TV

The First Episode Of Benjamin Law’s ‘The Family Law’ Is Dropping A Week Early On Facebook

His family are still waiting to watch it on TV though. "I'm going to ply them with alcohol beforehand," he told us. "And we’re Asian, so we don’t need much."

by Meg Watson  4 January 2016

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The season of tortuously waiting for everything is over. Christmas has come and gone. You’ve excitedly counted down the seconds of 2015 and maybe even started the new year with a gross, slobbery kiss. Your eyes have been blessed with the magic of a new Star War. Now, with many of you heading home from festivals and back to work, the year is gearing up into its usual breakneck speed and your next holiday or exciting event is forever away.

Your responsibilities right now.

Thankfully, to make this transition a little easier, SBS is dropping the debut episode of 2016’s first exciting local release The Family Law a full week early. Originally scheduled to make its premiere on January 14 on free-to-air TV, the show based on Benjamin Law’s memoir of the same name will have an unprecedented preview on Facebook this Friday at 5pm. The first episode of the show will be available to view in full on the SBS Australia page until midnight on Sunday, then will air as scheduled on TV the following week.

As SBS marketing execs told Mumbrella, this is the first time an Australian scripted production has released a full episode via social media, however it is something Channel Seven trialled with The X-Factor back in September. Though he wasn’t involved in this decision initially, Benjamin Law told us it’s something he’s totally behind.

“As soon as the crew at SBS even suggested it, I was pumped for it,” he said. “Watching and sharing videos on Facebook is a part of most people’s lives now, so to have an entire episode on TV up there seems like a logical extension. We just want to ensure The Family Law‘s as available as possible, across platforms.”

“[Australians are] watching TV more than ever, just in different and fragmented ways. In a single week, I’ll probably watching video content on regular free-to-air TV, stuff my friends upload or share on social media, videos on news websites, as well as stuff on Foxtel, Stan and Netflix, before catching up with something on ABC iView or SBS On Demand. Everyone I know is watching heaps of television, just on their own terms, and where they can get it.”

Despite the excitement of the news, Ben’s whole family will however be waiting to watch it on TV together. When we asked if he was nervous about that — drawing creative work from real experiences with friends and family is always at least a little bit fraught — he seemed unfazed. 

“Not at all. Mainly because I’m going to ply them with alcohol beforehand. And we’re Asian, so we don’t need much.”

A last reminder in case you needed it: this is going to be great.

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Keep an eye on the Facebook event for updates here or catch the first episode on SBS at 8.30pm on January 14. Each episode will be available via SBS On Demand in the following weeks.