) ...
  • Interceptor (June 3) ...
  • Hustle (June 8) ...
  • Spiderhead (June 17)

What is the highest grossing Australian movie 2022? ›

The most successful film at the Australian box office as of March 2022 was Avatar, which to date has generated 115.78 million Australian dollars in revenue.

Will Disney make an Australian movie? ›

Disney has announced its first wave of Australian original content, including scripted dramas, documentaries and lifestyle programming. The nine Aussie originals are slated to launch on Disney+ in 2022 and 2023, and include big names like Deborah Mailman, Rove McManus and Donna Hay.

What is the most watched news in Australia? ›

ABC News

What's hot on Netflix Australia? ›

Popular on NetflixExplore more
  • Wednesday.
  • Sex/Life.
  • You.
  • Outlander.
  • Wrong Side of the Tracks.
  • Stranger Things.
  • Manifest.
  • The Last Kingdom.

What is the most watched series 2022? ›

And it is the streamer's series Stranger Things that takes the gold medal with 52 billion minutes watched in the United States in 2022. The biggest audience since the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw a passion for The Office with 57.1 billion minutes watched of that show in 2020.

What is the biggest royal show in Australia? ›

The Melbourne Royal Show is an agricultural show held at Melbourne Showgrounds every September. It is organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria and has been running since 1848. Each year Melbourne Royal Show attracts attendances of up to half a million people.

What is the longest running Australian TV show? ›

The longest-running drama series on Australian television, Neighbours has over the years faced criticism and praise surrounding the diversity of its cast.

What mystery series is set in Australia? ›

Mystery Road is an Australian television crime mystery series whose first series screened on ABC TV from 3 June 2018. The series is a spin-off from Ivan Sen's feature films Mystery Road and Goldstone, taking place in between the two.

What Netflix series was shot in Sydney? ›

Netflix's latest female-led thriller series, Pieces of Her, not only features Australian actors like Toni Collette and Bella Heathcote, but Australian locations too.

What is the number 1 watched Netflix series? ›

Stranger Things 4

What is the most highly rated series on Netflix? ›

Popular on NetflixExplore more
  • The Walking Dead.
  • Wednesday.
  • Breaking Bad.
  • Sex/Life.
  • Wrong Side of the Tracks.
  • You.
  • Stranger Things.
  • Pasión de Gavilanes.

What should I watch now in Australia? ›

Catch up with the shows everyone seems to be talking about.
  • The Last of Us. Year: 2023. ...
  • The Mandalorian. Year: 2019. ...
  • You. Year: 2018. ...
  • Shrinking. Year: 2023. ...
  • Poker Face. Year: 2023. ...
  • Last King of the Cross. Year: 2023. ...
  • Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Year: 2019. ...
  • Wolf Pack. Year: 2023.
Mar 2, 2023

What to watch on Disney Plus Australia for adults? ›

While entertaining blockbusters might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Disney, the media giant has plenty of TV shows to spare as well.
...
  • Andor. Year: 2022. ...
  • The Bear. Year: 2022. ...
  • Modern Family. ...
  • The Old Man. ...
  • Abbott Elementary. ...
  • Shipwreck Hunters Australia. ...
  • Cars on the Road. ...
  • Only Murders in the Building.
Feb 25, 2023

What is the most watched TV series of all time? ›

10 Highest-Grossing Television Shows of All Time
  1. 1 'The Simpsons' ...
  2. 2 'Friends' ...
  3. 3 'Modern Family' ...
  4. 4 'The Big Bang Theory' ...
  5. 5 'Cheers' ...
  6. 6 'Frasier' ...
  7. 7 'Seinfeld' ...
  8. 8 'Everybody Loves Raymond'
Jan 28, 2023

What is coming to SBS in 2023? ›

In 2023, SBS will showcase the network's biggest ever local commissioned program offering, with distinctive stories Australians won't see anywhere else. More Australian prime-time dramas than ever before: thriller Safe Home, dramedy While the Men Are Away and anthology Erotic Tales.

What is the Australian crime drama on Amazon Prime? ›

The Australian murder mystery series “Troppo” will premiere on Amazon Freevee May 20, as one of the first originals to launch on the newly renamed streaming platform. Based on the novel “Crimson Lake” by Candice Fox, “Troppo” stars Thomas Jane as Ted Conkaffey, an ex-cop accused of a crime that he didn't commit.

What is the Australian TV series Coming of Age? ›

Puberty Blues is an Australian coming-of-age comedy-drama television series broadcast on Network Ten.

What is the best month to travel to Australia? ›

September to November & March to May are best time to visit Australia. Most of the tourists opt for these months to visit Australia. The weather during these seasons is neither too hot nor too cold that makes it perfect to have a walk around Australia.

What is the best time of year to visit Australia? ›

Spring and autumn are among the best times to travel the entire country. International flights to Australia are more affordable than in summer; the weather is warming up (or cooling down from summer highs); and the north, from Broome to Cairns, experiences the dry season, offering perfect travel conditions.

What's coming to Netflix Australia July 2022? ›

Netflix Kids
  • Karma's World: Season 3 (07/07/2022)
  • Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (14/07/2022)
  • My Little Pony: A New Generation: Sing-Along (18/07/2022)
  • StoryBots: Laugh, Learn, Sing: Collection 2: Learn to Read (18/07/2022)
  • Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Season 5 (21/07/2022)
  • Gabby's Dollhouse: Season 5 (25/07/2022)
Jun 28, 2022

What TV show has the highest ratings 2022? ›

Leading the pack: “Yellowstone,” and its Season 4 finale on January 2, 2022. That episode, “Grass on the Streets and Weeds on the Rooftops,” averaged 13.1 million viewers.

What is the most-watched show in 2022? ›

Netflix's smash hit Stranger Things was the most-streamed program of 2022, with viewers tuning in for 52 billion minutes last year as audiences increasingly opted for streaming platforms' original content, according to ratings firm Nielsen.

What is the most-watched TV series 2022? ›

According to Nielsen, a world leader in audience research, data, and analytics, the Netflix blockbuster Stranger Things became the most popular television show in the United States in 2022.

What is the most-watched sport in Australia 2022? ›

1. Rugby League (NRL) National Rugby League is extremely popular in Australia. There are approximately 170,000 registered NRL players in Australia.

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