Multicultural comedy series announced by ABC and Screen Australia

A new ten-part children’s television series has been announced by the ABC, in partnership with Screen Australia and Screen NSW. The comedy-adventure is titled Parent Up, and follows a Sydney-based Korean family, where the young brother and sister long for more excitement in their lives. They quickly discover that their ‘unremarkable parents are actually international spies on a mission’.

The show introduces Hannah Kim and Ocean Lim, who play brother and sister, along with Danny Kim and Julia Yon as the parents. Lulu Quirk, George Holahan-Cantwell, Alex Kis and Eduard Geyl make up an ‘outlandish’ group of friends, and the show also stars Nicholas Hope. 

The local production of a series that predominantly features Asian faces is a welcome sight, especially considering Australia’s growing Korean population. However, the concept of East Asian spies secretly operating in the West might raise a few eyebrows, especially given the current global sociopolitical climate.

Nevertheless, in a press release producers Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford of Aquarius Films expressed their excitement in ‘giving emerging directors Chase Lee and Hyun Lee their first TV credits, working alongside more experienced directors across the series.’

Showrunner Justine Flynn will lead a ‘diverse team of cross-disciplinary creatives’, featuring directors Nicholas Verso, Darlene Johnson, and Neil Sharma in addition to Chase Lee and Hyun Lee.