Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe

Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe is an Australian absurdist sitcom television show on ABC iView, created by and starring the comedy group Aunty Donna and premiering on 12 April 2023.[1] It follows the three main members of Aunty Donna running a trendy cafe in the Melbourne laneways, and is the second television series by the troupe after Netflix's Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun.

Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe
GenreSketch comedy
Created by
Starring
Theme music composerTom Zachariou
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Todd Abbott
  • Thomas Armstrong
  • Mark Samual Bonanno
  • Katherine Dale
  • Broden Kelly
  • Sam Lingham
  • Georgia Mappin
  • Rachel Millar
  • Max Miller
  • Zachary Ruane
Running time23–26 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkABC iView
Original release12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)
Related
Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun (2020)

Cast
  • Mark Bonanno as himself
  • Zach Ruane as himself
  • Broden Kelly as himself
  • Gaby Seow as Stephanie
  • Michelle Brasier as herself, Dame Nellie Melba, and Drew
  • Vidya Rajan as The Nameless One, Thelma, and Jake
  • Mish Wittrup as Dorkoh, Renesme, Eidth Cowan, The Witch, and Karen
  • Sally-Anne Upton as herself
  • Patrick Durnan-Silva as The Blueberry Burglar
  • Nazeem Hussain as Kid Person
  • Pia Miranda as Nic
  • Steven Oliver as himself and The Pied Piper
  • Lena Moon as Dame Mary Gilmore and herself
  • Annie Lumsden as Angela and Mary Reibey
  • Ben Russell as the Health Inspector and Naughts & Crosses Announcer
  • John Marc Desengano as himself
  • Xavier Michelides as Gino
  • Frankie McNair as herself and a police officer
  • Honor Wolff as a grieving widow and Lizzy

Episodes
No.
overall		No. in seasonTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"We Need Cool Customers"Max MillerAunty Donna12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)
22"We Got Burgled!"Max MillerAunty Donna12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)
33"We're Open Til 5pm Today"Max MillerAunty Donna12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)
44"We're Closed (Didn't Pay Rent)"Max MillerAunty Donna12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)
55"We're Getting a Toilet Door"Max MillerAunty Donna12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)
66"We Got a Bad Review :("Max MillerAunty Donna12 March 2023 (2023-03-12)

Production

Aunty Donna had previously created a self-titled half hour pilot for the ABC in 2015 as part of Screen Australia's Fresh Blood Pilot Season initiative, but this pilot was not picked up.[2][3] The series also followed Netflix's Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun, which did not receive a second season, allowing the group to work on Coffee Cafe instead.[2]

During the pitching phase, the ABC asked the group to "dial up" the sitcom element present in the show to involve more workplace comedy. The show was filmed in Docklands Studios Melbourne.[2] Coffee Cafe was announced on August 25, 2022, as Aunty Donna's Untitled Project,[4] and a trailer premiered on March 15, 2023.[5][6]

Release and reception

The series received mixed reviews. The Guardian put forward that the series "isn't their best," but also stated that "much joy comes from their zaniness and unpredictability," and that "even when they’re not brilliant, their shtick still feels fresh."[1] Concrete Playground compared the show to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as well as I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, and stated that its gags [fly] so thick and fast that laughing at one joke or bit of banter usually means drowning out the next with your own chuckles."[7] TV Tonight concluded that "it all makes for an entertaining nonsense, that reminds us why ABC Comedy still leads the genre, backing original voices and risky ideas rather than replicating traditional tropes."[8]

The show received negative attention from right-wing pundits such as Chris Kenny at Sky News Australia, who stated that the show was “uncreative” and “unintelligent” and noted that "it was funded by the taxes that adults like you and I pay."[9]

References
  1. Buckmaster, Luke (11 April 2023). "Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe review – sketch comedy trio scramble for laughs in new show". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  2. Mathieson, Craig (5 April 2023). "'We had to blow up a hamster': Inside Aunty Donna's bonkers ABC comedy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  3. Martin, Josh (11 November 2020). "Aunty Donna: "We got started because we all realised that acting is not a real job"". NME. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  4. Ward, Sarah (24 August 2022). "Aunty Donna Are Coming to Aunty to Star in a New ABC Sitcom Set in a Melbourne Laneway Cafe". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  5. Ward, Sarah (14 March 2023). "'Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe' Will Bring Its Cups of Morning Brown to the ABC in April — and It Has a Trailer". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  6. "'Aunty Donna's Coffee Café' (Trailer)". IF Magazine. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  7. Ward, Sarah (11 April 2023). "Aunty Donna Are Back on Your Screen — and 'Coffee Cafe' Is Your Next Absurdist Comedy Obsession". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  8. Knox, David (11 April 2023). "Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  9. "Aunty Donna's Coffee Café the most 'uncreative' and 'unintelligent' show ever: Chris Kenny". Sky News Australia. 15 May 2023.
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