The show that helped kick-start Tasmania’s screen renaissance is back for a second season.
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ABC’s Rosehaven, set in a fictional town in Southern Tasmania, captured the hearts of locals and mainlanders alike when it premiered in 2016, becoming the broadcaster’s top-rated comedy program for the year.
Furthermore, it was nominated in the Most Outstanding Comedy Program category at the 2017 Logie Awards and has been picked up by American channel SundanceTV.
Rosehaven tells the story of Daniel McCallum, a thirty-something man who returns to his hometown in Tasmania to act as manager of the family real estate business while his mother recovers from surgery.
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To his surprise, Daniel’s best friend Emma shows up on his doorstep, after her fiance breaks up with her on their Bali honeymoon.
Together, the two friends try to prop up the ailing business, getting themselves into myriad predicaments along the way.
Co-creators and stars Luke McGregor and Celia Pacquola – who starred together in ABC’s satirical comedy series Utopia - also wrote the show, with McGregor drawing on his experience growing up in Tasmania.
On Tuesday, production for season two moved to Longley, as filming for a pivotal scene got underway.
When asked how season two of Rosehaven differed from the first, McGregor joked that “everyone gets killed”.
He said he and Pacquola wanted to have “more fun” this time around.
“We spent so much time last season trying to make the characters real,” McGregor said.
Pacquola said the new season was about “seeing what we can do with [the] characters and the town as a character itself”.
McGregor believed Rosehaven wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t set in Tasmania, while Pacquola described the state as “a sort of mystical place”.
Everyone gets killed.
- Luke McGregor on season two of 'Rosehaven'
“I think it’s beautiful,” she said.
“[And] who wouldn’t want to live in a town where everyone knows each other.”
Launceston actor Jeff Hockey appeared in an episode from season one, playing a “grumpy old neighbour”.
He got the role after responding to an advertisement in The Examiner.
McGregor and Pacquola liked his performance so much that they brought him back for an extended role in season two.
Hockey has worked with the Launceston Players and Three River Theatre and has directed musicals.
He said working on Rosehaven was “a great thrill”.
Hockey said it was “a little bit daunting”, but that the production was “very professional in every area”.
He thought the positive response to the show was due to people recognising the “beauty of the countryside” and the community spirit that came with it.
Costume attachment Lisa Mott, of Burnie, said there was a “Rosehaven look” that the costume department used as a foundation, defined by “brightish colours with a daggy edge”.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the House of Assembly Elise Archer said the Tasmanian government was “proud” to support Rosehaven.
“What better way to sell Tasmania,” Ms Archer said.
“I think Rosehaven has provided another quirky perspective on what Tasmania’s like.
“There’s been a significant contribution from Tasmanians, not only watching the series but wanting to be a part of the series as well.”