Ten to air FremantleMedia murder mystery drama Mr & Mrs Murder
Kat Stewart
Shaun Micallef
A new FremantleMedia Australia production is one of four new television dramas receiving support from Screen Australia.
Produced by Andy Walker and Jason Stephens with Stephens executive producing, the 13-part, hour series Mr & Mrs Murder will air on Ten.
A murder mystery series, Mr & Mrs Murder follows Nicole and Charlie, a married couple who run an extreme cleaning business, specialising in crime scenes, solving the crimes before the police.
The synopsis reads “Armed with wit, smarts and the invisibility that cleaning brings, the duo solve the crimes the cops can’t in a murder mystery with a smile.”
Shaun Micallef of Talkin ‘Bout Your Generation and Newstopia co-created the series with Stephens.
Stephens told Encore: “We’ve found a tone that is not absurd at all, its quite grounded and real.”
Stephens said Micallef, who will play Charlie, alongside Kat Stewart of Offspring and Tangle as Nicole, said: “Even though we know him with that Pythonesque humour, he’ll still be acting. People don’t often remember he appeared in The King which I produced. He’s also in Laid at the moment as well as Seachange a while a go.
Though no directors are attached, Stephens said: “”Conversations are still being had. We’re fortunate that we have our lead actors signed up and have attracted creatives around the project.”
An ensemble writing team behind the show includes Marieke Hardy, John Banas and Christine Bartlett, Doug Macleod, Jonathan Gavin, Glen Dolman, Katherine Thomson and John Hugginson.
Production begins late August in Melbourne and will shoot through until Christmas. International sales will be handled by DCD Rights.
Screen Australia has said the $5.6m investment will trigger $32m in production.
The screen agency’s CEO Ruth Harley said: “It’s great to announce such an eclectic slate of television projects today,” So far this financial year we’ve invested in 116 hours of quality Australian adult and children’s television drama gearing up in excess of $100 million worth of production.”
Also announced is House Husbands, a 10-part drama series for Nine, produced by Playmaker Media’s Sue Seeary and Drew Proffitt with directors Geoff Bennett and Shirley Barrett with an ensemble writing team that also includes Mr & Mrs Murder’s Christine Bartlett as well as Leon Ford, Matt Ford, Ellie Beaumont, Michael Miller, Blake Ayshford and Proffitt.
Essential Media & Entertainment’s Ian Collie will produce The Broken Shore, a tele-movie from writer Andrew Wright and director Jeffrey Walker. After a big city detective is posted to a quiet Australian coastal town, a murder to a local philanthropist throws the town into unrest.
The movie will go out on the ABC with eOne/Hopscotch handling international sales.
Lastly, a children’s 26-part series called Get Ace, produced by Galaxy Pop’s Gian Christian and Dina McPherson, with McPherson also writing alongside Ray Boseley and Brendan Luno is the story of nerdy kid, Ace McDougal who accidentally is fitted with a pair of top-secret braces while in a dentist’s chair.
The show will also air on Ten.
topics
FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia Australia
House Husbands
Marieke Hardy
Network Ten
Offspring
Playmaker Media
Ruth Harley
Screen Australia
Shaun Micallef
Would I be right in assuming that House Husbands will be filmed in Sydney?
User ID not verified.
Sounds interesting. Sick of Tangle getting called Tangled though… Tangled is the animated movie.
User ID not verified.
Seems my assumption about a Sydney filming was wrong. Will be filmed in Melbourne.
User ID not verified.
Hi Rachel
Me too, thanks for spotting it. Amended.
Colin
– Mumbrella
Sounds very interesting in deed. Nice to see two or three, in my opinion, truly great writers in the list “behind the team,” and at least one very fine one.
I wish them all the very best.
This is one with real promise by the sounds of things.
User ID not verified.