ABC confirms Gruen will return to TV
After months of speculation as to whether Gruen would return to the ABC’s programming slate, a subtle profile picture change on Facebook has confirmed it will be back on September 13.
Gruen’s Facebook profile picture, updated on Wednesday night
The program – which stars comedian Wil Anderson, PwC’s chief creative officer Russell Howcroft and ex-adman Todd Sampson – has previously been a ratings success for the ABC, with the return of the series in August last year attracting 954,000 metro viewers.
It was one of the most-watched shows of the year for the ABC.
However, at the national broadcaster’s upfronts in November last year, there was no mention of the program, causing speculation as to whether it would return in 2017.
At a further programming update in February, an ABC spokesperson told Mumbrella to “watch this space” as more announcements were coming throughout the year.
Sampson, Anderson and Howcroft will all return to the show, alongside Dee Madigan and new experts.
A press release said: “There will be grandiose language, hastily gathered quotes and just enough information to sound enticing without actually giving anything away.
Yes, the show that unpicks the dark arts of advertising, branding and spin is back for its 9th season and 99th episode.
“The weekly topical series will drive through new marketing terrain – Amazon in Australia, the NBN and any PR disasters unlucky enough to erupt during the course of the season. Gruen will celebrate the good, the bad and the ugly. Plus, The Pitch returns with a whole new slate of impossible briefs and top agencies to battle it out in the Gruen ring,” it said.
ABC’s latest news comes eight months after panellist Sampson announced his departure from the advertising industry, and six months after the announcement he would front a new TV show on the ABC, ‘Todd Sampson’s Life on the Line.’
Gruen will return to the ABC on September 13, at 8:30pm.
