ABC finds its Q+A replacement
ABC’s Planet America, hosted by Chas Licciardello and John Barron, will move to Monday nights, taking over the 9:35pm slot previously held by Q+A.
ABC has confirmed that Planet America will move to Monday nights at 9:35pm on ABC TV and ABC iview, replacing the long-running current affairs program Q+A in the network’s prime lineup.
Hosted by Chas Licciardello and John Barron, the program will premiere in its new slot on Monday 4 August. It will now follow 7.30, Australian Story, Four Corners and Media Watch, consolidating a night of investigative and political programming on ABC’s main channel.
Planet America launched in 2012 and has carved out a niche audience for its sharp and satirical commentary on U.S. politics. The shift marks a return to a more traditional news and current affairs structure for ABC’s Monday nights, following the decision to end Q+A earlier this year.
Licciardello welcomed the move: “We’re very excited for Planet America to be moving to Monday nights, which is a more traditional timeslot for news programming on the ABC main channel. On Wednesday nights it’s been almost impossible to convince people that US politics wasn’t some kind of elaborate dark comedy performance piece.”
Barron added, “When Planet America started in 2012, the most outrageous thing Mitt Romney did when he was running against Obama was misspell ‘Amercia’. Safe to say things have changed.”
“Over the years we’ve been able to talk to Members of Congress, top advisors and dozens of the candidates – they really seem to enjoy speaking to people who can’t vote! We’ll still be pointing out the absurd and ridiculous as well as the deadly serious and concerning.”
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Encores of Planet America will also air on ABC TV and the ABC News Channel.
John Barron is ABC’s US politics analyst with more than two decades of experience. He co-authored a book on presidential primaries and previously presented The Drum, The Context, and several documentaries.
Chas Licciardello is best known for his work with The Chaser, The Checkout, and for reviewing snacks, bringing a comedic lens to political commentary that he now channels into Planet America.
