''Retrograde'' is an Australian narrative comedy series which first screened on the
ABC in July 2020. It follows the lives of a group of thirty-something friends as they drown their sorrows at a virtual bar during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...
.
Cast
*
Pallavi Sharda
Pallavi Sharda (born 5 March 1990) is an Australian actress of Indian descent, and a classical Indian Bharathanatyam dancer. Her film credits include Oscar nominated film '' Lion'' (2016), Bollywood films '' Begum Jaan'' (2017) and ''Hawaizaad ...
as Maddie
* Ilai Swindells as Ramsay
*
Maria Angelico
Maria Angelico is an Australian actress, writer and producer from Melbourne, Victoria. Angelico is best known for her portrayal of Julia Bechly in the TV series ''Sisters'' on Network Ten. She is also known for portraying Miss Tan in '' The In ...
as Isabel
*
Esther Hannaford
Esther Hannaford is an Australian singer and actor who has performed major roles in musical theatre in Australia. Her roles include Penny Pingleton in the original Australian cast of ''Hairspray'', for which she received a Helpmann Award, Ann ...
as Sophie
*
Nicholas Boshier as Dylan
*
Max Brown as Rob
Guest cast
*
Ronny Chieng
Ronny Xin Yi Chieng (; born 21 November 1985) is a Malaysian comedian and actor. He is currently a senior correspondent on Comedy Central's ''The Daily Show'' and the creator and star of the ABC Australia sitcom '' Ronny Chieng: International S ...
as Glen
* Shapoor Batliwalla as Dad
* Julian Haig as Hot Alan
* Luxy Mu as Maya
Production
''Retrograde'' is a six part series created by Mark O'Toole & Meg O'Connell and is directed by
Natalie Bailey. The executive producer is Kurt Royan and producers are Meg O'Connell, Dan Lake, and Jackson Lapsley Scott. It is an Unless Pictures & Orange Entertainment Co production for the ABC.
The series was conceived of in the early stages of the
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...
, when O'Connell helped organise a virtual bar similar to the one featured in the show. She and Scott then pitched the idea to Que Minh Luu less than a week later, and the show began production.
The show was shot remotely via a series of
Zoom
Zoom may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Zoom (software), videoconferencing application
* Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display
* Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...
calls between the producers, crew, and actors.
Filming started in mid-June, just three weeks before its 8 July debut.
See also
* ''
At Home Alone Together''
* ''
Connecting...'' - a US sitcom with a similar premise broadcast in the fall of 2020
References
External links
*
Official website
2020 Australian television series debuts
Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming
Australian comedy television series
Television shows about the COVID-19 pandemic
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