LOS ANGELES (July 6, 2016) -- Participant Media today announced the start of production of the critically acclaimed comedy, "Please Like Me" which returns for its fourth season premiering November 10 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Pivot. Production of the new season begins this week in Melbourne, Australia.
Creator, writer, director, and star of the show, Josh Thomas returns, along with the rest of the cast including Thomas Ward as Josh's best friend, Tom; Caitlin Stasey as Claire, Josh's ex-girlfriend; Emily Barclay as Ella, Tom's new girlfriend; Debra Lawrance as Josh's mum, Rose; Hannah Gadsby as Rose's housemate, Hannah; Keegan Joyce as Arnold, Josh's boyfriend; David Roberts as Josh's dad, Alan; Renee Lim as Alan's girlfriend Mae and of course, Josh's loveable dog, John. This season, Thomas returns to direct several episodes in the story arc.
Named one of the best shows of the year by Entertainment Weekly for two years running, "Please Like Me" is praised by critics around the world. It hasearned nominations for the International Emmy(R) Awards, the Rose d'Or Awards, the GLAAD Media Awards, and nine AACTA Awards (Australian Academy awards) where it has won trophies for Best Comedy Series, Best Screenplay in Television and Best Performance in a TV Comedy.
"Josh Thomas has a rare ability to take the most awkward, confounding, and even dark moments of our lives and relationships, and make them funny, stated Belisa Balaban, executive vice president, Original Programming, Pivot. "We are so happy to be going on another ride with this extraordinary group of characters and to continue our collaboration with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on the show."
In the critically acclaimed third season, Josh's boyfriend, Arnold came out to his parents and Josh wondered if they were ready to take the big step of a "proper" relationship. Tom tried being single (for a while) and Hannah moved into Mum's house. Claire moved to Germany for a fresh start, only to return because she missed her friends at home. Dad, Mae and baby Grace settled into a new family's chaotic routine until Mae dropped a bombshell.
In season four, while his coffee cart business is thriving, Josh's personal life is in upheaval. After the thrill of the honeymoon phase, the weight of maintaining a "proper" relationship crashes in on Josh and Arnold, while Josh tries to juggle his hapless parents and aimless friends.
Mental health awareness is at the heart of the series and once again, the show will work with the U.S.-based nonprofit organization, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Continuing work that was started around earlier seasons of "Please Like Me", NAMI recently delivered over 230,000 signatures to Congress in support of mental health reform - 60,000 of which came from Participant Media's TakePart community. Delivered at the Senate Summit on Mental Health during Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the signatures bring attention to the need for new mental health legislation, which has not passed through Congress in 40 years. In support of the series' fourth season, Pivot will continue to work with NAMI to further the conversation around mental health and de-stigmatize mental illness among viewers.
The previous seasons of the series are available on iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play and Hulu in the U.S.
"Please Like Me" is executive produced by Thomas, Todd Abbott and Kevin Whyte. Executive producers for the ABC are Rick Kalowski and Brett Sleigh; and for Pivot, Jeff Skoll, Belisa Balaban and Chris Loveall. "Please Like Me," a Participant Media Original Series, is a Pigeon Fancier and John & Josh International Production, produced in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
About Participant Media
Participant Media (http://www.participantmedia.com/) is a leading media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires and compels social change. Founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll, Participant combines the power of a good story well told with opportunities for viewers to get involved. Participant's more than 70 films, including Spotlight, Contagion, Lincoln, The Help, He Named Me Malala, The Look of Silence, CITIZENFOUR, Food, Inc., and An Inconvenient Truth, have collectively earned 50 Academy Award(R) nominations and 11 wins, including Best Picture for Spotlight. Participant has also launched more than a dozen original series, including "Please Like Me," Emmy(R) Award-winning "Hit Record On TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt," and "Fortitude," for its television network, Pivot (http://www.pivot.tv/). Participant's digital hub, TakePart (http://www.TakePart..com), serves millions of socially conscious consumers each month with daily articles, videos and opportunities to take action. Follow Participant Media on Twitter at @Participant and on Facebook.
About the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
ABC TV is the home of Australian conversations, culture and stories, delivering commercial-free, free-to-air screen content via a multiplatform multi-channel network. ABC TV is the destination of choice for viewers and users seeking quality and diversity in screen content; in particular engaging audiences in distinctly Australian content across a wide variety of genres.
ABC TV platforms include ABC, ABC2, ABC3, ABC KIDS, ABC News 24, ABC iview and ABC KIDS iview.
