A Moody Christmas
| A Moody Christmas | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy, Drama |
| Created by | Trent O'Donnell and Phil Lloyd |
| Written by | Trent O'Donnell and Phil Lloyd |
| Directed by | Trent O'Donnell |
| Starring | Ian Meadows, Patrick Brammall, Jane Harber, Danny Adcock, Tina Bursill, Rachel Gordon, Phil Lloyd, Robina Beard, Darren Gilshenan, Guy Edmonds |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jason Burrows and Debbie Lee |
| Producer(s) | Andy Walker (producer), Phil Lloyd (co-producer) |
| Location(s) | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Production company(s) | Jungleboys |
| Distributor | ABC Television, DCD Rights |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC1 |
| Original release | 31 October – 5 December 2012 |
| External links | |
| A Moody Christmas | |
A Moody Christmas is an Australian television comedy series that follows the adventures of Dan Moody who returns home from London to spend each Christmas with his dysfunctional family.[1] It is written and created by Trent O'Donnell and Phil Lloyd at Jungleboys and was directed by Trent O'Donnell. The series was produced by Andy Walker, co-produced by Phil Lloyd, and executive produced by Jason Burrows of Jungleboys and Debbie Lee of ABC Television.[2] The six-part series was first screened on ABC1 in the lead up to Christmas in October, November, and December 2012.[3] Shot largely in Sydney, Australia, each episode runs for half an hour, following the Moody family on Christmas Day over six years.[2]
A second series, The Moodys, began airing on ABC on February 5, 2014.[4] The eight-part series follows the Moody family through a year's worth of celebrations, including Australia Day, Easter, and Bridget's 40th birthday. The second series will air in the United States on Hulu in Spring 2014.[5]
An American version of A Moody Christmas was announced in August 2013; the show has a put pilot commitment to air on FOX.[6]
Cast
- Ian Meadows as Dan Moody
- Patrick Brammall as Sean Moody
- Jane Harber as Cora Benson
- Danny Adcock as Kevin Moody
- Tina Bursill as Maree Moody
- Rachel Gordon as Bridget Quaill
- Phil Lloyd as Roger Quaill
- Robina Beard as Gwen Dawes
- Darren Gilshenan as Terry Moody
- Guy Edmonds as Hayden Roberts
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Separate Seats" | 31 October 2012 |
| After his girlfriend dumps him at the airport, Dan returns home alone to Sydney for Christmas for the first time since moving to London two years ago. Jetlagged, depressed, and without an ally to endure his overbearing family, Dan’s day goes from bad to worse as he’s falsely accused of racism, he’s roped into helping misguided brother Sean rescue a lawnmower, and he gets sick after eating some miscellaneous Russian delicacy made by Uncle Terry’s new wife. If not for meeting his arrogant cousin’s new girlfriend Cora, the day might be a total loss. Meanwhile, Kevin decides to put in a pool, Bridget and Roger announce they are having a baby, and after much pestering from Maree about not doing the lawns in time, Sean decides Christmas Day is the perfect time to steal his lawnmower back – with disastrous results. | ||
| 2 | "Operation Sex Via The Homeless" | 7 November 2012 |
| Dan gets home Christmas Eve to find everyone heading to carols by candlelight to see Terry sing. The event is marred when Terry breaks down on stage over his split with Dashenka. In an effort to have a more meaningful Christmas, Maree drags Dan to a homeless shelter next morning, where she and Cora are volunteering. After reconnecting with Cora following their kiss last year, Dan makes a faux pas with a homeless woman, Linda, whom he subsequently invites to lunch to make amends. Maree’s also invited her friend from work, Chris, in the vain hope her family won’t argue in front of a stranger at lunch. Having set up an air-con business in direct competition with his father’s, Kevin delights in Sean being called out to fix one of the dodgy units he’s installed. Meanwhile Roger and Bridget try to capitalise on Bridget’s ovulation window following her miscarriage earlier in the year. After Dan does Cora a favour by photographing her clothes for her application to a London fashion school, the day ends with the shock discovery that Linda has stolen all their gifts from under the tree. “So much for Christmas spirit”, grumbles Kevin, unaware that they have made Christmas elsewhere for Linda and her pals an unforgettable one as they enjoy the spoils from the Moodys. | ||
| 3 | "Decapod Crustaceans" | 14 November 2012 |
| When Dan lands at the airport with Cora, we quickly realize they’ve secretly been seeing each other since she's broken up with Hayden. They’ll break the news at lunch since Hayden won’t be there this year. But the secrets mount up when Dan learns Bridget and Roger have split. Roger has 'come out' and is now with Chris, Maree’s colleague from Christmas last year. Bridget swears Dan to secrecy – she and Roger are pretending to be together to save face, and achieve Bridget’s adoption plans. While Kevin tries in vain to convince Sean to join the family business, Sean's mate Scott, also there for Christmas, has a crush on Maree. Dan panics when Hayden suddenly shows up but he’s unable to reach Cora. Meanwhile, Hayden and Terry seem haunted by a big night out after his breakup. When Dan lets slip about Bridget and Roger, Kevin sees red and finds Maree trying on lingerie that Scott gave her for Christmas. He has a heart attack just as Cora arrives. At the hospital, Sean promises to come work for Kevin if he pulls through. Meanwhile things are left in limbo for Cora and Dan who decide this isn’t the best time to break their news. | ||
