Well, there was Australia's first new show of 2008. Out of the Question. Well... what did you think? I thought that the show is a pretty original idea, current affairs/quiz show/comedy/panel. It draws a lot of its ideas from shows such as The Panel and Spicks and Specks. The first show starred Tony Moclair, Fifi Box and Ed Kavalee. I will try not to analyse it too much because I don't want to judge it purely on one show and only 22 or so minutes, but I will give you my first impressions. It got off to a cheesy start with all of the guests complimenting Glenn Robbins about his various characters, shows and so forth, just to get points, but that was to be expected I suppose. None of the stars on the show have really been used to the roles they were put in. It was Glenn's first time as host, Ed's first time in a more prominent role on TV, etc.
But when the show first got underway there were a few funny lines... mostly from Ed Kavalee.
The current-affairs discussion/quiz is quite good as viewers may be able to discuss and answer questions at home. The show may have looked a bit messy but it is understandable. I think if it is given enough time to develop, it could become a good show, but I wonder if this type of show would have been more at home at the ABC...
The half-hour running time doesn't allow much time to breathe, but some people may enjoy its fast pace and some people may have preferred an hour-long more Panel-like show.
And at the end of the show, Ed Kavalee was the person who stood out the most. If this show were to continue and Ed were to become popular, he could quite easily host his own interview show. Surely we all remember him playing a tonight-show host on Thank God You're Here?
Anyway, hopefully enough people will have given this show a chance- anything over 1.3 million would be good news I'd say.
Once again, what did you think?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Unofficial Ratings Season Begins
As of Thursday the 31st of January, I have decided that the unofficial ratings period has begun.
This is due to the first new show which has been advertised non-stop- Out of the Question- having its premiere. Channel Seven has begun the unofficial ratings period by trying to get in first with its new show... about a week and a bit before the official ratings period starts.
It will be the first new Aussie show of 2008 so it has a lot to live up to. If it fails, it may well put people off up-coming Aussie comedies such as Good News Week or Monster House.
This is due to the first new show which has been advertised non-stop- Out of the Question- having its premiere. Channel Seven has begun the unofficial ratings period by trying to get in first with its new show... about a week and a bit before the official ratings period starts.
It will be the first new Aussie show of 2008 so it has a lot to live up to. If it fails, it may well put people off up-coming Aussie comedies such as Good News Week or Monster House.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Shows Nearing the End
While there are a whole bunch of new shows coming on to TV this year, it is time for a couple of shows to receive major overhauls.
The shows that stand out are mostly Channel Ten's, with Australian Idol and Big Brother all waning in popularity in 2007. Dancing with the Stars, while not doing too badly, is starting to look a bit repetative.
Australian Idol has already undergone one overhaul, which brought it back to life in Series 4 after sagging Series 3 ratings. It introduced instruments and allowed more of the singers to sing their own songs. This re-invigorated people's interest in the show and introduced a couple of unique artists. Series 5 was quite dissappointing, with controversy littered throughout the Series. I won't go over them all again because most of them were really quite minor and Channel Ten blew one of them out of proportion just for publicity. It also re-introduced Dicko, which interested people at the start but the novelty soon faded. In the end the show recieved its worst final-show audience. There is still more left in the Idol tank and I think it could return to it's former Guy-Shannon glory.
Big Brother is the most obvious show in need of an overhaul and Channel Ten obviously saw this too so they brought in Kyle and Jackie O and kicked out Gretel. Gretel was very professional and a good presenter so it was a shame to see her go but Channel Ten obviously thought otherwise.
Kyle and Jackie O will liven up the show and there is bound to be controversy with Kyle co-hosting... which Ten obviously wants.
Dancing with the Stars is always good light-entertainment and it hasn't really had a major overhaul since it began... probably because it hasn't needed it. But last season, viewers started to slightly tire of it and not as many watched, so to avoid a further slide, it needs slight tweaking.
And Channel Seven have so far done all the right things by only allowing one season instead of two. The departure of Daryl Somers was a surprise, so it will be interesting to see if it was Daryl who was keeping the show afloat. A new host probably won't make it more popular than before, unless Channel Seven changes the whole look of Dancing. And the new host could be the key to its ongoing success. If another host is chosen and it works, the show will probably continue for many a year, but if it doesn't, Channel Seven will be regretting that Daryl left as it would show that he was the key to its success and its ratings will slide further.
Are there any other shows that you feel are in need of a make-over that aren't reality shows? Or do you disagree with my opinions? Leave a comment if so.
The shows that stand out are mostly Channel Ten's, with Australian Idol and Big Brother all waning in popularity in 2007. Dancing with the Stars, while not doing too badly, is starting to look a bit repetative.
