Before we all gear up for the festive season, Australian television networks have begun announcing their upcoming slate of shows for 2027. One of the first cabs off the rank is the ABC, which revealed all its upcoming series for next year at an event in Sydney on Wednesday afternoon.
Luckily for TV fans, there a plenty of incredible new shows coming to our screens, along with new seasons of TV WEEK Logie-winning classics.
“Without a doubt the ABC is the undisputed leader in sharing Australia’s stories with Australians,” said ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks.
“Australians rely on the ABC to reflect their lives and communities. I’m immensely proud of what we’re delivering for audiences in 2027 and excited by our plans to expand this even further in coming years.”
So, for everything coming to the ABC in 2027, keep on reading!
Table of contents
What new scripted series are premiering on the ABC in 2027?
What shows are returning to the ABC in 2027?
What documentary series are returning to the ABC in 2027?
What new scripted series are premiering on the ABC in 2027?
If you’re a fan of crime shows, make sure to watch original drama Fortitude Valley. Starring Hunter Page-Lochard, Kat Stewart, Nathalie Morris and Rupert Everett, the series follows a decades-old cold cast which suddenly becomes personal.
Then, in Rural Crime Unit, Rebecca Gibney, Morgana O’Reilly and Philip Lynch star in a buddy-cop series about solving unexpected crimes in a rural town.
Pilli Sisters P.I is a drama which follows Marlee and May — played by Tasma Walton and Ursula Yovich — about two semi-famous indigenous sisters who work as private investigators. Using talents gifted to them from their ancestors, the sisters are known around town for their case-solving abilities. But when new leads for the disappearance of their younger brother arise, their endeavours turn somewhat personal.
Kate Box and Sarah Peirse are joining forces in Help Me!, a series about a reluctant mother and daughter who come together to help save a woman in need. Meanwhile Hugo Weaving stars in The Great White as a “brilliant but disgraced” barrister.
What shows are returning to the ABC in 2027?
Great news for Fisk fans! Kitty Flanagan is returning to her TV WEEK Logie-winning role of Helen Tudor-Fisk for a fourth season.
Leon Ford and Celia Pacquola reunite in season two of Dog Park, and Gold Logie winner Sam Pang returns in season two of Ground Up. Also copping a second season are comedies, Urzila, and Tonight and the Museum.
Meanwhile, Return to Paradise is back for a fourth season.
If you love keeping up with the headlines, you’ll be happy to hear that Charlie Pickering returns with The Weekly, and Wil Anderson is back with Australia’s favourite show about all things advertising, Gruen.
The effervescent Jessica Mauboy is returning to host That Blackfella Show, Australia’s first-ever First Nations variety program. Race Around The World will also be receiving a second season featuring the wonderful Xan Rowe and John Safran. And You Can’t Ask That will return after four years off air, asking the questions that many Australians have thought, but wouldn’t dare to ask.
Other returning favourites include I Was Actually There, The Assembly, Muster Dogs, Kitchen Cabinet, Todd Sampson’s Why?, Dr Ann’s Secret Lives, Dr Karl’s How Things Work, Grand Designs Australia, Grand Designs Transformations, Landline, Back Roads, Compass, Offsiders, Gardening Australia and Media Watch.
What documentary series are returning to the ABC in 2027?
In news that has taken the TV WEEK office by storm, Old People’s Home for Four Year Olds and Family is making a return, but this time, with a twist! According to the ABC, the series is pairing 10 seniors with 10 four-year-olds but this time around, their parents are coming along for the ride, too.
Feature documentary Silenced will focus on the stories of women and journalists in the middle of high-profile legal battles, including Brittany Higgins and Amber Heard.
In crime documentary land, Mark of a Murderer will follow journalist Coleen Egan investigating a suspected serial killer while three-part series Pray Harder will follow investigative journalist Richard Baker diving into allegations of coercive control and abuse within Aussie cults.
Other upcoming rural-based titles include Wild Wild Whips, where three families will compete at the National Whip Cracking Championships and Rodeo Dreams which looks into the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo.
If you’re a history buff (who also loves cricket), keep your eye out for Mutiny on the Boundary, which looks back at the 1977 Cricket Centenary Test. If cricket isn’t your thing, The King in Australia looks at King Charles III‘s relationship with the country. Or, there is Battle on the Waterfront, about the 1988 waterfront workers’ rights dispute.
