Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Acclaimed series The Heights commissioned for a second season

20/08/2019

19 08 2019 - Media release Acclaimed series The Heights commissioned for a second season

The Heights season two cast

Critically-acclaimed series The Heights will return to the ABC in 2020 with filming beginning this month in Perth, WA. Produced by Matchbox Pictures and For Pete's Sake Productions for ABC, The Heights, received major production investment from Screenwest and Screen Australia. NBCUniversal International Studios will distribute the series.

Announced today as a finalist in Drama Series Production of the Year category at the 19th Screen Producers Australia Awards, The Heights, season one, was a hit with critics and fans. The Guardian called it a warm, complex and credible Australian soap opera,[1] and an engaged and loyal viewer base unashamedly shared their praise on social media at #theheightstv.

Season two will continue to showcase the life-affirming, family-friendly storytelling audiences have come to expect. As the show continues its balance of heart, humour and truth, we'll see favourite characters continue to pull together to triumph over whatever life throws at them.

Sally Riley, Head of Drama, Comedy and Indigenous for the ABC, said, We're thrilled to be working with Matchbox Pictures and For Pete's Sake Productions to bring a second series to ABC audiences. Season One was warmly embraced by critics and audiences for reflecting real, complex and diverse Australian stories. We look forward to seeing what's in store for the characters during these 30 new episodes.

Cast returning for The Heights season two include: Shari Sebbens (The Sapphires, Thor: Ragnarok), Roz Hammond (Muriel's Wedding, The Dish), Fiona Press (Home and Away, San Andreas), Dan Paris (Neighbours), Calen Tassone (Red Dog: True Blue, Black Comedy), Saskia Hampele (Neighbours, A Few Less Men), Phoenix Raei (Wentworth Prison, Romper Stomper), Yazeed Daher (The Hunting, Safe Harbour) with newcomers from season one - Bridie McKim, Mitchell Bourke, Koa Nuen, Cara McCarthy, Briallen Clarke and Carina Hoang, all returning.

Exciting new additions to the ensemble cast are Rupert Reid (The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded) and Kelton Pell (Gods of Wheat Street) who was a regular in season one. Returning regular guests include Alex Williams (Friday on My Mind) and Asher Yasbincek (Rams).

The Heights was created in-house at Matchbox Pictures by Warren Clarke (Mustangs FC) and co-creator Que Minh Luu. The show is produced by Peta Astbury-Bulsara (The Marriage of Figaro) and Executive Produced by Debbie Lee for Matchbox Pictures and Sally Riley and Que Minh Luu for the ABC. Season two will be directed by Karl Zwicky (Home and Away, Heartbreak High), Renee Webster (The Heights S1), and Tenika Smith (Neighbours), with Jub Clerc and Kelli Cross joining the team through this season's The Heights director mentorship program.

Season one writers Romina Accurso, Hannah Carroll Chapman, Megan Palinkas, Peter Mattessi, Dot West and Katie Beckett are among those returning with newcomers Tim Williams, Nora Niasari, Nayuka Gorrie and Cassandra Nguyen joining the team, as the series continues to foster emerging writing talent.

Co-creator and Showrunner of the series Warren Clarke says of The Heights season two, We're excited to dive even deeper into the world of The Heights. We'll see relationships strain and falter, friendships tested, and new love blossom as we continue to celebrate the varied and wonderful fabric of modern inner-city Australia and shine a light on the universal connections and commonalities that exist between us all.

30 new episodes of The Heights season two will continue to deliver opportunities for industry newcomers, reflective of ABC's unrivalled commitment to homegrown content that fosters Australian talent. The production is unique in casting and training many first-time actors, production crew, screenwriters, its ongoing new director mentorship program and its commitment to maintaining gender parity across the key decision makers and also the entire production.

Willie Rowe, CEO of Screenwest said Screenwest is extremely proud to support season two of The Heights. The first season provided incredible opportunities for industry newcomers and seasoned practitioners, giving a huge boost to the WA television industry, with the series engaging over 100 local crew and casting 93 speaking and over 300 extras roles locally so we are very excited to see the series renewed in WA and for it to have growing impact on our Industry.

