The Letdown
The Letdown is an Australian comedy-drama television series created by Alison Bell and Sarah Scheller, following Audrey, a struggling new mother who reluctantly joins a local mothers' group she believes she does not need. It began as a pilot in the ABC anthology Comedy Showroom on 4 May 2016, ran for two seasons on ABC TV from 2017 to 2019, and streamed internationally on Netflix.1 • 2
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Created by | Alison Bell and Sarah Scheller, who also wrote the series; Bell stars as Audrey2 |
| Origin | Pilot aired in the ABC comedy anthology Comedy Showroom, 4 May 2016; the pilot won the 2016 AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Television1 • 2 |
| Run | Two seasons, 13 episodes, on ABC (Australia) from 25 October 2017 to 3 July 20191 |
| Production | Giant Dwarf production for ABC and Netflix, with funding from Screen Australia in association with Create NSW2 |
| International release | Available on Netflix worldwide from 21 April 20182 |
| Awards | 2016 AACTA for Best Screenplay in Television (pilot); 2018 AACTA for Best Comedy Program (series 1)2 • 3 |
| Reception | 100% Tomatometer from 10 reviews and a 93% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes4 |
Spoilers
Premise
The series centers on Audrey (Alison Bell), a new mother navigating sleeplessness, shifting relationship dynamics, her issues with her own mother, and her husband Jeremy's career ambitions. She joins a mothers' group thrown together by the circumstance of timing, and the show follows the developing friendships and lives of its members.2 Screen Australia's synopsis describes a world where "bodies aren't bouncing back," wine seems a logical antidote to hormonal imbalances, and once-perfect homes take on a ransacked look: modern parenting in naturalistic style.3
Outside the group, Audrey seeks support from her work-stressed partner Jeremy and even the neighborhood drug dealer.4 The National Film and Sound Archive notes that the writers take aim at a parenting-advice industry that invents terms such as "tiger mother" and "attachment style," which the show presents as designed to make women feel inadequate.5
Production and broadcast
From pilot to series. The Letdown was one of six Comedy Showroom pilots aired on ABC TV in 2016 under a joint initiative with Screen Australia. After the pilot won the 2016 AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Television, a six-part series was commissioned as a co-production with Netflix; production began in June 2017.2 • 6 Season 1, completed in 2017, comprised six episodes of about 27 minutes each, plus the pilot, and aired on ABC from 25 October to 6 December 2017.3 • 1 Netflix carried the series internationally from 21 April 2018.2
Season 2. The second season, six episodes of 30 minutes completed in 2019, picks up one year in, when life with a baby has become the new normal. The focus shifts from keeping the baby alive to the needs of all family members: walking, talking, returning to work, childcare, moving house, rediscovering cultural identity, and gaining and losing family.7 It aired from 29 May to 3 July 2019, with the finale "Shameless" ending the series.1 In this season Jeremy works in Adelaide and commutes back on weekends.8
Directors included Trent O'Donnell across both seasons, with Amanda Brotchie, Alison Bell, and Sarah Scheller directing episodes of season 2.7 Executive producers included Julian Morrow, with Rick Kalowski and Rebecca Anderson for the ABC in season 1.3
Cast
Alison Bell leads as Audrey, with Duncan Fellows as Jeremy, Sacha Horler as Ester, Leon Ford as Ruben, Lucy Durack as Sophie, Celeste Barber as Barbara, Leah Vandenberg as Martha, Xana Tang as Georgia, and Noni Hazlehurst as Ambrose.3 • 1 Season 2 added Claire Lovering, Brendan Cowell, and Patrick Brammall, among others.7
Reception
Season 1 holds a 100% Tomatometer based on 10 reviews and a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.4 It won the 2018 AACTA Award for Best Comedy Program,3 and Bell received a 2018 AACTA nomination for Best Performance in a Television Comedy.9 Bell also earned an AACTA nomination for her performance in the pilot.10
Critics emphasized the show's realism. An ABC News review of season 2 called it "really, really real," noting comedy drawn from circumstance, such as bringing Frankenstein to a mothering-book group meeting and getting late-night parenting tips from the local meth dealer.11 The Big Issue praised its warmth and honesty in depicting nipple pain, failed postnatal sex, and unsolicited advice, comparing it favorably on those grounds with the British comedy Motherland.12 An Inside Story review was more critical of season 2, arguing that in tackling abortion and IVF the show lost some of what made it special, though it noted the first season had developed a cult following among new parents after its Netflix release.8
The international response was broad. Co-creator Sarah Scheller said the reaction on social media was not dominated by any one market, citing love from America, the UK, Portugal, Japan, and the Middle East, and from men, women, and non-parents.2 Bell recounted being recognized by a woman from South Korea while in New York.13
Availability
As of late 2026, The Letdown streams on Netflix and Netflix Standard with Ads in the United States, with both seasons available.14
References
- The Letdown (a Titles & Air Dates Guide), epguides
- Australian Comedy The Letdown Now Available on Netflix Worldwide, Ausfilm (3 May 2018)
- Letdown, The series 1, Screen Australia Screen Guide
- The Letdown, Rotten Tomatoes
- The Letdown: Frankenstein, National Film and Sound Archive
- From Award Winning Comedy Showroom Pilot to Full Series: The Letdown starts production, Screen Australia media release (16 June 2017)
- Letdown, The series 2, Screen Australia Screen Guide
- A setback for The Letdown, Inside Story
- The Letdown – Where to Watch and Stream, TV Guide
- Henry Lawson Festival of Arts Walk of Fame profiles (December 2019)
- The Letdown, less infant and more toddler, is just as funny and painfully real in season two, ABC News (30 May 2019)
- Judgment, nipple pain and failed sex – 'The Letdown' is motherhood laid bare, The Big Issue (31 May 2018)
- The Letdown's Alison Bell: "No one's stories are safe with us", WHO (30 May 2019)
- The Letdown – watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch
Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › Comedy series outside the US and UK › Premiered 1964 to 2021
Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026
Your notes
© 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI. Free to use with credit under the Edgepedia Community License. Developers: read Edgepedia by API or MCP. Embed a reference card.