Australian Idol has already undergone one overhaul, which brought it back to life in Series 4 after sagging Series 3 ratings. It introduced instruments and allowed more of the singers to sing their own songs. This re-invigorated people's interest in the show and introduced a couple of unique artists. Series 5 was quite dissappointing, with controversy littered throughout the Series. I won't go over them all again because most of them were really quite minor and Channel Ten blew one of them out of proportion just for publicity. It also re-introduced Dicko, which interested people at the start but the novelty soon faded. In the end the show recieved its worst final-show audience. There is still more left in the Idol tank and I think it could return to it's former Guy-Shannon glory.
Big Brother is the most obvious show in need of an overhaul and Channel Ten obviously saw this too so they brought in Kyle and Jackie O and kicked out Gretel. Gretel was very professional and a good presenter so it was a shame to see her go but Channel Ten obviously thought otherwise.
Kyle and Jackie O will liven up the show and there is bound to be controversy with Kyle co-hosting... which Ten obviously wants.
Dancing with the Stars is always good light-entertainment and it hasn't really had a major overhaul since it began... probably because it hasn't needed it. But last season, viewers started to slightly tire of it and not as many watched, so to avoid a further slide, it needs slight tweaking.
And Channel Seven have so far done all the right things by only allowing one season instead of two. The departure of Daryl Somers was a surprise, so it will be interesting to see if it was Daryl who was keeping the show afloat. A new host probably won't make it more popular than before, unless Channel Seven changes the whole look of Dancing. And the new host could be the key to its ongoing success. If another host is chosen and it works, the show will probably continue for many a year, but if it doesn't, Channel Seven will be regretting that Daryl left as it would show that he was the key to its success and its ratings will slide further.
Are there any other shows that you feel are in need of a make-over that aren't reality shows? Or do you disagree with my opinions? Leave a comment if so.
Monday, January 28, 2008
TV08:US Gloss
This is a post high-lighting the Glossy new US shows coming to our screens in February. Since Lost and Desperate Housewives drew massive ratings three years ago, the networks have been offering up shiny new shows from the USA. Of course Seven has received the pick of the best US shows and appears to be the network which promotes its new US shows the most.
This year they have some more shows from America to serve up.
Dirty Sexy Money has a moderately star-studded cast with Donald Sutherland and William Baldwin. It could appeal to some people because everyone loves shows about cash, scandals and sex. But there is something about this show which doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps it is all the talk of scandals and families which look perfect but underneath there is controversy and intrigue... I feel like I have seen all this before in shows like Desperate Housewives.
Samantha Who is a piece of comedy fluff which is fronted by Christina Applegate, who has bobbed around and popped up in different things before this show. I might watch this show once just to see if it is entertaining but I don't really like the look of it. In the ads Applegate's Samantha is being portrayed as another ditzy, clumsy female, just like Ugly Betty.
Pushing Daisies looks like a pretty unique show, just by the fact that it looks pretty original. For this reason I might have a look but I hope it's not too quirky and doesn't go too much into the sci-fi realm, given that the guy can bring things back to life with his touch.
Private Practice, Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle are all in the same catergory for me, basically because I will not watch any of them. To me they seem like clones of Grey's Anatomy, Sex and the City and Sex and the City respectively. I didn't like either of those shows either so why should I watch their re-incarnations. Is it a female thing?
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: This show shouldn't last very long for one main reason. There's no Arnie and they call it Terminator. I was never a big fan of the movies and I don't think I will watch this show. The last show like this Bionic Woman failed so I don't see how this is much different.
Women's Murder Club isn't this just Sex and the City crossed with Law and Order? I don't know. Either way it doesn't interest me.
Well, is it just me who isn't that interested in these shiny new shows? I will stick with the older US shows like Lost, Desperate Housewives and maybe House. Now is the perfect time for Australian content to flourish. If you have seen any of these shows and I am wrong in any of my assumptions, please let me know.
This year they have some more shows from America to serve up.
Dirty Sexy Money has a moderately star-studded cast with Donald Sutherland and William Baldwin. It could appeal to some people because everyone loves shows about cash, scandals and sex. But there is something about this show which doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps it is all the talk of scandals and families which look perfect but underneath there is controversy and intrigue... I feel like I have seen all this before in shows like Desperate Housewives.
Samantha Who is a piece of comedy fluff which is fronted by Christina Applegate, who has bobbed around and popped up in different things before this show. I might watch this show once just to see if it is entertaining but I don't really like the look of it. In the ads Applegate's Samantha is being portrayed as another ditzy, clumsy female, just like Ugly Betty.
Pushing Daisies looks like a pretty unique show, just by the fact that it looks pretty original. For this reason I might have a look but I hope it's not too quirky and doesn't go too much into the sci-fi realm, given that the guy can bring things back to life with his touch.
