Musical Drama Paper Dolls Lands On Paramount+ Australia
Paper Dolls is an Australian musical drama created by Ainslie Clouston, whose previous writing credits include Darby and Joan (2022) and Amazing Grace (2021). and is produced by Hellium Pictures for Paramount+.
Set during the start of the new millennium, Paper Dolls tells the story of five young women who are catapulted into the spotlight as girl group ‘Harlow’, who are created on the fictional music reality show ‘Pop Rush’. Judging from the tagline in the banner, things will not be all puppies and roses for the quintet, which consists of Lizzi James (Emalia), Jade Hart (Courtney Clarke), Charlie Levett (Miah Madden), Lillian Milton (Courtney Monsma) and Annabel Tonkin (Naomi Sequeira).
Also starring in the 8-episode first season is Ditch Davey as ‘Roger’. Viewers will surely recognise Ditch Davey from such work as Evan Jones on Blue Heelers, Nemetes on Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned, Dr. Ian Bickman in Black Box. and Dr. Christian Green in that long-standing Australian import, Home and Away (is Alf Stewart still in it?). Screen Nut previously interviewed Ditch Davey a couple of years back. You can read the full interview here.
Take a look at a couple of Ditch’s posts below, relating to Paper Dolls, from his official Instagram account.
Paper Dolls is available on Paramount+ Australia. I’ll bring more news on other regtion availability as and when it’s announced.
Take a look at the trailer below.
As someone who is, always has been and always shall be vehemently against reality TV in many of its forms, especially these get-famous-quick shows that callously exploit the vulnerability of the fifteen-minutes-of-fame generation, those with lifelong dreams and those who genuinely want to make something of their lives, I like that Paper Dolls shows the darker side of these abysmal shows. Behind the facade of chance-in-a-million promises, huge dollar contracts and the allure of instant ‘fame’, for want of a better word, there sits the real reality and emotional cost that comes with it. This honestly looks like a series that has great potential, and I certainly hope that it comes to the UK at some point in the future.