| Last Aired: | present |
| Related: | Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun (2020) |
| Runtime: | 23–26 minutes |
| Theme Music Composer: | Tom Zachariou |
| Genre: | Sketch comedy |
| Network: | ABC iView |
| Num Episodes: | 6 |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Language: | English |
| Country: | Australia |
Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe is an Australian absurdist sitcom television show on ABC iView, created by and starring the comedy group Aunty Donna and premiering on 12 April 2023.[1] It follows the three main members of Aunty Donna running a trendy cafe in the Melbourne laneways, and is the second television series by the troupe after Netflix's Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun.
Aunty Donna had previously created a self-titled half hour pilot for the ABC in 2015 as part of Screen Australia's Fresh Blood Pilot Season initiative, but this pilot was not picked up.[3] [4] The series also followed Netflix's Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun, which did not receive a second season, allowing the group to work on Coffee Cafe instead.
During the pitching phase, the ABC asked the group to "dial up" the sitcom element present in the show to involve more workplace comedy. The show was filmed in Docklands Studios Melbourne. Coffee Cafe was announced on August 25, 2022, as Aunty Donna's Untitled Project,[5] and a trailer premiered on March 15, 2023.[6] [7]
The series received mixed reviews. The Guardian put forward that the series "isn't their best," but also stated that "much joy comes from their zaniness and unpredictability," and that "even when they’re not brilliant, their shtick still feels fresh." Concrete Playground compared the show to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as well as I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, and stated that its gags [fly] so thick and fast that laughing at one joke or bit of banter usually means drowning out the next with your own chuckles."[8] TV Tonight concluded that "it all makes for an entertaining nonsense, that reminds us why ABC Comedy still leads the genre, backing original voices and risky ideas rather than replicating traditional tropes."[9]
The show received negative attention from right-wing pundits such as Chris Kenny at Sky News Australia, who stated that the show was "uncreative" and "unintelligent" and noted that "it was funded by the taxes that adults like you and I pay."[10]