User:Scoglio/Morningshines

Morningshines is a six-part Australian comedy series first airing on Channel 31 Melbourne in August 2010. Written and hosted by Michael De Robbio and Stephen Scoglio, known on the show as Mike and Steve, it also regularly featured Daniel Cowan as the manic 'Cameraman Dan' as well as a long list of regulars playing various other characters.

Independently produced by Scoglio, De Robbio and Cowan, and filmed between June 2009 and August 2010, the program debuted on August 6, 2010, in the time slot of 10pm Fridays, after a public screening a week earlier of episode two which was met with positive acclaim.

The show was presented as a breakfast television program in the vein of Sunrise but screened at night, parodying the forced banter, interviews, advertorials and segments of a morning show. The "morning show for nights" premise was a loose format for what was essentially a sketch comedy show featuring strange vignettes and absurdist humor. The show was notable for its use of special effects and its high production values, which is generally uncommon for Community Television in Australia.

Scoglio and De Robbio are openly influenced by comedians Tim & Eric, Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris and combine different elements of each's humor into their sketches. After airing in August 2010 Morningshines gained a cult following despite negative reviews with a large internet following born from a year long campaign of promotional viral videos and a large social networking presence.

On September 3, 2010, "Mike", "Steve" and "Cameraman Dan" appeared live on Channel 31 Melbourne's premiere arts and entertainment program The Wrap Live to promote their penultimate episode with Mike & Steve having their faces painted on live television.