Nine, ABC order online series

Phi & Me is a five-part series for YouTube

Australia’s Nine Network and pubcaster ABC Kids have each commissioned online series that are among five projects supported by Screen Australia.

Humdrum Comedy will produce Metro Sexual, an eight-part series for Nine’s 9Go! and streaming platform 9Now. It centres on doctors Stephanie and Langdon, who work at a metropolitan sexual health clinic on the brink of closure due to a government funding cut. Film Victoria and Screen Queensland are co-financing.

Stripy Sock Club is an 18-part series for ABC Kids that features popular children’s entertainment group Lah-Lah. It is produced by Lah-Lah creators Tina Harris and Mark Harris, with financial support from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.

Among the other online projects that are sharing nearly A$800,000 (US$558,000) in funding is Phi & Me, a five-part series for YouTube about 16-year-old Phi Nguyen and her over-the-top ‘tiger mum’ Kim Huong, who is a constant source of embarrassment. The producers are Serena Hunt and Lucinda Bruce.

Meanwhile, Belinda Dean will produce Cloudy River, a six-part series about pansexual artist Emma (aka Cloudy) and her lover River, whose open relationship is put to the test when they move in together. Queer Screen is providing financial support.

Lastly, Deadhouse Dark comprises six short horror films for YouTube and deadhouse.tv, anchored by a woman who orders a ‘mystery box’ from the dark web and then discovers that each item is linked to a macabre real-world headline. The lead producer is Enzo Tedeschi, supported by Screen Queensland.