Out There is a teen drama television series produced by Sesame Workshop and Noggin LLC for the Noggin channel's nighttime programming block, The N. When the show started development, Sesame Workshop co-owned Noggin, and Out There was launched as a tween-oriented project for the network. The show was written, produced, and commissioned in New York, and it originated as an entirely American series with a storyline set in New York. During development, it became an American-Australian co-production (then titled Two Down Under), and filming took place mostly in Australia.

The show's plot mirrors its co-development between the United States and Australia. It follows the trials and tribulations of an American high school boy named Reilly (Douglas Smith), who moves to Australia from Connecticut as his father flees the authorities. He stays with his aunt and uncle, who are the owners of a nature reserve and veterinary clinic. Reilly befriends his co-worker Aggie (Jade Ewen), a local boy named Miller (Richard Wilson), and the girl next door, Fiona (Molly McCaffrey).

The series premiered on Noggin on May 23, 2003, as the inaugural show of a scheduling event called "Summer in The N." The show ran for two seasons and 26 episodes in total. It aired its final new episode on July 1, 2004, with reruns continuing throughout the year.

Production

The show's concept was developed by Sesame Workshop and Noggin, both headquartered in New York. The show's plot started out as a "purely North American concept set in New York,"

The show was first announced under the working title Two Down Under, which refers to two outsiders moving "down under" to Australia. The show aired as part of The N, a nighttime block on the Noggin channel for tween and teen-oriented shows. The show was specifically aimed at 9- to 13-year-olds, and it was marketed as a "tween drama."

According to executive producer Claire Henderson, accurately representing the American and British characters was easy, while faithfully depicting Australia was more difficult. She said, "Now this actually naturally worked with Reilly being the American and Aggie coming over from Britain. But you have to make sure also that Australia is represented as something that Australian kids can relate to and not some sort of false identity that might suit the other partners."

References

  • Out There on The N (archive)
  • Out There at the National Film and Sound Archive