IN A boost for local TV production, another of the ABC's flagship shows of 2013 has begun filming. Upper Middle Bogan is the new project from The Librarian creators Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope, an eight-part comedy about two families ''at opposite ends of the freeway''. It stars Glenn Robbins, Robyn Nevin, Annie Maynard, Robyn Malcolm, Patrick Brammall, Michala Banas (pictured) and Lara Robinson. Well into its shoot is The Time of Our Lives, a 13-part contemporary drama about families and relationships starring Claudia Karvan, William McInnes, Justine Clarke, Shane Jacobson and Stephen Curry. It is made by Secret Life of Us creators Amanda Higgs and Judi McCrossin.
Puberty to last longer
DESPITE average ratings for Channel Ten's Puberty Blues - a reflection on the network's woeful overall performance rather than a reflection of the drama's quality, perhaps - producers John Edwards and Imogen Banks are developing scripts for a second season next year. The show drew 673,000 viewers last week. With ratings almost double that, not to mention a massive take-up in catch-up viewing, which delivered a consolidated audience of almost 1.6 million for episode two, Nine's House Husbands also looks likely to be renewed. The show's ensemble cast has been contracted to three seasons, but the network is yet to officially confirm if it will return.
Hot property
FOXTEL has acquired the Australian rights to the new US action drama Chicago Fire. The series stars Australian actor Jesse Spencer. Spencer is best known as a former Neighbours star who landed on his feet in Los Angeles, snagging a role as Dr Robert Chase in the long-running medical drama House. Chicago Fire is produced by the legendary Law & Order executive producer Dick Wolf and also stars Eamonn Walker (Oz) and David Eigenberg (Sex and the City). It launches in the US this week. Foxtel has not set an airdate.
Keep talking, pretty boy
THE second season of the Foxtel talk show Rove LA kicks off on September 30. The first series was a hit for Foxtel in creative terms, securing access to high-profile celebrities, including Hugh Jackman, Justin Timberlake, k.d. lang and Steve Carell. The second series will be filmed at LA's iconic Warner Bros Studios, where Ellen and The Big Bang Theory are based.
WITH GREEN GUIDE WRITERS