The Letdown

The Letdown is an Australian television comedy series first screened on the ABC in 2016. It follows the adventures of Audrey, including her struggles as a new mum in an oddball mothers' group. She navigates the steep learning curve of motherhood, deals with sleeplessness, shifting relationship dynamics, her issues with her own mother, and her partner's career ambitions.[1]

The Letdown
GenreComedy
Created by
Written by
Directed byTrent O'Donnell
Country of originAustralia
No. of series2
Production
Executive producers
Production companyGiant Dwarf Pty Ltd
Release
Original network

The title is a play on the word letdown, which refers to the let-down reflex in breastfeeding, but is also a colloquialism for disappointment, both of which are key elements of Audrey's story.[2]

Series 2 of The Letdown began airing from 29 May 2019.[3]

Production

First series

The series began as part of the comedy anthology series Comedy Showroom which screened on 4 May 2016. It was one of six new comedies screened in the series, which were seen as potential pilots for a full TV series.[4]

In June 2017, the show was picked up to series by ABC, with Netflix as a co-producer.[5] The series premiered on 25 October 2017 on ABC.[6] The series premiered internationally on Netflix on 21 April 2018.

Second series

A second series was produced and released in 2019.[7]

In the second series, Audrey's daughter is a one-year-old toddler and her partner Jeremy is living and working in Adelaide.[8] Audrey and her friends continue to struggle with parenthood into the toddler years. At the end of the first series, Audrey discovers that she's unexpectedly pregnant.

As the second series goes on, we learn that Audrey had an abortion because she and Jeremy were not ready for a second child and because her clinician told her that a second pregnancy might rupture her uterus. Audrey tells her aloof, artsy mum about the abortion and finds out that her mum also had an abortion. During the last episode, she shares her abortion with her clinician and with her mothers' group, all of whom are supportive. Ester, a member of the mothers' group, also shares that she had an abortion when she was younger.

Cast

Main

Guest cast

Awards

Series 1 won an AACTA Award for Best TV Comedy Program in 2018. The Pilot Episode won the AACTA Award for Best Television Screenplay in 2016.[7]

Episodes
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
174 May 2016 (2016-05-04)6 December 2017 (2017-12-06)
2629 May 2019 (2019-05-29)3 July 2019 (2019-07-03)

Series 1 (2016-2017)
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateAustralia viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"Trent O'DonnellSarah Scheller & Alison Bell4 May 2016 (2016-05-04)N/A
22"Frankenstein"Trent O'DonnellSarah Scheller & Alison Bell1 November 2017 (2017-11-01)424,000[9]
33"Genealogy"Trent O'DonnellSarah Scheller & Alison Bell8 November 2017 (2017-11-08)455,000[10]
44"Trivial Pursuits"Trent O'DonnellSarah Scheller & Alison Bell15 November 2017 (2017-11-15)N/A
55"Super Mum"Trent O'DonnellSarah Scheller & Alison Bell22 November 2017 (2017-11-22)474,000[11]
66"Mother Nature"Trent O'DonnellSarah Scheller & Alison Bell29 November 2017 (2017-11-29)N/A
77"Matrescence"Trent O'DonnellSarah Scheller & Alison Bell6 December 2017 (2017-12-06)N/A

Series 2 (2019)
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [12]Australia viewers
(millions)
81"One"Amanda BrotchieSarah Scheller & Alison Bell29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)N/A
92"The Dilemma"Sarah Scheller & Alison BellSarah Scheller & Alison Bell5 June 2019 (2019-06-05)N/A
103"He's a Girl"Trent O'DonnellSarah Scheller & Alison Bell12 June 2019 (2019-06-12)N/A
114"Heavy Heart"Trent O'DonnellSarah Scheller & Alison Bell19 June 2019 (2019-06-19)N/A
125"Rat Park"Amanda BrotchieSarah Scheller & Alison Bell26 June 2019 (2019-06-26)N/A
136"Shameless"Trent O'DonnellSarah Scheller & Alison Bell3 July 2019 (2019-07-03)N/A

References
  1. "Cameras roll on The Letdown series for ABC, Netflix". 16 June 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  2. "'The Letdown' Star Alison Bell On Why A Sense Of Humor Is Crucial To Surviving Motherhood". Romper. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  3. https://iview.abc.net.au/show/letdown
  4. "Airdate: Comedy Showroom". 29 March 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  5. "Netflix, Australian Broadcasting Corp. Partner on Comedy Series 'The Letdown'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  6. "Returning: The Letdown". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  7. "The Letdown's Alison Bell on the 'normal' side effects of motherhood". The New Daily. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  8. "The Letdown's Alison Bell: "No one's stories are safe with us"". Who Magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  9. Knox, David (19 November 2017). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 1 November 2017". TV Tonight. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  10. Knox, David (19 November 2017). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 8 November 2017". TV Tonight. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  11. Knox, David (3 December 2017). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 22 November 2017". TV Tonight. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  12. "The Letdown Listings". Next Episode. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
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