Love Me pair Hugo Weaving and Heather Mitchell are reuniting in a new romance drama from Roadshow Rough Diamond, set to premiere on Paramount+ next year.
Dalliance, currently in pre-production, follows Billy (Weaving), a former cameraman who meets Dani (Mitchell) on a Sydney Harbor ferry where worlds collide.
As the plot suggests, the appeal is clear, and if Billy were not happily married to his wife of 40 years, Rose (Georgie Parker), the writing would be on the wall. However, everything changes when Billy dies of a sudden heart attack while with Dani. Billy’s untimely death has far-reaching effects, with close relationships being forged and broken within the group, as the friends reunite at Billy’s wake and each find a way to move on. The cast also includes Noah Taylor and Wayne Blair.
Mitchell will serve as executive producer along with Roadshow Rough Diamond’s John Edwards and Dan Edwards, and Pip Carmel will serve as lead writer.
It is one of two romantic dramas in Paramount+’s 2026 lineup that premiered Thursday on the Gold Coast, the other being Hoodlum Entertainment’s “Two Years Later,” which premiered in July.
The series, created by Pete Bridges, stars Brenton Thwaites and Phoebe Tonkin as two 30-somethings who meet again two years later when their daily flirtation on the way to work is abruptly cut short by COVID-19. It was filmed in Queensland and is currently in post-production.
Speaking to IF ahead of the presentation, Paramount ANZ vice president of content Tamara Simoneau highlighted the multi-generational appeal of both Dalliance and Two Years Later.
“There are a lot of young people who grew up watching Phoebe swim with her mermaid tail. They’ll want to see that to see Phoebe,” she said.
“That way, other middle-aged people will see it because they can relate to it in terms of finding a spark somewhere, but with COVID-19, everything has been disrupted.
“Dalliance is really spicy. It stars an iconic Australian that we all know and have probably never seen like this before. I describe the series as a cross between The Secret Life of Us and 60s-era Melrose Place. I don’t think that’s ever been done before, so I think it’s going to create a lot of buzz.”
The streaming service will also feature the third season of Helium Pictures’ crime drama The Last King of the Cross (details to be announced soon) and the second season of reality series Aussie Shores.
Thursday’s Upfront centered around the return of Big Brother, with Paramount ANZ announcing the 2026 schedule for Paramount+ and Network 10 from within the new Dreamworld house. This is the first time the show has returned there since 2014. Hosted by Mel Tracina, the latest season premieres this Sunday, the 10th.
Phoebe Tonkin and Brenton Thwaites.
Among the new titles coming to Network 10 next year is The Animal Sanctuary, an obdoc series that takes viewers to Tasmania’s Bonoron Wildlife Sanctuary to share the experiences of a young family who take on the task of carrying out an island-wide wildlife rescue operation. Orange Entertainment Co. is producing with international co-production partners Campfire Studios and Copperpot Pictures.
The rescue mission is also part of a similar obdoc series, Sydney Harbor Cops, produced by Beyond Productions, which depicts police officers embarking on underwater search and rescue missions and confronting criminals head-on as they navigate the waters of the port city.
Simoneau said the series was designed to be in the same vein as the network’s previous successes, Ambulance Australia and Bondi Rescue, and was set in a backdrop with the potential to attract an international audience.
“It’s a priority to focus on internationally usable and internationally popular content that truly showcases Sydney and the work of these incredible frontline workers.”
“We’re going all over the place, going to the beach, going to Westfield, just hanging out, and we have no idea what’s going on in Sydney Harbour. There’s all sorts of drug raids on boats and weird and wonderful things going on, and they’re really surprising, but I think they’re fun to watch. It’s educational.”
Former Australian Survivor contestant David Gennat will take over as host of the long-running reality series from Jonathan LaPaglia on October 10 next year, with some programs set to be renewed. Rebecca Gibney previously fronted quiz show Millionaire Hot Seat, hosted by Eddie McGuire. Gretel Killeen was announced to be joining the third season of the reality show The Traitors, which was announced in September.
Tamara Simoneau
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, MasterChef Australia, The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition, Have You Been Paying Attendance?, Sam Pang Tonight, The Cheap Seats, Taskmaster Australia, Deal Or No Deal, Gogglebox Australia, David Attenborough’s Parenthood, Selling Houses Australia, Airport 24/7, The Graham Norton Show, Love It Or List It Australia concludes the network’s return.
From overseas, we’ll have 10 new episodes of NCIS, Watson, Elsbeth and Matlock, and Paramount+ will be showing the limited series ‘Unspeakable: The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey,’ the sci-fi episode ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,’ and four new additions to Taylor Sheridan’s television universe: ‘The Marshalls,’ ‘Dutton Ranch,’ ‘Madison,’ and ‘Nora King.’
Last month, it was revealed that Yellowstone creator Sheridan was leaving Paramount for a new film and television deal with NBC Universal, one of the most high-profile moves since the Paramount-Skydance merger was completed in August.
New CEO and Chairman David Ellison has also begun transforming the company’s TV, film, streaming and corporate divisions, announcing about 1,000 layoffs last week, most of them American employees, Variety reported.
On the question of where Paramount ANZ fits into the new mandate, Simoneau said “all systems are moving full steam ahead.”
“We know what we’re doing here in Australia,” she said.
“We’re filling our schedule with the return of hits and the revitalization of old shows with new hosts.”
