TONI COLLETTE COMES HOME: INSIDE HER NEW SYDNEY-MADE APPLE TV SERIES LENNI
Clear a spot on the couch, because one of our favourite actresses is coming home.
Toni Collette has been announced as the star of Lenni, a brand new comedy-drama for Apple TV that is filming right now in Sydney.
The news was confirmed by Apple this week, as reported by Variety Australia.
Who Toni Collette plays in Lenni
Collette plays Lenni, a child welfare worker and divorced mother of two.
She spends her days fighting hard for other families, while her own life is, to put it kindly, a bit of a mess.
Over the season, a new case at work starts to tangle with her personal life, and that is where the drama and the laughs come in.
In its official announcement, Apple TV describes the show as "a darkly comedic mystery about family".
If you are a parent who has ever juggled a work crisis, a school email and a sink full of dishes at once, it sounds very relatable.
Based on a Norwegian hit
Lenni is adapted from the Norwegian series Pernille, known at home as Pørni.
That show was created by Henriette Steenstrup, who also played the lead role.
According to ScreenHub, it premiered on Viaplay in 2021 and ran for five seasons.
It follows a single mum juggling teenage children, an ageing father and a demanding child welfare job.
Netflix later picked up its fourth and fifth seasons, which helped it find fans around the world.
Steenstrup even won the 2022 Gullruten Award, Norway's national television prize, for her performance.
Steenstrup is an executive producer on the new Australian version, so the original creator is keeping a hand in.
A cast full of familiar faces
The supporting cast is a real treat for Aussie viewers.
Joining Collette are Ciarán Hinds, best known to many from Game of Thrones, and Love My Way favourite Dan Wyllie.
Comedian and actor Celeste Barber, from The Letdown, is on board too, as is Colin From Accounts star Genevieve Hegney.
Rounding out the cast are Josh McKenzie, Arka Das and Wayne Blair.
Behind the camera, Australian writer Sarah Scheller, who worked on The Letdown and Strife, has adapted the scripts.
Irish director Dearbhla Walsh, who directed Bad Sisters, is at the helm.
The series comes from Made Up Stories, the company founded by Bruna Papandrea, together with Keshet International.
Collette is also an executive producer.
Why fans are so excited
Toni Collette grew up in Blacktown in Sydney's west, so filming a major international series on home turf feels like a lovely full-circle moment.
She has had an extraordinary career, from her Oscar-nominated role in The Sixth Sense to Little Miss Sunshine, The Hours and About a Boy.
She won an Emmy for United States of Tara, and more recently starred in the Netflix series Wayward.
Many of us will always have a soft spot for her in Muriel's Wedding, too.
The production is supported by the NSW Government through Screen NSW's Made in NSW Fund, which means jobs for local crews and a showcase for Sydney on screen.
When can you watch it?
Apple has not yet announced a release date or how many episodes the season will run to.
Filming is under way, so it is likely to be a while before Lenni reaches our screens.
In the meantime, if you want a taste of what is to come, the original Norwegian series is worth tracking down if you can find it.
You could also revisit some of Collette's classics for a cosy weekend movie marathon.
Either way, we will be first in the queue when Lenni lands.
