Puberty Blues (TV series)

{{About|the TV miniseries|the novel|Puberty Blues (novel)|the film|Puberty Blues (film)}}

{{Infobox television

| image = Logo for Puberty Blues.png

| image_size = 250

| caption = Series One opening title card

| genre = Coming-of-age
Comedy-drama
Period drama

| creator = John Edwards, Imogen Banks

| writer = Tony McNamara, Alice Bell, Fiona Seres, Jonathan Gavin, Shyt Henderson-Croft

| starring = Brenna Harding
Claudia Karvan
Dan Wyllie
Jeremy Lindsay Taylor
Ashleigh Cummings
Susan Prior
Sean Keenan
Ed Oxenbould
Katie Wall
Charlotte Best
Isabelle Cornish
Reef Ireland
Dylan Goodearl
Jonathan Gavin
Christian Byers

| theme_music_composer = Paul Hewson

| opentheme = "Are You Old Enough?" by Dragon

| composer = Stephen Rae

| country = Australia

| language = English

| num_series = 2

| num_episodes = 17

| list_episodes = List of Puberty Blues episodes

| executive_producer = Rick Maier
Janeen Faithfull

| producer = Imogen Banks
John Edwards

| editor = Deborah Peart, Geoff Hitchins

| location = Sydney, New South Wales

| cinematography = John Brawley

| camera =

| runtime = 45 minutes

| company = Endemol Australia (Then branded as Southern Star Entertainment)

| network = Network Ten

| first_aired = {{Start date|2012|8|15|df=yes}}

| last_aired = {{end date|2014|5|7|df=y}}

| related = Puberty Blues

}}

Puberty Blues is an Australian coming-of-age comedy-drama television series broadcast on Network Ten. It is based on the 1979 book by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey, which was also the inspiration for the 1981 film Puberty Blues.{{cite web |url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2012/04/top-cast-joins-puberty-blues-on-ten.html |title=Top cast joins Puberty Blues on TEN |date=2 April 2012 |publisher=TV Tonight |access-date=3 September 2012 |archive-date=28 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728012108/https://tvtonight.com.au/2012/04/top-cast-joins-puberty-blues-on-ten.html |url-status=live }} Set during the late 1970s, the series revolves around the family and friends of Debbie and Sue, two inseparable teenage friends who are coming of age in Sydney's Sutherland Shire. The first series of eight episodes began airing from 15 August 2012. A second series was later confirmed and premiered on 5 March 2014.{{cite web | url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2012/10/smart-different-authentic-underpins-ten-in-2013.html | title="Smart, different, authentic" underpins TEN in 2013 | publisher=TV Tonight | date=23 October 2012 | access-date=23 October 2012 | author=Knox, David | archive-date=21 September 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053517/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2012/10/smart-different-authentic-underpins-ten-in-2013.html | url-status=live }}

Production

In January 2012, it was announced an eight-part adaptation of the coming-of-age novel Puberty Blues would be made in New South Wales.{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/holiday-from-hell-debuts-at-sundance/story-e6frg9sx-1226246751737|title=Holiday from hell debuts at Sundance|last=Bodey|first=Michael|date=18 January 2012|work=The Australian|access-date=20 September 2012|archive-date=27 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727171604/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/holiday-from-hell-debuts-at-sundance/story-e6frg9sx-1226246751737|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/star-warns-shows-70s-sexcapades-will-shock/story-e6frfmyi-1226314962426|title=Puberty Blues star Claudia Karvan warns show's '70s sexcapades will shock|date=31 March 2012|publisher=News.com.au|access-date=20 September 2012|archive-date=10 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710000517/http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/star-warns-shows-70s-sexcapades-will-shock/story-e6frfmyi-1226314962426|url-status=live}} The series, based on Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey's 1970s book, focuses on a group of teenagers from Cronulla "as they explore sex and the gender politics of the day."

