The Front Bar (formerly Friday Front Bar) is an Australian Football League–based talk show that airs on the Seven Network. The show is hosted by journalist Andy Maher and comedians Mick Molloy and Sam Pang.
Overview The series, which typically airs from March to September during the AFL season, is produced by Front Bar Entertainment, a group operated by Molloy, with episodes generally featuring the hosts and special guests drinking beer as they discuss the week's topics in a light hearted way. To date, the guest pool has included Kevin Bartlett, Brian Taylor and Jason Dunstall. In 2019, they also welcomed Garry Lyon as a guest, which was significant since he had been a longtime co-host of The Footy Show, and in similar fashion later welcomed Billy Brownless as a guest in 2022.
In 2018, during the AFL offseason, the show made an edition of the show centred on the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Later that same year, they also did specials that tied-in with the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, and in November that year a Melbourne Cup edition of the show was broadcast ahead of the 2018 Melbourne Cup. In November 2019, two cricket-themed episodes aired ahead of the Australian cricket season, and this has continued on in the following years. Since 2022, an edition of the show covering and featuring guests from other sporting disciplines such as Mick Doohan, Lauren Jackson and Pat Rafter, titled The Front Bar: All Sports, has also aired prior to the AFL season.
Initially, until 2022, the show was sponsored by Carlton Draught beer; the show had received some criticism for being an extended advertisement for the brand. For 2023, the show signed a new deal with Furphy.
Hosts Regular Andy Maher, journalist, SEN commentator and Carlton supporter Mick Molloy, comedian and Richmond supporter Sam Pang, comedian and Carlton supporter
Semi-regular Andy Lee, comedian and Carlton supporter Ryan Fitzgerald, retired Sydney and Adelaide player and Adelaide supporter Santo Cilauro, comedian, writer, filmmaker and Collingwood supporter Titus O’Reily, comedian, writer, broadcaster and Melbourne supporter Mark Knight, Herald Sun editorial cartoonist and AFL premiership poster creator Marty Sheargold, comedian and North Melbourne supporter Luke Darcy, Channel 7 commentator and retired Western Bulldogs player Matthew Richardson, Channel 7 commentator and retired Richmond player Lawrence Mooney, comedian, actor and writer
Behind-The-Scenes Danny McGinlay, comedian and Western Bulldogs supporter Adam Rozenbachs, comedian and writer, and Carlton supporter
Broadcast history The show launched as the Friday Front Bar in 2015 as an online-only show on the official AFL website, AFL.com.au; hosts Molloy and Maher had previously worked together on Before the Game. In 2016, the Seven Network picked up the show, with episodes being split into two versions, with snippets of the show being uploaded to AFL.com.au on Friday afternoon and the full version of the program airing after the Friday night match on the Seven Network in the traditional AFL states and on 7mate in New South Wales and Queensland. Episodes were filmed at the All Nations Hotel in Richmond in the first two seasons of the show.
In 2017, the show was renamed to The Front Bar and extended to a one-hour studio-based format airing on Thursday nights, occasionally airing after the Thursday night match when played during the season. In April, the show moved timeslots from 9:30pm to 8:30pm to go head-to-head with the Nine Network's long-running The Footy Show. The show consistently beat The Footy Show in the ratings beginning in the latter half of the 2017 season and continuing until Nine Network axed The Footy Show in 2019.Garry Lyon comments on The Footy Show's struggles, SEN 1116, May 2018 In 2019, their Grand Final show was held at the Hotel Esplanade in St Kilda,Grand Final Show Teaser The Front Bar on Twitter and included AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan as a guest and Picket Palace as the house band.
In 2022, the show received its first Logie Awards nomination as it was nominated for the Logie Award for Most Popular Panel or Current Affairs Program.
Episodes
2023 +EpisodeEditionGuestsAir dateAFLTex WalkerAng ChristouAnthony Koutoufides14 September 2023AFLSandy RobertsAndrew DillonGillon McLachlan21 September 2023AFL - Grand Final SpecialDamien HardwickToby GreeneTim Rogers28 September 2023All-SportsNathan LyonDamien Oliver23 November 2023All-SportsWasim Akram30 November 2023
2024 +EpisodeEditionGuestsAir date1All-SportsPat CashHenry Young15 February 20242All-SportsEric BanaLuc LongleyHorace Grant22 February 20243All-SportsCathy FreemanMal Meninga29 February 20244AFLJosh DaicosNick DaicosPeter Daicos7 March 20245AFLTrent CotchinAndrew DillonLawrence Mooney13 March 20246AFLNic NaitanuiGreg Williams20 March 20247AFLTitus O'ReilyTom LiberatoreNeil Balme27 March 20248AFL (Gather Round Special)John PlattenDarren JarmanAndrew JarmanJohn CahillMark WilliamsMalcolm Blight3 April 20249AFLMark ZanottiGraham Teasdale10 April 202410AFLBen Cousins17 April 202411AFLMark McGoughKevin SheedyDane Swan23 April 202412AFLAnthony Rocca1 May 202413AFLMal Michael<br >Laura Kane8 May 202414AFLMichael McLean15 May 202415AFL (Indigenous Round Special)Leon DavisMichael O'LoughlinDerek KickettMichael Long22 May 202416AFLDwayne Russell29 May 2024
Golden Cometti Since 2016, The Front Bar has awarded the Golden Cometti to the funniest or most comical piece of commentary of the season. The award is named in honour of commentary legend Dennis Cometti, who retired from broadcasting AFL matches on Channel Seven in 2016.
Past Golden Cometti winners +YearWinner2016Barry Hall2017Basil Zempilas2018Matthew Richardson (footballer)2019Mark Ricciuto2020Bruce McAvaney2021Luke Darcy2022Kelli Underwood2023Mark Robinson (journalist)2024Andy Maher2025Leigh Montagna2026Mark Ricciuto
See also
List of Australian television series
References
External links