More Darby and Joan for Acorn TV

Acorn TV has commissioned a second season of the Australian mystery drama Darby and Joan from CJZ.

The series follows former cop Jack Darby and English nurse Joan Kirkhope as they collide in the Australian outback and become involved in a slew of intriguing mysteries. Season two will see the duo hunt for the one person Darby believes can reveal the truth about his mysterious past.

Emmy nominee Bryan Brown (Boy Swallows Universe, Anyone But You, Cocktail) and Emmy winner Greta Scacchi (Rasputin, War and Peace, Bodies) will reprise their roles as Darby and Joan, respectively.

The series initially launched on Acorn TV in 2022 and has since been released on additional channels in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., Japan, Israel, Eastern Europe and more. It has now been acquired by UKTV in the U.K.; BBC Studios in Benelux; AXN Mystery Channel in Japan; Network 4 in Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic; and Disney Channel in CEE, covering Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. It also aired on Australia’s ABC in January 2024.

Produced by CJZ, Darby and Joan is supported by Screen Queensland’s Screen Finance Program. It was created by Glenys Rowe and Phillip Gwynne. Its writers include Andrew Anastasios, Giula Sandler, Stephen Vagg, Sarah Smith and David Hannam. Acorn Media International is the exclusive international distributor of the series.

“We are delighted at how well Darby and Joan has been received by international broadcasters,” said Vanessa Jordan, head of international sales and acquisitions at Acorn Media International. “Sales in Japan, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Benelux and the U.K. demonstrate that audiences have a strong appetite for light, entertaining, good-quality crime series. The magnificent Australian backdrop frames this charming drama and its likable characters. We are very excited about the arrival of series two and thankful to our partners at CJZ.”

“From its embryonic state some ten years ago, we always believed Darby and Joan would become a favorite crime-solving couple,” said Matt Campbell, CEO of CJZ. “We are so pleased Acorn could see what we were trying to say with the series and have backed it every inch of the way since the pitch.”

Jacqui Feeney, CEO of Screen Queensland, added, “Darby and Joan series two continues uncovering what Queensland is renowned for—our diverse locations, skilled crew and wonderful screen storytelling for global audiences, underpinned by investment from the Queensland Government. We are pleased that the cast and crew get to continue their road trip on this beloved series.”