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Austin
Austin is an Australian comedy series on ABC TV, which premiered on 9 June 2024.

Summary and production
The series was filmed in Canberra starting in November 2023 and in England and produced by Northern Pictures and Lincoln Pictures. The series is eight parts long and supported by the ACT Government, Screen Australia, ITV Studios and Screen Canberra. Michael Theo, a neurodivergent contestant on reality series Love on the Spectrum debuts in acting as the titular character Austin. Austin also stars Australian and British actors Ben Miller as Julian, Sally Phillips as Ingrid, Gia Carides as Austin's mother and Roy Billing as Austin's grandfather. The series' plot is "When much-loved children's author Julian Hartswood inadvertently causes a social media storm, his career and that of his illustrator wife Ingrid appears to be over. "That is until Austin, the neurodivergent son that Julian never knew existed, turns up out of the blue. "Could embracing this modern nuclear family be Julian's route back from cancellation? Will Ingrid forgive him for being such a pompous shit? "One thing is for certain: if Julian thinks Austin is going to be a pushover, he's in for a rude awakening".

International broadcast
Internationally, Austin will be broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom, later in 2024.

Reception
David Knox of TV Tonight wrote, "Anchoring a scripted series around breakout Love on the Spectrum star Michael Theo is both bold and inspired. Despite having only an acting cameo in kids' series Hardball, Theo nails his scenes alongside more experienced performers, with all the required comic timing. The authenticity, warmth and humour that made him so beloved in Love on the Spectrum is on display as the neurodivergent, optimistic son, with the awkward one-liners." "Added to the cast are Gia Carides, in a rare screen return as Austin's mother Mel, alongside Bill (Roy Billing) as Austin’s laconic, football-loving grandfather". In a 2024 review, Craig Mathieson of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote, "But when the depiction is ill-judged, it’s particularly jarring, even offensive. Thankfully, this eight-episode series is well conceived and consistently amusing." At a cursed Canberra book signing post-online uproar, the one attendee is Austin, a 28-year-old forklift driver with ample evidence that the unaware Julian is his long-lost father." "Austin is not a show about autism. It has an autistic character in one of the lead roles, but the central focus is the father and son connection between Julian and Austin."