WA web series ‘The Legend of Gavin Tanner’ to be turned into half-hour TV pilot for the ABC

Web series The Legend of Gavin Tanner is set to make the leap from YouTube to TV having been commissioned for ABC Comedy Showroom, the network’s brand new prime time comedy pilot season, debuting on ABC TV in 2016.

The half-hour pilot goes into production in Perth today. ABC Comedy Showroom has collected Australia’s top comic talent for six pilots, each the first episode of a brand new sitcom. ABC audiences will be given the opportunity to vote on which they would like to return as full series. The pilot season is a joint initiative with Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria, Screen NSW and ScreenWest.

The Legend of Gavin Tanner pilot is written & directed by Matt Lovkis and Henry Inglis and produced by Lauren Elliott, of Perth-based production company, Mad Kids. The series follows the misadventures of Gavin Tanner (Matt Lovkis), a West Coast Eagles-loving, weed-dealing big mouth who is utterly convinced he’s the biggest legend in Balladeen. The problem is, no-one else agrees. Gavin’s dodgy plans, schemes and boasts are invariably exposed and brought crashing down, causing mayhem for everyone around him.

The pilot will also star returning cast Emily Rose Brennan as Gavin’s girlfriend, Trish and Liam Graham as Gavin’s apprentice, Damo.

“WA’s Mad Kids are one of the most exciting comedy outfits in the country,” said ABC Head of Comedy, Rick Kalowski. “I loved their Legend of Gavin Tanner web series and I can’t wait to see what they do with it as a half hour pilot.”

ScreenWest CEO Ian Booth said they were pleased to have been involved in the development of Mad Kids and Gavin Tanner.

“It’s fantastic that the ABC are now supporting this very funny, original content.” Ian Booth.

If the pilot proves a success and returns as a full series, The Legend of Gavin Tanner will join the likes of Comedy Central hits Broad City, Drunk History and Workaholics, HBO’s High Maintenance and Adult Swim’s Children’s Hospital, as well as ABC series, Soul Mates – all TV series that started out as web series.

“Creating a web series has become a really viable way to break into TV. We’ve been developing and producing web series and digital shorts over the last five years and are so thrilled to be producing our first ever half hour of television for the ABC.” said the Mad Kids team.

Since the web series release in April 2014, Gavin’s YouTube channel has had over 1.3 million views and the character of Gavin Tanner has gained over 4,500 Facebook friends from all over the world.