The Sonny Disposition, from comedians Simon Taylor and Josh Samuels, follows an ambitious podcast host and his team as they chase success while everything around them starts to unravel.
The series is created by and stars Taylor alongside Samuels, with Sonny Tyler determined to climb the podcast rankings with the help of his chaotic team.
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According to the series logline, Sonny’s pursuit of success comes as his personal life begins to fall apart in the background.
Simon Taylor behind the scenes on The Sonny Disposition, the new Aussie comedy he created and stars in alongside Josh Samuels coming to Stan (image – supplied)
Taylor (pictured above) is best known for his comedy work in the US, having become a writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 24 after being spotted performing stand-up in Los Angeles.
He later became the first Australian comedian to perform stand-up on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with his other credits including Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell and Netflix’s Magic for Humans.
His stand-up special Simon Taylor: Big Time is also currently streaming on Stan, giving audiences a chance to see more of Taylor’s comedy ahead of the new series.
Samuels has also worked across Australian television and comedy, with credits including NZ panel show 7 Days and digital series That Startup Show, before teaming up with Taylor to create The Sonny Disposition.
The project itself has an unusual origin story, beginning when Taylor was given access to a vacant, fully furnished office in Melbourne after the marketing company that had occupied the space came under investigation for fraud.
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What started as a place for Taylor to write quickly became the setting for the series, with Taylor and Samuels developing scenes around the office before writing, casting, filming and editing the pilot in just six weeks.
The project then secured funding for a full season less than a year later.
At the centre of the series is Sonny’s podcast, with the comedy taking aim at podcast fame, creator burnout, audience obsession and the pressure to remain relevant in a world where building a personal brand has become a full-time job.
The supporting cast includes Maddy Tyers (Neighbours, City Homicide, The Elephant Princess, Lego Masters Australia), Claudia Greenstone (Neighbours, Upper Middle Bogan, Seven Types of Ambiguity), Oscar Bruckmann, Desiree Katakis and Stefan Ranaja Weerarathna.
The pickup comes as Stan continues to add locally made comedy to its slate, with the series joining other recent Australian creator-led projects such as Bridey Drake’s Pure Average which premiered on the service earlier this month.
The series has already had an early outing in Melbourne, with an advanced screening held at Theory Bar on 15 July where audiences were shown the first two episodes and given the chance to ask questions of the cast and creators.
TV Blackbox understands The Sonny Disposition will also have a free-to-air run on 9Go! and be available to stream on 9Now at a later date.
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Take a look at the official trailer in the player below.
The Sonny Disposition premieres 19 October on Stan.
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