This article was originally published last August. It’s been updated with new information.
Here’s some news that’ll make you spit out your morning brown: Aunty Donna’s Coffee Café, the new sitcom starring Broden Kelly, Zachary Ruane, and Mark Bonanno (collectively known as the Aunty Donna Boys), has premiered on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). But you may not be able to access it if you live outside of Australia.
According to ABC, “this unpredictable comedy follows the story of three best friends running a trendy cafe down one of Melbourne’s less-than-iconic laneways.”
The new sitcom is a departure from their 2020 Netflix series, Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun, which was a sketch comedy show revolving around three housemates living in Los Angeles. In the Netflix series, Broden, Zach, and Mark had various adventures like searching for pirate booty, competing in the ‘Lympics, evicting their dishwasher, and performing lots of deliciously ear-wormy songs that got many a Netflix subscriber through the slog of Covid Year 1. The show also enjoyed a smattering of guest stars, including Kristin Schaal (she played the dishwasher), Ed Helms (who, it turns out, was actually named Egg Helms this whole time), Sarah Burns, and Kia Stevens, a.k.a. Awesome Kong.
Like so many other obscure Netflix treasures, Aunty Donna never got a season 2 renewal, and the trio headed back to Australia. Although the series didn’t get a lot of attention from critics, those who did see it loved it, earning the show a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.
Now the bad news: the series is streaming on ABC iview, but due to regional restrictions, the show isn’t available here in the U.S. Some corners of the internet suggest using a VPN to connect to an Australian server, but if that’s beyond your technical know-how, you’re out of luck for now.
But don’t give up hope! It’s still possible that other streaming platforms will pick up the new series for overseas audiences. Netflix, want to do the right thing by Aunty Donna and stream their new show in the States? If you don’t, I’ll tear down the poster of you on my wall and then cry about it.
(featured image: Netflix)
