ABC, Screen Australia and Film Victoria today announced that filming has begun in Melbourne on Season 2 of comedy series Get Krack!n – created, written, produced by and starring Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan.

Follow-up to ‘The Kates’ now classic webseries The Katering Show, Get Krack!n Season 1– hailed by critics “the finest satire ever put to air on Australian television” [not The Australian Tumbleweeds] – was a breakout hit, continuing the ABC’s long tradition of fostering new talent and leading the way with world class comedy programming. Get Krack!n also enjoyed the youngest audience profile of any main channel show in 2017.

Now the morning show that made you want to go straight back to bed returns with another 8 x 25’ krackpot episodes. Like the cheap shape-wear adorning their bodies, The Kates bring their ill-fitting brand of hosting back to the chirpy, fresh, bright world of brekky TV.

Despite the loss of a sponsor, the incompetence of the crew, the femaleness of the hosts, and a pretty devastating structural fire, it seems Get Krack!n is back for more apocalypse-dodging content. And no-one is more surprised and fatigued by this fact than the show’s hosts, “trained” “actor” Kate McLennan and “personality-challenged” Kate McCartney.

Season 2 will again feature a kracking line up – returning kast includes Nakkiah Lui, Miranda Tapsell, Anne Edmonds, Michelle Lim Davidson, Adam Briggs, Charlotte Nicdao, Ming-Zhu Hii, Wes Snelling and Dave Thornton. Plus katch a smorgasbord of special guest appearances including:  Matt Day, Elaine Crombie, Isaiah Firebrace, John Howard, Genevieve Morris, Michala Banas, Adam Hills, Denise Scott, Zoe Coombs Marr, Angella Dravid, Fiona O’Loughlin, Heidi Arena, Fiona Choi and Justine Clarke.

“We are so eggcited to be back. We can’t wait to be in the studio again, catering to the direct interests of our biggest fans, straight white men aged 18-55″, The Kates said.

ABC Head of Comedy Rick Kalowski said, “Get Krack!n Season 1 drew all four key TV demographics: fans of great satire; young people delighted to learn the ABC existed; angry old guys who just got Facebook; and people who only watch shows that offend them. Get Krack!n Season 2 will give all something to love/find ‘deeply problematic’.”

“The strength and appeal of this satirical series comes from the creative team’s commitment to not only including writers and performers from diverse backgrounds but ensuring that those people have ownership of their stories and experiences,” said Sally Caplan, Head of Production at Screen Australia. “Screen Australia previously supported the team’s online series The Katering Show, and it’s fantastic to see them grow their audience on TV with this new, timely and topical take on morning television.”

Film Victoria CEO Caroline Pitcher said “We welcome ABC’s next exciting installment from Melbourne’s creative all-rounders in Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney. Their unique approach to comedy writing delivers hilarious and unforgettable characters with content that speaks directly to a female audience. We look forward to seeing what the duo has in store for breakfast television this time around.”

Get Krack!n Season 2 will air on ABC TV and iview early in 2019.

Regular readers of this blog will know we’re filing this under good news: while Get Krack!n wasn’t flawless, it was easily one of the comedy highlights of last year and the sharpest scripted ABC comedy series since The Katering Show.

We’re also filing it under surprising news, as – unlike a seemingly endless procession of ABC comedy series that no-one’s excited about – there doesn’t seem to have been any kind of announcement that it was coming back before now. In fact, the Kates seem to have been slightly cautious as far as mentioning exactly what the “new show” they were working on was:

Maybe not the best example there.

So were there behind the scenes ructions? Contracts not signed? Funding issues? The ABC unable to announce a show that wasn’t returning until early 2019 when the ABC itself might not exist in 2019? We have literally zero idea. But we’re still excited that it’s coming back!