Fisk is back… with the same brown suit and full ensemble cast
Source: Instagram
Break out the mudcake, comedy fans, ABC TV has made a big announcement. Its mega-hit Fisk is returning next year for a fourth season – and, yes, the cast will include Marty Sheargold.
Starring comedian Kitty Flanagan as perennially brown-suited Melbourne probate lawyer Helen Tudor-Fisk, the multi-Logie-winning show’s earlier seasons are the three most-watched non-children’s programs ever on ABC iview.
But many viewers assumed it wouldn’t return after the third season finished in 2024 with Helen’s business partner Ray Gruber (Sheargold) deciding to leave the fictional Gruber & Fisk law firm.
Even if it did return to the screen, there were doubts whether Sheargold would be invited to reprise his role after the comedian and radio host’s sexist sledge last year about the Matildas soccer team sparked widespread outrage and saw him “part ways” with Triple M.
He told A Current Affair in March that he thought Flanagan would have him back on Fisk, but added: “I don’t know that the ABC would want that.”
Unveiling its 2027 Showcase this week, however, ABC TV said the fourth season of Fisk – which it described as a “cultural phenomenon” – would feature all the familiar characters.
“Kitty Flanagan returns as Helen Tudor-Fisk, joined by fan favourites Julia Zemiro, Aaron Chen, Marty Sheargold, John Gaden and Glenn Butcher, who will all reprise their beloved roles in the new season,” it said.
“The new season will also feature a host of surprise guest cameos popping up alongside the Gruber & Fisk team.”
The return of Fisk will mark a return to mainstream TV for Sheargold, who also stopped appearing as a guest panellist on the Ten Network’s Have You Been Paying Attention? after his controversial radio comments.
Flanagan, who co-created the series with her sister Penny Flanagan and Vincent Sheehan, said this week that Fisk was an “ensemble show” that worked because of its characters and the relationships between them.
“I think if you take out a missing piece of the puzzle, it’s not going to work,” she told Nine Newspapers.
Sheargold himself jumped the gun on ABC TV’s announcement while talking about Fisk – which also streams on Netflix – on his podcast The Commute earlier this month.
“There is a series four filming early next year,” he revealed, after a blooper reel he shared on Instagram prompted questions from followers.
“And yes, Ray Gruber will be returning, which is me. At this stage, it’s a yes. I mean, Christ, maybe, who knows?”
When series three ended with Ray moving on, his sister – suspended solicitor turned meticulous office manager turned mediator Roz (Zemiro) – had decided to buy him out and return to law herself.
The ABC says that in the new season, Helen Tudor-Fisk is in charge.
“Or is she? This season Helen will struggle to keep up with the amount of new business generated by the ‘First Ladies of Probate’ model, and there’s even talk of a Gruber & Fisk franchise.”
Flanagan – who has won Logie and AACTA awards for both her writing and acting on the series – said the cast can’t wait to start filming again at their “offices” in North Melbourne.
“So excited to finally – and officially – announce that Fisk is coming back for season 4 in 2027,” she posted on Facebook on Wednesday.
“Spoiler alert, Helen will be in the same brown suit and will definitely not be falling in love or getting married!!”
The more than 2000 comments on the post welcomed Fisk’s return, with many making reference to Helen’s trademark suit, Roz’s big (“cassowary”) hair, and deadpan clerk / “webmaster” George (Chen).
Others just wanted to know if Sheargold was also coming back.
“This is where we find out if Marty Sheargold is still cancelled or not,” wrote one.
The ABC hasn’t yet given a date for the premiere of the new season of Fisk, which it promises will bring more of the “sharp wit, awkward encounters and unexpected heart” that viewers love.
“Few Australian comedies have connected with audiences like Fisk,” said ABC head of scripted, Rachel Okine.
“It has become a defining ABC success story, setting viewing records on ABC iview, attracting millions of viewers and earning widespread acclaim.”