Filming on the series began in April 2012, with locations mainly around the Sutherland Shire on Wanda Beach. The shoot lasted for twelve weeks and wrapped on 1 July 2012.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/channel-tens-teenage-angst-series-puberty-blues-finishes-filming-with-the-tv-series-to-be-shown-after-the-olympic-games/story-e6frewz0-1226415098586|title=Channel Ten's teenage angst series Puberty Blues finishes filming with the TV series to be shown after the Olympic Games|date=2 July 2012|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=Sydney|access-date=20 September 2012}} Puberty Blues began airing from 15 August 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2012/07/airdate-puberty-blues.html |title=Airdate: Puberty Blues |date=24 July 2012 |publisher=TV Tonight |access-date=3 September 2012 |archive-date=4 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904093536/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2012/07/airdate-puberty-blues.html |url-status=live }}

On 16 September 2012, Debbie Schipp from The Daily Telegraph reported Southern Star producers John Edwards and Imogen Banks were planning a second series of Puberty Blues. Edwards stated "Yes, we are discussing it now. There's a strong chance, and Imogen and I have been in the plotting room and are well into development ourselves. So for those demanding more, we have high hopes we'll deliver." Edwards and Banks revealed the storyline would probably pick up from where series one ended or maybe a year later.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/producer-plotting-return-of-puberty-blues-to-the-screen/story-e6frewyr-1226474882481|title=Producer plotting return of Puberty Blues to the screen|last=Schipp|first=Debbie|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=Sydney|access-date=20 September 2012|archive-date=15 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015105416/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/producer-plotting-return-of-puberty-blues-to-the-screen/story-e6frewyr-1226474882481|url-status=live}}

On 23 October 2012, the official Puberty Blues Facebook page confirmed that there would be a second series of the show premiering in 2013 on the Australian television network; Channel Ten.{{cite web |url=http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=505460789466245&set=a.469750583037266.114008.468117713200553&type=1 |title=Puberty Blues will return for a second series! Get ready for more Pluto Pups, Polly Waffles and pashes in 2013 on Channel Ten! |date=23 October 2012 |work=Network Ten |via=Facebook |access-date=26 December 2012 |archive-date=28 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728012144/https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=505460789466245&set=a.469750583037266.114008.468117713200553&type=1 |url-status=live }} Filming for the second series began in May 2013, and began broadcasting in March 2014.

On 8 May 2014, Ten's production division went bankrupt. Co-producer John Edwards told TV Tonight that a third season of Puberty Blues is likely but may not come immediately.{{cite web |url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2014/05/where-to-for-puberty-blues.html |title=Where to for Puberty Blues? |last1=Knox |first1=David |date=8 May 2014 |website=TV Tonight |access-date=13 July 2014 |archive-date=23 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523052232/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2014/05/where-to-for-puberty-blues.html |url-status=live }}

Cast and characters

Main Cast

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
rowspan="2" style="width:14%;" scope="col"\| Actor ! rowspan="2" style="width:14%;" scope="col"\| Character ! colspan="12" \| Season
scope="col" style="width:5%;" \| 1 ! scope="col" style="width:5%;" \| 2
Ashleigh Cummings \| {{sortname\|Debbie\|Vickers\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Brenna Harding \| {{sortname\|Sue\|Knight\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Claudia Karvan \| {{sortname\|Judy\|Vickers\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Jeremy Lindsay Taylor \| {{sortname\|Martin\|Vickers\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Ed Oxenbould \| {{sortname\|David\|Vickers\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Susie Porter \| {{sortname\|Pam\|Parker\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Daniel Wyllie \| {{sortname\|Roger\|Knight\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Rodger Corser \| {{sortname\|Ferris\|Hennessey\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Susan Prior \| {{sortname\|Yvonne\|Hennessey\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Sean Keenan \| {{sortname\|Gary\|Hennessey\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Isabelle Cornish \| {{sortname\|Vicki	nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Charlotte Best \| {{sortname\|Cheryl\|Hayes\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Katie Wall \| {{sortname\|Lynette\|Hayes\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="1" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main \| colspan="1" style="background:#fdd; text-align:center;"\| Recurring
Reef Ireland \| {{sortname\|Bruce\|Board\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="1" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main \| colspan="1" style="background:#fdd; text-align:center;"\| Recurring
Dylan Goodearl \| {{sortname\|Danny\|Dixon\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="1" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main \| colspan="1" style="background:#fdd; text-align:center;"\| Recurring
Jonathan Gavin \| {{sortname\|Graham	nolink=1}} \| colspan="1" style="background:#fdd; text-align:center;"\| Recurring \| colspan="1" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main
Christian Byers \| {{sortname\|Mark\|"Woody" Woods\|nolink=1}} \| colspan="1" style="background: text-align:center;"\| \| colspan="1" style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"\| Main

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

rowspan="2" style="width:14%;" scope="col"| Actor

! rowspan="2" style="width:14%;" scope="col"| Character

! colspan="12" | Season

scope="col" style="width:5%;" | 1

! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | 2

Ashleigh Cummings

| {{sortname|Debbie|Vickers|nolink=1}}