The ABC has unveiled its 2027 programming slate at its annual Showcase event in Sydney today, outlining its plans for the year ahead across television, news and audio.
The announcements include new Australian dramas, returning entertainment favourites, documentaries and children’s programming, alongside further additions to the broadcaster’s news and podcast line-up.
New Australian dramas lead the 2027 slate
The ABC’s new scripted line-up includes Rural Crime Unit, an ensemble crime drama starring Rebecca Gibney, Morgana O’Reilly and Philip Lynch, set in a small Australian town where local police investigate regional crimes while confronting a decade-old mystery.
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Other new productions include Pilli Sisters P.I., starring Tasma Walton and Ursula Yovich as Indigenous private investigators, and Help Me!, a darkly comic thriller featuring Kate Box and Sarah Peirse as an estranged mother and daughter drawn into a dangerous search for a missing woman.
The slate also includes John Bailey – The Enemy Within, based on Tim Ayliffe’s bestselling novel and starring David Lyons, David Harewood, Anthony LaPaglia and Yael Stone, alongside Fortitude Valley and The Great White.
ABC talent and presenters gather at the ABC Showcase 2027 event, where the broadcaster unveiled its programming slate for next year (image – ABC
New documentaries examine crime, history and power
The ABC’s 2027 documentary slate includes The Rise and Fall of Alan Jones, examining the career and influence of the broadcaster, and Mark of a Murderer, which follows award-winning journalist Colleen Egan as she investigates a suspected serial killer.
Other new titles include Silenced, featuring women and journalists at the centre of high-profile legal battles, including Brittany Higgins and Amber Heard, and Pray Harder, a three-part true crime series investigating coercive control and abuse within Australian cults.
The line-up also explores Australian history and current affairs, with Alliance examining the relationship between Australia and the United States, while The King in Australia looks at King Charles III’s relationship with the nation.
Mutiny on the Boundary revisits the 1977 Cricket Centenary Test, while Battle on the Waterfront examines the 1988 waterfront workers’ rights dispute. Kumarangk: Sacred Women’s Business explores the legal battle over an Ngarrindjeri women’s sacred site in South Australia.
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The slate also includes Wild Wild Whips, following three families competing for redemption and glory in the world of whip cracking, and Rodeo Dreams, which follows four young Australian bull riders on the road to the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo.
Natural history titles Kingdom of the Crocodile and Terra Futura round out the new documentary offerings, alongside Old People’s Home for Four Year Olds and Family, which will bring parents into the intergenerational experiment for the first time, alongside 10 seniors and 10 four-year-olds.
Returning favourites lead the entertainment line-up
Kitty Flanagan will return for a fourth season of Fisk as previously reported by TV Blackbox, while You Can’t Ask That is set to return to the ABC for the first time in four years.
Race Around The World will also be back, with Zan Rowe and John Safran taking a new group of young Australians across the globe.
Entertainment favourites Hard Quiz, Guy Mont Spelling Bee and Spicks & Specks are returning, alongside new seasons of The Weekly and Gruen.
That Blackfella Show will also return, with Jessica Mauboy back as host, while Urzila and Tonight at the Museum are set for second seasons.
In arts and music, The Piano returns for a third season, with Tim Freedman joining Andrea Lam as a mentor alongside host Amanda Keller. Music program rage will also celebrate its 40th birthday.
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Hunter Page-Lochard stars in the ABC’s new crime drama Fortitude Valley, coming in 2027 (image – ABC)
New programs expand the ABC’s children’s and audio slate
New children’s programming includes Little Lunch: New Class, which introduces a new group of students, and Emma’s Dance Club, a preschool series starring Emma Watkins.
Animated series Happy House and science program Imagine This will also join the line-up, alongside Dirrell Lullaby, a new Indigenous lullaby written and performed by Alice Skye.
On ABC listen, new podcast The Box will follow Griffin Blumer as he confronts a moment from his past, while The People Versus, hosted by Julian Morrow, will help consumers navigate their rights and get a better deal.
A new NRL podcast featuring Josh Mansour, Kennedy Cherrington and Andrew Fifita is also scheduled to launch in February 2027. New investigative podcast ASSASSINS, hosted by Aslan Pahari, will explore some of the world’s most shocking assassinations, while The Dead Can’t Sue will examine the history of legal claims and disputes.
Music announcements include the return of triple j’s Hottest 100, Like A Version and One Night Stand, alongside new Double J video series Straight To Tape and triple j Unearthed series DEMO.
More returning programs confirmed for 2027
The wider slate includes the return of factual favourites Muster Dogs, The Assembly, Back Roads, Australian Story, Four Corners, Gardening Australia and Media Watch, alongside Grand Designs Australia, Grand Designs Transformations, Landline and Kitchen Cabinet.
The ABC will also continue its coverage of major events, including the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, New Year’s Eve, the Australian of the Year Awards, Australia Day Live and ANZAC Day.
Individual premiere dates for the announced programs have not yet been confirmed.
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