Apple TV has ordered Lenni, a Sydney-shot dramedy led by Toni Collette and adapted from Henriette Steenstrup’s Norwegian series Pernille, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline reported on 4 November. Made Up Stories and Keshet International produce; Dearbhla Walsh directs Sarah Scheller’s adaptation, and production is already under way in Australia with Screen NSW Made in NSW Fund support, Variety and Deadline say.
Key facts
- Series: Lenni, Apple TV original based on Norway’s Pernille (also known locally as Pørni), created by Henriette Steenstrup
- Lead: Toni Collette as Lenni, a child-protection caseworker and divorced parent of two; she also executive produces
- Producers: Made Up Stories and Keshet International; director Dearbhla Walsh; adapter Sarah Scheller
- Cast also includes Ciarán Hinds, Dan Wyllie, Josh McKenzie, Celeste Barber, Genevieve Hegney, Arka Das and Wayne Blair
- Shoot: under way in Sydney; supported by the NSW Government through Screen NSW’s Made in NSW Fund (Variety, Deadline)
Why a Norwegian format lands in Sydney
Apple is buying a proven Nordic comedy-drama and relocating it to an English-language Australian production base rather than remaking it in the original market. Deadline notes that Pernille ran three seasons on Viaplay, with its final two seasons also airing on Netflix. That path, from Nordic SVOD to a US streamer’s English remake, is now a familiar finance route for formats that already cleared a first audience test.
For Australian drama producers, the practical signal is Screen NSW’s Made in NSW Fund sitting inside an Apple order with a US-facing cast and two internationally active production companies. Episode count, budget, delivery window and worldwide rights terms were not published with the announcement.
Who is making it
Made Up Stories, the Bruna Papandrea company behind Nine Perfect Strangers and The Letdown, partners with Keshet International. Variety and THR list executive producers Collette, Scheller, Walsh, Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Katie Amos (Made Up Stories), Avi Nir and Keren Shahar (Keshet), plus Steenstrup, Bård Fjulsrud and Tanya Badendyck. Deadline adds that Pernille was produced by Monster for Viaplay.
Walsh’s recent credits cited by the trades include Bad Sisters and Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Scheller’s include The Letdown and Strife. Collette’s recent series work named across the coverage includes Netflix’s Wayward, Prime Video’s The Power and HBO Max’s The Staircase.
Trade summaries describe Lenni as a child-protection caseworker and divorced parent whose paid cases spill into a disorderly home life, with one new file forcing those two tracks together. Deadline also frames the series as a dark comedy about what a family is and what happens when it breaks. No episode order or premiere date was attached.
Market context
The order sits with other recent FilmBunch streaming and talent moves such as Kartik Aaryan’s Ladaku greenlight for June 2027, the Imposters AFM distribution slate and BAFTA’s 2026 UK Breakthrough cohort. More under Distribution & Streaming.
Our reading
For buyers watching Apple’s English-language comedy-drama slate, the useful test is whether a Nordic format with an Oscar-nominated lead and an Australian shoot travels beyond the home market of the remake. The next evidence is episode count, premiere window and whether Apple keeps Lenni as a global day-and-date original or stages it by territory.
Sources
- Variety, Toni Collette to Lead Apple TV Dramedy Lenni Based on Norwegian Format (4 November 2026; cast, producers, Sydney shoot, Screen NSW Made in NSW Fund)
- The Hollywood Reporter, Toni Collette to Lead Apple TV Dramedy Lenni (4 November 2026; Made Up Stories / Keshet; logline; EP list)
- Deadline, Toni Collette To Star In TV Adaptation Of Norwegian Dramedy Pernille For Apple (4 November 2026; Viaplay/Netflix history of Pernille; Screen NSW)
- TheWrap, Toni Collette to Star in Apple TV Dark Comedy Lenni (4 November 2026; corroboration)