Stan Lines Up Original Dramedy from Matt Okine

Production has kicked off on the Stan original comedy/drama series The Other Guy, which is penned by and stars Aussie comedian Matt Okine and is due to debut exclusively on the streaming service later this year.

Based on Okine’s own experiences, The Other Guy is co-written with Becky Lucas (Please Like Me) and Greg Waters (Soul Mates). The 6×30-minute show is about a radio host who starts dating again after discovering that his long-term girlfriend has been cheating on him with his best friend. Starring alongside Okine are Harriet Dyer (No Activity), Valene Kane (The Fall), Magda Szubanski (Kath & Kim) and Christiaan van Vuuren (Soul Mates), among others. The series is being filmed on location in Sydney.

The Other Guy is directed by Kacie Anning (Fragments of Friday) and produced by Aquarius Films (Lion) and Entertainment One (eOne), which will also serve as international distributor. Production investment funding has been received from Screen Australia in association with Screen NSW.

Nick Forward, Stan’s chief content officer, said: “The Other Guy demonstrates Stan’s ongoing commitment to creating fresh, engaging local content you won’t find anywhere else, showcasing the wealth of talent we have in Australia. Matt is one of the country’s most in-demand comedians and we’re delighted to have Kacie Anning on board—she’s undoubtedly one of the most talented young directors coming out of Australia.”

Angie Fielder, Polly Staniford and Cecilia Ritchie, producers from Aquarius Films, noted: “We are absolutely thrilled to be collaborating with Matt on his first foray into narrative TV. Co-written by brilliant stand-up comic Becky Lucas, The Other Guy is a comedy series full of humor and heart that reminds us that breaking up is hard to do, and it can be funny too. We are also delighted to be working with very talented director Kacie Anning and such a wonderful cast.”

Jude Troy, executive producer and executive VP of TV development and acquisitions for Australia and New Zealand at eOne, remarked: “eOne is thrilled to partner with Stan and the teams at Aquarius, Screen Australia and Screen NSW on The Other Guy and are also honored to represent the series on an international basis. Together, we have assembled a really exciting team to support Matt, Becky and Kacie in bringing this show to life.”

Mike Cowap, investment manager for multiplatform at Screen Australia, stated: “The Other Guy is an incredible career opportunity for exciting new talents Matt Okine and Kacie Anning to collaborate with this group of highly experienced producers and showcase their comedic voice on a premier platform. For our third partnership with Stan on a piece of original Australian content, we couldn’t be prouder to support this show.”

Michael Brealey, CEO of Create NSW, added: “The Other Guy brings together an exciting group of talented NSW screen creatives to produce a highly engaging, original series. We are particularly delighted to support a project which sees one of the newer content players, Stan, investing in local talent and ideas.”