South Australian made children’s series First Day is dazzling audiences across the globe. The return season has been receiving rave reviews since its March 31 premiere in the US on Hulu and in Australia on ABC.
Filmed in Adelaide, the International Emmy Award-winning series from writer and director Julie Kalceff, and South Australian producers Kirsty Stark of Epic Films and Kate Butler of KOJO, has been praised by critics for its sensitive portrayal of a transgender student in her second year of high school, with Media Week describing it as “deserving of every accolade it gets. Wonderful.” as well as positive coverage in Just Jared Jr and IF Magazine.
The show has also been joyfully received by younger audiences around the globe, with hundreds of comments on TikTok and other social media platforms from teen viewers and even teachers for its premiere on the International Transgender Day of Visibility:
“I binged the whole season today and it’s jaw-dropping”
“I use this series to educate my students – it’s amazing. Thank you so much for making this show”
“Just binged season 2. I’m an enby [non-binary] who just came out publicly, so this show really means a lot to me. Kudos to the talented actors”
“Don’t mind me, just bawling my eyes out watching this Australian show about a trans kid having a normal first day of school – oh my god, please watch First Day on Hulu #TDOV”
The show’s second season expands on the story of main character Hannah, played by transgender actor Evie Macdonald, with creator Julie Kalceff telling IF:
“I wish that was the end of the story – when you come out, people accept you and everything’s great and it’s a happy ending. My feeling was: This is where the story starts. She now has to navigate the world as an out trans girl. What does it look like for her? Where does she go from here?”
First Day is available to stream now on Hulu in the USA, and ABC iview in Australia.