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The 'Puberty Blues' series is a TV-drama broadcasting on Network Ten. It is an Australian based series. It follows the lines of the book put out in 1979 by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette. This book also served as the inspiration for the movie 'Puberty Blues' that came out in 1981.
The setting is the late 70's with the story revolving around friends and family of Debbie and Sue. They were inseparable friends and teenagers who were experiencing their 'coming of age' chaotic processes. There were 8 episodes in the first series that started airing on August 15th of 2012. There is a second series already confirmed.
Puberty Blues is focused on a very pro-feminist biography that also bears the name of Puberty Blues. It was the catalyst for the writing careers of both Gabrielle and Kathy. It was published in 1979 by McPhee Gribble.
These two writers portray themselves very candidly. At the age of 13 they recount the struggles and horrors of being a 'coming of age' teenager and living in the beachside suburbs of Sydney, and close to Cronulla back in the 70's. Just as in the book the story is racy, confrontational, and sometimes even brutal. There are heartbreaking moments but the whole thing is utterly entertaining.
This story shines as it brings to light the fears that saturate the times of adolescence. It does not seem to be so dated as it is painfully contemporary.
The first episodes were directed by Glendyn Ivin and written by Tony McNamara. They are similar to the recent film of Tony's called 'Beaconsfield'. They are created with discretion, empathy, and modesty.
The Storyline
Picture an extremely hot summer Australian coastline. It is 1977. Debbie (played by Ashleigh Cummings) and her friend Sue (played by Brenna Harding) are having a wonderful time laughing and giggling and sharing daydreams on the Cronulla beach. They fantasize about joining up with the Greenhills gang. This gang is made up of tanned blokey surfers along with half-dressed, horse-back riding chicks who all own and rule on the beach.
Debbie and Sue are totally unaware of all the social and sexual conventions of this group that they so desparately want to join. They are also unaware of the brutality enforced upon members by the young men in the group. They are also clueless about their own parents' tangled emotional and sexual lives within this Australian culture that embraces a very narcissistic and pervasive culture. The press defines it in this way - "Expression against Repression", "A Permissive Society", "Expansion against Restriction", and "Openness against Narrowness".
It was announced in January of 2012 that in New South Wales there was going to be a Puberty Blues adaptation made of this coming-of-age story.
The series is focused on this particular group of Cronulla teenagers. It follows their antics as they explore the political and sexual boundaries of that day.
It was in April of 2012 that filming began. The shooting locations were mostly around 'Sutherland Shire' down on the 'Wanda Beach'. Shooting lasted for twelve full weeks wrapping up on July 1st of 2012.
The premiere episode made its debut and drew in 925,000 viewers. It held 9th place for that 8:30 time slot.
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