Emmy Award winner, Hardball returns for a second season, bringing even more laughs, twists and handball rivalry than ever before. An Australian children’s comedy series, Hardball features an all-Aussie and Kiwi multicultural cast and is produced by Northern Pictures, in conjunction with the ACTF, Screen Australia and Create NSW, for ABC ME.
Hardball’s first season aired in 2019 and premiered as the number one kid’s series on the ABC Me app. Created by Matt Zeremes and Guy Edmonds, Hardball is a series which explores diversity and inclusion and shows what a school playground looks like today. One thing is for certain – handball is still a huge part of primary school life.
This season, Zeremes and Edmonds received directing credits, alongside award-winning Director, Darren Ashton. The writing team of Hardball Season 2 included Amy Stewart and Nazeem Hussain with David Hannam as script producer.
Catherine Nebauer, head of scripted at Northern Pictures said: “It was awesome to continue the Hardball journey and once again bring this stellar cast and crew together, as well as some new faces to the series. I didn’t think they could top the first season, but under the competent hand of returning Producer, Joe Weatherstone, I think Season Two is even better. We can’t wait to share this with ABC ME audiences – especially as it launches just in time for the June/July school holidays.”
Hardball’s homegrown charm and laugh-out-loud humour has won numerous awards including the International Emmy Kids Award, the Prix Jeunesse International Award for best fiction program for 7 to 10-year-olds, the Rockie Award for the Best Children & Youth Fiction Series at the Banff World Media Festival in Canada and the NHK Japan Prize for Best Program in the Youth Category.
About Hardball S2
Hardball continues the journey for fish-out-of-water Mikey and his misfit mates as they strive to make Mikey the sweetest-bestest-acest handball champ Western Sydney’s ever seen.
With the end of primary school on the horizon, Mikey and the gang go on an epic adventure to win an even more epic state doubles handball tournament (“Staties”). Life’s skux as. Except for new twin sporting villains, the end of school approaching, and a sweet scholarship opportunity for Mikey that could split up the gang for good.
The end of primary school is a tough time for kids. Everyone’s moving on. Some friendships survive, some don’t; some get the school they want, some miss out. But change doesn’t have to be a bad thing and true friendships will weather any storm.
Hardball Season 2 sends our heroes off into the sunset with the knowledge that no matter where they are, or what they’re doing, they’ll be BBFs forever.
The complete series of Hardball S2 (10 x 30 minute episodes) launches Friday, 25 June at 7.00am on ABC iview and premieres on ABC ME at 4.30pm 25 June, with episodes airing daily. The series will be available ongoing on ABC iview and in the ABC ME app.