Tales From Outer Suburbia Set for Magical New Year’s Day Premiere on ABC
Today, ABC announced that Highly Spirited and Flying Bark Productions’ new premium 10-part animated series, Tales From Outer Suburbia, will premiere in Australia on New Years Day 2026, forming a key part of the national broadcaster’s unmissable family viewing lineup this summer.
Hot off its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2025, the highly anticipated show will broadcast on Thursday, 1 January at 6am on ABC iview and Sundays at 7:30pm on ABC Family.
Tales From Outer Suburbia brings to life Shaun Tan’s beloved illustrated book of the same name. The cinematic series follows Klara and her brother Pim as they move to the suburbs with their mum Lucy (Geraldine Hakewill) and find there’s more to their new neighbourhood than meets the eye. As Pim and Klara navigate the quiet mysteries of everyday life, and adventures full of surprising and bizarre encounters, they must learn to support each other as a family and discover where they belong in this ever-changing world.
The show stars celebrated voices from across the world of film, TV and theatre, including Dawn French (Grandma), Geraldine Hakewill (Lucy), Tony Nikolakopoulos (Grandpa), Andrea Solange (Cat), Shabana Azeez (Esme), and Michael Theo (Lorenzo), alongside newcomers Brooklyn Davies (Klara), and Felix Oliver Vergés (Pim).
Flying Bark could not be more proud of the dedication and passion that has gone into the creation of Tales From Outer Suburbia from our talented artists, and can’t wait for audiences across Australia to get swept up in the magic this coming January.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Highly Spirited and Flying Bark Productions production for the ABC and BYUtv. Major production investment from Screen Australia and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation in association with the ABC. Produced in New South Wales and Western Australia with Siamese and financed with support from Screenwest. Adapted from Shaun Tan's multi-award-winning book Tales from Outer Suburbia. Directed by Noel Cleary. Creative Director: Shaun Tan. Producers: Sophie Byrne and Alexia Gates-Foale. Co-producer: Francesca Hope. Executive Producers: Barbara Stephen, Bernadette O’Mahony, Andra Johnson Duke, Francesca Hope, Jeff Simpson, Julia Adams, Karen Vermeulen, Libbie Doherty. Acting Head of ABC’s Children & Family: Mary-Ellen Mullane. International sales by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.