ABC is cracking open the vault on one of its most enduring unscripted brands, ordering a full new season of Spicks and Specks as the cult-favourite music quiz show marks its 20th anniversary.
Set to premiere Sunday, June 15 at 7:30 PM on ABC TV and ABC iview, the platinum season brings back the original trio — Adam Hills, Myf Warhurst, and Alan Brough — in a packaging play aimed squarely at both longtime fans and a new generation of viewers raised on streaming. The reboot is being produced in-house by ABC, with Anthony Watt and Rowdie Walden executive producing and Rachel Millar steering as Head of Entertainment.
This isn’t a straight nostalgia grab. While ABC is banking on hits like “Know Your Product” and “Substitute” to anchor the format, the new episodes are leaning into riskier, high-concept rounds with names like “Frank Piñata,” “Will.A.I.am Shakespeare,” and “Musical Chers” — all designed to stretch the show’s already-loose structure into more chaotic, meme-able territory.
The new season also brings in a fresh slate of guests across the music and comedy worlds, including Megan Washington, Marcia Hines, Kram, Lucy Durack, Robert Forster, Julia Morris, Tom Ballard, Dave O’Neil, and Sara Pascoe. Live performances will feature acts like The Living End, Spiderbait, Montaigne, Paul Kelly, and Pseudo Echo.
Spicks remains one of ABC’s most bankable legacy properties, with reruns and specials drawing consistent audiences across linear and iview. The decision to re-up comes as the public broadcaster continues to lean harder into familiar IP in primetime, using event TV packaging to build appointment viewing in an otherwise on-demand ecosystem.
For ABC, the 20th anniversary isn’t just a look back — it’s a strategic play to cement Spicks and Specks as a multigenerational tentpole moving forward.
