Nowhere Boys
Four boys lost in an alternate reality.
Nowhere Boys is an Australian teen drama fantasy television series created by Tony Ayres, first broadcast on ABC3 on 7 November 2013. The show follows four mismatched teenage boys who find themselves in an alternate reality after a school excursion. It is notable for its blend of fantasy, mystery, and dark magic, and for being renewed across multiple series and a feature-length film.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action
- Adventure
- Fantasy
- Creator
- Tony Ayres
- Theme music
- Cornel Wilczek
- Opening theme
- Nowhere Boys Theme
- Country
- Australia
- Language
- English
- Series
- 4
- Episodes
- 52 (+ 1 film)
Facts from the source article.
Production
On 26 October 2011, Matchbox Pictures and producers of The Slap announced development of a thirteen-part youth drama for the ABC called The Lost Boys, later renamed Nowhere Boys due to copyright reasons. Creator Tony Ayres conceived the idea after learning the ABC sought a series appealing to boys, following the success of Dance Academy. Ayres developed the show with writers including Roger Monk and Craig Irvin, serving as producer and showrunner alongside Beth Frey, with Michael McMahon and Helen Panckhurst as executive producers. Panckhurst left after the first series. The first series was financed by the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Film Victoria, ABC3, and Screen Australia. Filming took place in Melbourne, Victoria from 18 February 2013 to 23 May 2013, with locations including Montmorency and Greensborough. The first four episodes premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2013. On 4 April 2014, Film Victoria funded a second series of thirteen episodes, financed with ABC Television, Film Victoria, and the BBC. Frey returned as producer, McMahon as executive producer, and Ayres took over Panckhurst's role. Filming for series two ran from 7 July 2014 to 17 September 2014 in Melbourne. Rachel Griffiths made her television directorial debut during series two. In November 2015, ABC announced a third series for 2016 with a new cast and characters, replacing the original cast. Filming began in May 2016, with the storyline picking up several years after series two. On 19 June 2017, Film Victoria announced funding for a fourth series of thirteen episodes, with filming starting 25 January 2018.
Reception
Nowhere Boys received generally positive reviews. David Knox of TV Tonight gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it well produced and performed, and noting it was a welcome male-led project after female-skewed shows like Dance Academy. Rebecca Marshall of the Sunshine Coast Daily praised the mix of fantasy, mystery, dark magic, and drama, and commended ABC for giving new actors opportunities. Melinda Houston of The Sydney Morning Herald awarded 3 out of 4 stars, highlighting the talent behind the camera. Myke Bartlett of The Weekly Review described the script as fast and funny for kids, with cleverness for mature viewers, and called it a reason to watch ABC3. Luke Buckmaster of Crikey found the first four episodes addictive for both adults and adolescents, calling it pacey yoof-tainment with a compelling premise. Dianne Butler of News.com.au enjoyed the first episode, calling it funny and kind of disturbing.
Release
Nowhere Boys is sold in Australia and New Zealand by the Australian Children's Television Foundation. The first series premiered on ABC3 on 7 November 2013, airing Thursday nights at 6:30 pm, ending 30 January 2014. The second series moved to Sunday nights at the same time, premiering simultaneously on ABC, ABC3, and ABC iview on 23 November 2014 with a double episode. A special one-off mini episode bridging episodes six to seven of series two aired during ABC's New Year's Eve special on 31 December 2014. Internationally, NBCUniversal handles sales. On 28 April 2014, the BBC acquired the show for CBBC in the United Kingdom, also pre-buying series two; it premiered on CBBC on 1 September 2014. In Canada, episodes began screening on the Family Channel in October 2015. In the US, the show was part of the starting lineup for Universal Kids, which launched on 9 September 2017.
Other media
The first series DVD was released in Australia on 5 February 2014, six days after the series one finale. The second series DVD followed on 4 March 2015, and the third series DVD on 1 March 2017. An interactive online game, Nowhere Boys: The 5th Boy, was created by Matchbox Pictures and built by Millipede, released on the ABC3 website on 7 November 2013. Players took on the persona of a fifth nowhere boy lost in a strange world, with platforms intertwined so that passing objects through dimensions in the game caused them to appear in the television series, aiding the characters. On 23 December 2014, Screen Australia funded a movie initially titled Nowhere Boys: The Rise of the Bear, later changed to Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows. The 80-minute feature was directed by David Caesar and written by Tony Ayres, Rhys Graham, and Craig Irvin, produced by Beth Frey and executive produced by Ayres and Michael McMahon. The story picks up a year after the boys crossed dimensions and battled the restoring demon; they reunite when Felix discovers a magically sealed Book of Shadows that releases a powerful force of chaos. The film featured returning cast members Dougie Baldwin, Joel Lok, Rahart Adams, Matt Testro, Sean Rees-Wemyss, Darci McDonald, Michala Banas, Victoria Thaine, Ben Keller, Tamala Shelton, and Michelle Gerster, with Angourie Rice joining. Filming began in Melbourne in July 2015, screening in selected Australian theatres on 1 January 2016, and premiering on ABC3 on 6 March 2016.
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