''Why Are You Like This'' is an Australian television comedy series that first screened on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

in 2018. It follows the adventures of best friends Penny and Mia, as well as Penny's housemate Austin. They are in their early 20s and socially conscious, and navigate the uncertainties of emerging adulthood. The series was written by Naomi Higgins, Humyara Mahbub, Mark Bonanno, with additional writing by Vidya Rajan,

Michelle Brasier Michelle Brasier is a Melbourne-based comedian, singer, writer and actor. She is known for her work with Aunty Donna, her live shows, and performing in comedy duo Double Denim with Laura Frew. Early life Brasier grew up in Wagga Wagga. In 200 ...

and Laura Davis.

Production

First series

The series began as part of the comedy

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...

Fresh Blood ''Fresh Blood'' is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Steve Swindells. The album was originally released in late 1980 on the label Atco. The album was Swindells' first solo album following his departure from Hawkwind, due t ...

'' which screened in 2018. It was one of four new comedies screened in the series, which were seen as potential pilots for a full TV series. In September 2019, the show was picked up ABC. It premiered on 16 February 2021 on

ABC TV Plus ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment pr ...

, with a repeat on ABC TV the following night. The series is set in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. ''Marie Claire Australia'' writer Courtney Thompson describes the three main characters as being " very online".

Cast

Main cast

* Naomi Higgins as Penny * Olivia Junkeer as Mia * Wil King as Austin

Recurring cast

Lawrence Leung Lawrence Leung (born 25 August 1977) is an Australian comedian, writer, director and actor from Melbourne. He is best known for his television series ''Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure'' based his one-man shows on stories about his obs ...

as Daniel * Shabana Azeez as Samara * Rik Brown as Richard *

Roz Hammond Rosalind Hammond, often credited as Ros or Roz, is an Australian actress and writer with an extensive career in theatre, film and television. Career Hammond's television appearances include the role of Claudia in the award-winning drama '' The ...

as Julie

Guest cast

Lara Robinson Lara Robinson (born 1 January 1998) is an Australian actress who has appeared in films, television series, and theatre productions. Career Robinson has appeared in a remake of a 1978 Australian thriller ''Long Weekend'' starring Claudia Karvan ...

as Maddie * Steve Mouzakis as Charles * Tharanya Tharan as Nabonita * Aadhya Wijegoonawardena as Munia *

as Sandi * Dailin Gabrielle as Amira * Darcy Brown as Benjamin * Henry Torres as John *

Ra Chapman Ra Chapman is a Korean-born Australian film, television and theatre actress and playwright. She appeared in ''Wentworth'' as Kim Chang. born on 8 January 1985 Biography Chapman was born in South Korea South Korea, officially the Repub ...

as Alma Chen *

Rhys Nicholson Rhys Nicholson (born 22 April 1990) is an Australian comedian and known for being a judge on '' RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under'' from 2021 onwards. Career In 2014, Nicholson featured in the ABC documentary ''GayCrashers'', alongside Joel Creas ...

as Emcee

Episodes

Series 1

Reception

Awards and accolades

In 2021, Naomi Higgins, Humyara Mahbub and Mark Bonanno won the Comedy - Situation or Narrative category at the 54th Annual

AWGIE Awards The AWGIE Awards is an annual awards ceremony conducted by the Australian Writers' Guild, for excellence in screen, television, stage and radio writing. The awards began in 1967. The awards are judged by over 50 writers, most of whom are previou ...

for their writing on the series.

References

External links

Official website
* * {{Authority control Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming 2010s Australian comedy television series 2020s Australian comedy television series 2018 Australian television series debuts 2021 Australian television series debuts English-language television shows