[1] Donna Lu, The Heights review finally a warm, complex and credible Australian soap opera , The Guardian, February 22, 2019.

Related MaterialsDownload PDF

Media enquiries Jessica Parry | Senior Publicist

61 2 8113 5833 | 61 428 767 836 | [email protected]

Lidia Williams | Publicist and Events Officer

61 2 8113 1091 | 61 468 784 170 | [email protected]

All other general/non-media enquiries Sydney 61 2 8113 5800 | Melbourne 61 3 8682 1900 | [email protected]
LINK: https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/sa/media-centre/news/2019/08-19-the...
See more stories from screenaustralia

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

PBS Strikes Deal to Make France 24 Available to Stations' Digital Platforms

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/10/2026

COW Jobs: Visual Storyteller - Emeryville, CA

COW Jobs: Visual Storyteller - Emeryville, CA Brie Clayton October 9, 2026 0 Comments Visual Storyteller October 7, 2026 COW Jobs: Cinematographer...

09/10/2026

Master 3-Point Lighting in After Effects With an Orbiting Light Rig

Master 3-Point Lighting in After Effects With an Orbiting Light Rig Graham Quince October 9, 2026 0 Comments Ever wondered why your 3D renders in Afte...

09/10/2026

nxtedition makes A B I S debut in Mumbai

nxtedition will exhibit for the first time at Asias Broadcasting & Infotainment Show (A.B.I.S) in Mumbai, bringing its integrated production platform and latest...

09/10/2026

Today's AI Isn't the Answer

Today's AI Isn't the Answer Andy Marken October 8, 2026 0 Comments Let's say you're telling the truth, and this is all a dream. - Do...

09/10/2026

Ikegami to Introduce New UHK-X700VN Camera at NAB New York, Offering Advanced Creative Features

Ikegami to Introduce New UHK-X700VN Camera at NAB New York, Offering Advanced Cr...

09/10/2026

ATSC Members Approve B2X Candidate Standard

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/10/2026

Davicom Has a New Owner

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/10/2026

Clear-Com Scales Up Communications for Rock in Rio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/10/2026

Hippos, meerkats and dolphins, oh my! Season 12 of The Zoo returns to RT One and RT Player Monday 12 October

Witness world firsts, new arrivals and the work that goes on behind the scenes a...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

08/10/2026

Life Safety, Part 2: From Noise to Nice: The Evolution of Speech Intelligibility in Stadium Sound

Modern venues have come a long way since the tinny, echoing audio of the mid 20t...

08/10/2026

ESPN's First Super Bowl Adds Disney+ to U.S. Distribution Mix

ESPN's first Super Bowl production will stream in English and Spanish on Disney+, while the ESPN App carries the full slate of game, ManningCast, studio, an...

08/10/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Addison McGhee, Auburn University

From high-school videoboards to War Eagle Productions, the Opelika native is learning how to lead shows and capture big moments The future of live sports produ...

08/10/2026

Prime Video to Become Exclusive Global Home of Emmy Awards Beginning in 2027

The Television Academy and Prime Video have announced a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards beginning with the 20...

08/10/2026

Techex to Demonstrate Hybrid Satellite and IP Delivery Platform at NAB Show New York

Techex will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 623, Javits Center, October...

08/10/2026

X Games Appoints Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer

X Games has announced the appointment of Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer. Rogers previously served as COO of World Supercross and spent nearly a decade ...

08/10/2026

Fonn Group Appoints Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director, DACH

Fonn Group has appointed Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spielmann joins from EVS, where he held sales and business de...

08/10/2026

Perfect Game Introduces New Studio Show on the Road With Launch of PG Central

The flagship program will originate from major PG events with a four-camera production, live distribution across PGTV, social platforms Perfect Game is bringin...

08/10/2026

Uplynk White Paper: The IP Convergence Framework for Distribution

Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. More often, it happens at the point of collision: when worlds that have run on separate tracks begin to converge. That is...

08/10/2026

Gravity Media Op-Ed: Gravity Media's Next Act - From Service Provider to Strategic Content Partner

For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familia...

