Puberty Blues (TV series)

Puberty Blues
Company type	Television series
Industry	Television
Founded	15 August 2012
Headquarters	Sydney, Australia
Area served	Australia
Products	Television series
Website	tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/puberty-blues

Puberty Blues is a coming-of-age comedy-drama television series from Australia, aired on Network Ten. The show is adapted from the 1979 novel by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey, which also served as the basis for the 1981 film Puberty Blues. Set in Sydney's Sutherland Shire during the late 1970s, the narrative centers on Debbie and Sue, two close-knit teenage friends, along with their families and social circles. The initial eight-episode season premiered on 15 August 2012, followed by a second season that began airing on 5 March 2014.

Production

In January 2012, it was announced that an eight-episode television adaptation of the coming-of-age novel Puberty Blues would be produced in New South Wales. Drawing upon the original 1970s book by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey, the series explores themes of adolescence, gender roles, and sexuality among teenagers living in Cronulla.

Principal photography started in April 2012 at locations across the Sutherland Shire, including Wanda Beach, spanning twelve weeks and concluding on 1 July. The series debuted on 15 August 2012.

On 16 September 2012, producers John Edwards and Imogen Banks announced intentions to develop a second season, with storylines expected to continue from or take place roughly one year after the first. The official Puberty Blues Facebook page confirmed that the follow-up season would air in 2013 on Channel Ten. Filming commenced in May 2013, and the second season premiered in March 2014.

After the bankruptcy of Ten's production division on 8 May 2014, co-producer John Edwards suggested that a third season was probable but could experience delays.

Cast and characters

Principal Cast

Actor	Character	Season
Actor	Character	1	2
Ashleigh Cummings	Template:Sortname	Main
Brenna Harding	Template:Sortname	Main
Claudia Karvan	Template:Sortname	Main
Jeremy Lindsay Taylor	Template:Sortname	Main
Ed Oxenbould	Template:Sortname	Main
Susie Porter	Template:Sortname	Main
Daniel Wyllie	Template:Sortname	Main
Rodger Corser	Template:Sortname	Main
Susan Prior	Template:Sortname	Main
Sean Keenan	Template:Sortname	Main
Isabelle Cornish	Template:Sortname	Main
Charlotte Best	Template:Sortname	Main
Katie Wall	Template:Sortname	Main	Recurring
Reef Ireland	Template:Sortname	Main	Recurring
Dylan Goodearl	Template:Sortname	Main	Recurring
Jonathan Gavin	Template:Sortname	Recurring \| colspan=1 style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;" \|' Main '

Supporting Cast

Tyler Atkins	Template:Sortname	colspan='1' style='background:#fdd; text-align:center;'\|' Recurring '	colspan='1' style='text-align:center;'\|
Jessica Nash	Template:Sortname	colspan='1' style='text-align:center;'\|	colspan='1' style='background:#fdd; text-align:center;'\|' Recurring '
Di Smith	Template:Sortname	colspan='1' style='background:#fdd; text-align:center;'\|' Recurring '	colspan='1' style='text-align:center;'\|
Oscar Redding	Template:Sortname	colspan='1' style='text-align:center;'\|	colspan='1' style='background:#fdd; text-align:center;'\|' Recurring '
Simon Lyndon	Template:Sortname	colspan='1' style='background:#fdd; text-align:center;'\|' Recurring '	colspan='1' style='text-align:center;'\|

Promotion and reception

Before its television debut, Network Ten offered the initial episode exclusively to Facebook followers of the official Puberty Blues page. Graeme Blundell, writing for The Australian, commended the show for its provocative, candid, and at times harsh storytelling, emphasizing its incisive depiction of adolescence as simultaneously nostalgic and unsettlingly relevant.

Craig Mathieson of The Sydney Morning Herald characterized Puberty Blues as a somber and engrossing portrayal of Australia in the late 1970s, remarking on its ambiguous narrative style. His colleague Melinda Houston provided a nuanced critique, praising the series' authentic capture of teenage anticipation and boredom but noting that its pacing did not always suit prime-time viewers. Although she felt that the parental story arcs detracted from the main narrative despite strong acting, she still regarded the production as a "handsome piece" marked by careful attention to design.

Ratings

Season	Number of Episodes	Season Premiere	Season Finale	Highest ViewershipTemplate:Note label	Average ViewershipTemplate:Note label
One	8	15 August 2012	3 October 2012	925,000	747,000
Two	9	5 March 2014	7 May 2014	578,000	508,000

The series premiere attracted an audience of 925,000 viewers, placing ninth in its 8:30 pm time slot.

Season 1

Episode	Title	Original Air Date	Overnight Viewers (millions)	Consolidated Viewers (millions)	Nightly Rank
1-01	"Episode 1"	15 August 2012	0.925	1.043	9
1-02	"Episode 2"	22 August 2012	0.843	1.015	12
1-03	"Episode 3"	29 August 2012	0.751	0.899	12
1-04	"Episode 4"	5 September 2012	0.728	0.870	15
1-05	"Episode 5"	12 September 2012	0.673	0.834	15
1-06	"Episode 6"	19 September 2012	0.696	0.857	16
1-07	"Episode 7"	26 September 2012	0.653	0.793	16
1-08	"Episode 8"	3 October 2012	0.707	0.840	16

Season 2

Episode	Title	Original airdate	Overnight Viewers	Consolidated Viewers	Nightly Rank
2-01	"Episode 9"	5 March 2014	0.538	0.625	17
2-02	"Episode 10"	12 March 2014	0.477	0.590	19
2-03	"Episode 11"	19 March 2014	0.529	0.670	18
2-04	"Episode 12"	26 March 2014	0.517	0.651	17
2-05	"Episode 13"	2 April 2014	0.464	0.588	17
2-06	"Episode 14"	9 April 2014	0.384	0.544	23
2-07	"Episode 15"	16 April 2014	0.556	0.682	14
2-08	"Episode 16"	30 April 2014	0.529	0.674	19
2-09	"Episode 17"	7 May 2014	0.578	0.706	19

Data sourced from OzTAM covering the five metropolitan cities. Overnight figures include live telecasts and recordings from the same evening. Consolidated numbers encompass live broadcasts plus recordings viewed within a week.

Notes

Overnight ratings form the basis for Average Audience and Peak Audience measurements

External links

Official website