Bluey 28-minute finale special The Sign a hit with viewers

The Bluey finale, which runs four times the length of a normal Bluey episode, had the biggest average national audience of all shows on Sunday.

It was exactly the show Australia needed on Sunday, with the epic 28-minute Bluey special watched by a national average audience of 2.28 million people on its launch.

The Sign, which runs four times the length of a normal Bluey episode, featured a wedding and the emotional rollercoaster of Bluey’s family as their home was listed for sale.

The episode also featured guest voices by Joel Edgerton as the German Shepherd police officer, Rove McManus as real estate agent Bucky Dunstan and Deborah Mailman as the Sheepdog mum interested in buying the Heeler home.

While the majority of viewers watched The Sign on Sunday via ABC, 787,000 caught the show on demand via ABCiview.
Bluey had the biggest average national audience of all shows on Sunday, almost one million viewers ahead of the Seven and Nine News and even more viewers than the season launches of Farmer Wants A Wife and Lego Masters.

Hours after Australian families sat down to watch the much-anticipated special from 8am on Sunday - and repeated throughout the day - fans in the US, Canada and UK were also reaching for the tissues as they viewed the marathon episode.

WWE pro wrestler Johnny Gargano declared the episode a triumph.
“The Sign is straight-up Avengers: End Game level for all of us Bluey fans. What a fantastic emotional rollercoaster,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“What a fantastic emotional rollercoaster!”

The new 30-minute Bluey episode "The Sign" is straight-up Avengers: End Game level for all of us @OfficialBlueyTV fans..

What a fantastic emotional rollercoaster! 👏👏👏 @Daley_Pearson#Bluey#BlueyTheSign

— Not Shawn Michaels (@JohnnyGargano) April 14, 2024

SURPRISE SONG IN EPIC FINALE

Its title might suggest it as an unlikely song to soundtrack an episode of beloved animated smash Bluey.

Award-winning artist Meg Washington’s soaring pop ballad Lazarus Drug has a starring role in the epic 28-minute season three finale The Sign.

The swelling electronic section of the song, about “love and euphoria and revival”, closes the much-anticipated Bluey special.

Singer songwriter and actor Meg Washington stars in big Bluey episode. Picture: Supplied / Michelle Pitiris.

Bluey creator Joe Brumm fell in love with Lazarus Drug when he first heard it on the acclaimed pop artist’s 2020 record Batflower.

Washington also voices the kind, big-hearted Australian Shepherd primary school teacher Calypso in the episode, and previously contributed The Gnome Song to the animated show loved by kids and big kids alike.

“Megan’s song Lazarus Drug, one of the greatest songs written this century, rounds out the final episode of Bluey. Recording it with her and composer Joff (Bush) and the whole music team was one of the highlights of the whole Bluey experience. I know for her it was special too,” Brumm said.

Teacher Calypso (voice by award-winning singer songwriter Meg Washington) with Bluey in the epic episode called The Sign. Supplied

Washington said Brumm had told her four years ago that he intended to use the song “somehow” in his show. He finally added it to the biggest episode in the series’ history.

“Of course I said sure. Yeah, the whole thing is pretty unlikely … but that song is channelling love and hope and faith and euphoria,” she said.

“That’s the thing about collaboration, that music can spark other things and find its way into new contexts and get covered and get reinterpreted.

“This is a beautiful crossover.”

What’s a big TV special without a big wedding? Picture: Supplied.

Washington was moved to tears when she watched a preview and saw how Lazarus Song featured in its closing minutes.

Bluey fans approached her when she’s out and about in recent weeks to talk about their excitement about the series finale.

“Mossy (Amos) absolutely adores the show. And he loves watching it. It brings him utter delight. We’ll be sitting down to watch it, like everybody else on Sunday,” she said before the episode aired.

Singer-songwriter Megan Washington and her filmmaker partner, Nick Waterman, are the creative team behind a film adaptation of Paul Kelly's song How To Make Gravy. Picture: NCA.

Washington and her filmmaker husband are “cooking” their feature film inspired by Paul Kelly’s iconic “Christmas” song How To Make Gravy, which is expected to land on Binge no doubt in time for December 21, the date featured in the lyrics.

The film, which features actors Hugo Weaving, Daniel Henshall, Kate Mulvany and Brenton Thwaites, wrapped filming late last year with the creative husband and wife team now in post production.

“She’s nearly ready,” Washington said in an update about the Binge movie.

“It’s been an amazing process, we had an amazing shoot last year and we’ve just been putting it together. No pressure!

“I feel like we’ve made every decision according to the text.”

Bluey’s 28-minute special, The Sign, is now available to stream on ABC iview. Washington will perform Lazarus Drug and conduct a Q&A on the Bluey Tiktok channel at 8am on April 16.

Lazarus Drugs lyrics by Meg Washington (as used in The Sign)

I feel it in the morning

I feel how low it lies

And then I hear you calling

And then I start to rise

I feel it in the morning

I feel how low it lies

And then I hear you call my name

And then I start to rise

And when I hear you calling

Like you were always there

I rise until I’m hanging

In the middle of the air

And when I hear you calling

I split like I’m a snake

With golden light like fingers

And then I start to break

Into a billion pieces

Oh, I shatter into constellations

Like I’ve never been more here

Like I completely disappear

I’m nothingness, but shining

And everywhere at once

I’m everything and everyone who is or ever was

And You’re nothingness, but shining

And everywhere at once

You’re everything where everyone who is or ever was, forever

Originally published as Bluey 28-minute finale special The Sign a hit with viewers