Will Forte & D’Arcy Carden’s Show ‘Sunny Nights’ Is Pure Comedy Excellence

In Partnership with Stan

2025 is finally coming to a close, but there’s a contender for the best TV show of the year — and it’s Australian. Homegrown shows have stepped up in terms of quality and worldwide excellence lately, with shows like Bump, Eden and Watching You all captivating audiences. We can expect the same for Sunny Nights, Stan’s newest offering starring two of the most talented US comedians of the moment, Will Forte and D’Arcy Carden.

All eight episodes will be released on Stan on Boxing Day, allowing viewers to binge the entire season in one go. The dark comedy follows a simple premise, but includes twists and turns that are bound to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

Sunny Nights follows American entrepreneurs Marvin Martin (Forte) and his sister Vicki Martin (Carden) as they attempt to launch a spray tan business in Sydney, Australia. They’ve chosen the Australian city for two reasons: we have one of the most deadly rates of skin cancer, and Martin is also hoping to win back his estranged wife Joyce (Ra Chapman), a journalist working at a dead-end job for a Gen-Z boss.

Credit: Lisa Tomasetti

As the brother-sister duo attempt to raise money for their start-up, they get caught up in a blackmail plot, find themselves panicked over an exploding crocodile and accidentally make a deal with the devil. Will the pair manage to escape Sydney’s criminal underworld, or will they pay a hefty price?

While the fish-out-of-water storyline will feel familiar, the dark comedy is original and fresh — something worth celebrating while we’re in the era of reboots and remakes. Director and Executive Producer Trent O’Donnell manages to develop each character in a way that seems real and creates a world where we’re truly invested in whether or not the Marvins will succeed.

The entire series is filled with comedic beats as well as sticky situations that the Marvins have to manoeuvre their way out of. It’s a tough job to balance true suspense and thrills with humour, but top actors Forte and Carden make it look easy.

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Forte’s character Martin is an awkward rule-follower by nature who finds himself bulldozed by everybody around him, including his sister. The comedian is currently having a resurgence after winning audiences’ hearts in Bodkin, Four Seasons and Kinda Pregnant. The comedian cut his teeth on Saturday Night Live from 2002 to 2010, before receiving three Emmy Award nominations for his sitcom The Last Man on Earth. For an actor who was often considered a great guest star — with appearances on Parks and Recreation, How I Met Your Mother and Flight of the Conchords — it’s about time Hollywood has realised his full potential as a leading man.

Forte has fantastic chemistry with Carden in the Stan Original show. Forte’s role of the level-headed, meek corporate type clashes with Carden’s outrageous, straight-talking sister, who appears to be completely ungovernable. It’s one of Carden’s best roles so far, with fans of Janet from The Good Place being able to see the star stretch her acting chops like never before. The Emmy-nominated actor has built a successful career on the back of The Good Place, with roles in Barry, Broad City and Nobody Wants This. This Australian show sees her reunited with The Good Place director Trent O’Donnell, who appears to know how to coax the best out of Carden.

Credit: Lisa Tomasetti

While Forte and Carden are scene stealers, the local ensemble cast is one of note. From Kiwi Rachel House (Whale Rider, Heartbreak High, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) playing an unhinged underworld boss Mony to Gamilaroi comedian Megan Wilding (Gold Diggers, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) as reptile wrangler Nova and Korean-Australian Ra Chapman (Wentworth, Neighbours) as investigative journalist Joyce, there are no weak performances in Sunny Nights. The ensemble cast executes transitions between absurdist comedy moments and emotional and dramatic scenes with delicacy, which will have viewers rooting for certain characters as the series builds up to an intense climax.

Sunny Nights also sees NRL star Willie Mason make the transition from the rugby league field to the silver screen. The former athlete has been open about how the NRL need to take concussion injuries seriously, with worries about his own head trauma causing long-term effects. It appears the writers of Sunny Nights incorporated Mason’s history into his character Terry Torres, an ex-footballer who makes some questionable decisions due to a head injury. It serves as both a device to move the plot along and as social commentary.

The eight-part dramedy was filmed in New South Wales in 2024, and viewers will recognise iconic Australian locations, including the Sydney skyline. It joins Stan’s Australian-strong slate of programming, refocusing the spotlight on local originals and homegrown talent. At this stage, Season 2 hasn’t yet been greenlit, but if the show is successful, we hope to see Forte and Carden return for another round of tanning.

Stream the Stan Original Sunny Nights on Boxing Day, only on Stan.