08/10/2026

Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley Publish Satellite-to-IP Distribution Framework

Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley have published The IP Converg...

08/10/2026

NFL Announces Ninth Annual Big Data Bowl Powered by AWS

The NFL has announced the return of the Big Data Bowl, the league's analytics competition, now in its ninth year and again powered by AWS. Registration is o...

08/10/2026

Eutelsat Renews Partnership with Tldiffusion dAlgrie on EUTELSAT 7 West A

Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with T l diffusion d'Alg rie (TDA), Algeria's national broadcasting network operator, for continued distribution of...

08/10/2026

Disney+ to Stream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027

Disney will livestream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, alongside the game's broadcast on ESPN and ABC. All Disney subscribers in the United States wi...

08/10/2026

RHStv to Stream Clemson vs. Coastal Carolina Baseball at Myrtle Beach Fall Showdown

RHStv and Red House Streaming have announced an expansion of their partnership w...

08/10/2026

Gray Media to Simulcast 15 Timberwolves Games Free Over-the-Air in Minnesota and Wisconsin

Gray Media has announced a distribution agreement with TEGNA and DAZN to simulca...

08/10/2026

SMPTE Media Technology Summit Returns to Pasadena Nov. 16-19; Get 10% Off With SVG Promo Code

SVG readers can save 10% on registration and receive a complimentary Solutions H...

08/10/2026

PROTON Camera Innovations Named Recipient of 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy for FPV Drone Systems

PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology a...

08/10/2026

Silver Lining: Sharing Tales From the Trenches of Cloud-Based Production with NBC Sports, MLB, NHL, and Warner Bros. Discovery

Industry leaders discuss real-world cloud workflows for live game production, pl...

08/10/2026

Dolby Atmos Coming to Formula 1 on Apple TV Beginning with 2026 U.S. Grand Prix

The next-gen audio technology joins Dolby Vision as part of Apple TV's immersive F1 experience...

08/10/2026

Free Leonard Peltier Proves That the Fight for Justice Is Just Beginning

David France, Jesse Short Bull, Mato Wayuhi, N. Bird Runningwater, Jodi Archambau, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Amber Morning Star Byars, Holly Macarro, Nick Tils...

08/10/2026

Sound Particles update Energy Panner 2 & Brightness Panner 2

Dynamic panning plug-ins get an upgrade Sound Particles have just announced major updates for two of their popular dynamic panning plug-ins. Energy Panner 2...

08/10/2026

The DMNO ON from UDO Audio

New expandable instrument boasts full DMNO engine UDO Audio have just announced the upcoming release of a new, expandable synth that packs the power of the ...

08/10/2026

ADAM Audio introduce the Sub8 PRO & Sub10 PRO

Two new subwoofers added to monitoring line-up ADAM Audio's monitoring range has just been expanded with two new DSP-equipped subwoofers, the Sub8 PRO a...

08/10/2026

Clear-Com Powers Critical Communications at Rock in Rio 2026

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

08/10/2026

NAB New York 2026 Preview

Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show New York We're looking forward to meeting up with you all at NAB New York on 21st-22nd October. Cal...

08/10/2026

ESPN Unveils First Studio W Refresh

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Pay-TV Operators Ask FCC to Pause TV Station Ownership Cap Rules

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Calrec Brings New Consoles, Software to NAB Show New York

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Mediagenix Bows AI Content-Aware Scheduling

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Ikegami to Unveil UHK-X700VN Camera at NAB Show New York

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Ed McGivern Joins USSI Global as Chief Revenue Officer

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

Globecast Brings Media Orchestration and C-Band Transitio...

Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its next generation of media orchestration services at NAB S...

08/10/2026

Clear-Com Powers Critical Communications at Rock in Rio 2...

Clear-Com played a critical role in the production communications infrastructure for Rock in Rio 2026, one of the world's largest and most recognized music...

08/10/2026

Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Creative Executives

Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Crea...

08/10/2026

NAB Show New York Returns to Javits

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/10/2026

FCC to Vote on Restrictions for Device Testing, Spectrum for D2D and Drones

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...