| 4 | "I'm Walt Roskow" | 21 November 2012 |
| Dan is met by his dad at the airport. Kevin wants to walk home since he’s on a health kick. Kevin uses the time to lament how Sean has driven the family business into the ground since joining the company. At home Dan meets Sean’s son, Cooper, the result of Sean’s visit to Peggy’s house to fix her air conditioning two Christmases ago. But Dan seems more preoccupied with the fact Cora looks like she is now back with Hayden, after Dan returned to London for work and she stayed in Australia. Bridget has found a new suitor, Elliot, a smooth-talking cad, twenty years her senior whose deliberately coy innuendos to Kevin severely test his patience. Terry also has a new love interest, Irene, the Russian nurse who cared for Kevin in hospital after his heart attack. He’s almost as proud of her as he is of his new homebrew, rocket-fuel which sees Dan getting quite drunk and bolshie with Hayden and Cora, who are in business together now, with Hayden funding her fashion label. But when Hayden finds a photo of Dan and Cora kissing in London all hell breaks loose, leaving Dan with a bloody nose and more than one relationship in doubt. The day ends with the family sitting back watching a tape of the exposé on Sean from A Current Affair when he was revealed as a dodgy repairman. | ||
| 5 | "Water Under The Bridge" | 28 November 2012 |
| Dan arrives Christmas morning with his confident, precocious new girlfriend, Patience, a model he met through work. Hayden and Cora are back together, and despite Hayden saying last year is ‘water under the bridge’, they are sorely tested when all four end up stuck in a car en route to visit grandma. Meanwhile, Sean’s plans to propose to Peggy are waylaid by Uncle Rhys, who’s on day release from prison and has come to make amends as part of his rehabilitation. Roger arrives and we learn that Bridget is still planning to adopt a child with him. They need to create the façade that they are still a couple and want to document such happy family occasions for their application, despite Maree’s lack of support for it. Rhys gives the family a painting depicting some of his wrongs from the past. It proves to be quite explosive, driving Rhys to snap and stab his own leg with a fork. Back in the car, tensions between Cora, Dan and Hayden rise, not helped when they get to the nursing home to find grandma missing. While Patience causes a stir by doing karaoke for the residents, they embark on a search, during which Cora and Dan make the uneasy decision to just move on and be friends. Dan eventually finds his grandmother at the bowling club nearby. She confesses that sometimes she needs a year off from the Moodys, a sentiment with which Dan can only agree. | ||
| 6 | "Last Minute Airfare" | 5 December 2012 |
| After declaring he won’t be home for Christmas this year, Dan mistakes a text from Cora as a confession she still wants to be with him. He rushes back, only to have Sean work out his mix-up, leaving Dan feeling like an idiot. He gets home to meet Max, Bridget’s 8-year-old adopted son who talks like an adult, and with whom Sean has a weird competitive rivalry. Uncle Terry gets embarrassed when his new date Oksana turns out to be an escort, and Kevin is thrilled to finally unveil the new swimming pool as his Christmas present, only six years after he began. Roger comes to lunch with Chris, and Bridget discovers that despite going to a lot of gay marriage rallies during the year, Roger isn’t sure he wants to get married. Meanwhile, Sean’s new business – ‘Dying High Funeral Fireworks’ causes a stir. Sean takes Dan to Peggy’s house to show him why he should go after Cora – because he’ll miss out like Sean has otherwise, since Peggy is back with her ex, Brian. Dan points out that Peggy used him and told him he was Cooper’s dad when he wasn’t. When Brian puts an axe through the car bonnet, Sean stays to take him on and spurs Dan away to Cora’s house. But in the throes of confessing his feelings, Dan discovers he’s too late – Hayden and Cora are engaged. Gutted, he goes home – and in his anger decides to chop down the banner which has been a painful reminder of his romantic failings for six Christmases. After a rousing guitar duo with Sean for the family, Dan’s day ends sadly with grandma passing away – and falling into the pool. After the funeral, where Sean has packed her ashes into fireworks, we see Dan at the airport once again. And that’s when an unexpected visitor arrives… | ||
Additionally, two composition episodes, Episode 7 Composition: Parts 1-3 and Episode 8 Composition: Parts 4–6, were broadcast on ABC1 on 25 December 2012 and 26 December 2012 respectively. This was effectively an encore screening of the series, in two parts, across Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2012.
Trivia
The Moody house was at 31 Reserve St Denistone (link) It has since been demolished, the land subdivided and two houses built on the site.
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2012/10/airdate-a-moody-christmas.html
- 1 2 "A Moody Christmas". ABC TV. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ↑ http://www.australiancreative.com.au/news/the-jungle-boys
- ↑ "The Moodys". ABC TV. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ↑ "A New Year with Hulu Originals". Hulu. Hulu. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ↑ "Fox Nabs Adaptation Of Australian Comedy 'A Moody Christmas' From Doug Ellin & CBS Studios With Put Pilot Commitment". Deadline.com. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
External links
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