Private Practice, Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle are all in the same catergory for me, basically because I will not watch any of them. To me they seem like clones of Grey's Anatomy, Sex and the City and Sex and the City respectively. I didn't like either of those shows either so why should I watch their re-incarnations. Is it a female thing?
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: This show shouldn't last very long for one main reason. There's no Arnie and they call it Terminator. I was never a big fan of the movies and I don't think I will watch this show. The last show like this Bionic Woman failed so I don't see how this is much different.
Women's Murder Club isn't this just Sex and the City crossed with Law and Order? I don't know. Either way it doesn't interest me.
Well, is it just me who isn't that interested in these shiny new shows? I will stick with the older US shows like Lost, Desperate Housewives and maybe House. Now is the perfect time for Australian content to flourish. If you have seen any of these shows and I am wrong in any of my assumptions, please let me know.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
TV08:Australian Comedy
As you probably are already aware, 2007 was a great year for Aussie comedy. The big five were Kath and Kim, Thank God You're Here, Summer Heights High, the Chaser and Spicks and Specks. They were all ratings successes and were all very funny. It revived Australian comedy, which had been struggling a bit the past few years (with the exception of Kath and Kim of course).This year is a different story. Of the '07 hits; There is no Kath and Kim (except maybe a movie), Thank God You're Here, Summer Heights High and no Chaser for the first half of the year. We only have Spicks and Specks, which is also part gameshow.
Of the new shows, we have Out of the Question, which is also part game-show, hosted by Glenn Robbins. This looks promising, and could be very successful if Channel Seven doesn't try too hard and over-structure the show. If they give our top comedians such as Glenn Robbins and Ed Kavalee (if he is on the show), some room to breathe, it could be very funny. If it turns out to be live it could be even better and some impromptu comedy "youtube" moments could be created.
There is also Good News Week, which we already have seen before, but with Paul McDermott hosting you know it is bound to be funny. It just depends whether enough people will watch it, with the previous GNW and its re-incarnation The Glass House not exactly rating fantastically and McDermott's The Sideshow being axed due to poor ratings.
Monster House is Nine's attempt at comedy. With no comedy successes in '07, it will be hard to establish a unique sense of humour but it will try again with this. In '07 Suprise Suprise Gotcha not suprisingly didn't work. This was not due to Matt Tilley, whose great talents were wasted on this show, in which Channel Nine tried to cash in on his "Gotcha" call success in Melbourne. It was due to the unintelligent set-ups and constant repeats of "Classic" suprise suprise set-ups.
Oh, and it was also up against Mr. Somers.
Monster House looks like another Suprise Suprise Gotcha only with non-famous people getting stung, not celebrities. It is also Channel Nine trying to use the moderately popular Rebel Wilson; who is moderately popular from the terrible The Wedge, Fat Pizza and a couple of appearances on Thank God You're Here (which these days earns people radio jobs- Akmal Saleh, Dancing with the Stars Appearances- Fifi Box, and leading roles in TV shows- Rebel Wilson).
Anyway, based on the success of Suprise, this show won't be the most popular show in the world, but it might create some funny characters, and it could use these characters to find some success.
Rove is back... which Channel Ten probably says "Thank God" to. If he would have moved to America permanently, it would leave a big hole in Australian TV, but people obviously don't realise this when they voted him Most Annoying TV Personality, but you can read more about that in the Cranky Corner post.
Rove and his "gang" will continue to entertain.
Packed to the Rafters looks to be a sort of "dramedy". Probably will be a good family show and with Rebecca Gibney and Michael Caton, who are quite popular, will probably be successful.
Of course Spicks and the Chaser will be popular again.
Kenny's World Tour of Toilets sees Shane Jacobson reprise his role as Kenny to travel the world. If this doesn't work, it will tarnish the Kenny brand but I don't see any reason why it won't. But you only have to look at the My Big Fat Greek Wedding TV spin-off to be a bit scared.
Friday Night Download can hardly be called comedy but I guess that is what they are trying to achieve. All I will say about it is that if you ever have a thought to watch it, log on to a little thing called YouTube.
If I have forgotten anything or if you have an opinion on any of these shows, post a comment.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
It Takes Who?!
Now I have seen some pretty bad "celebrity" line-ups in the past over the last couple of years but this years It Takes Two certainly takes the cake. I mean, most people would not have heard of most of the celebrities on this years line up.The seven website says there is;
Paul O'Brian from Home and Away. I don't watch Home and Away and even if I did I probably wouldn't know who he was.
Chloe Maxwell I only vaguely remember from a Just Jeans commercial.
Scott Draper; I think I have heard his name mentioned in the news.
Virginia Gay; Never heard of her. Never watched All Saints and I don't plan to.
Julia Morris; I have only seen her once or twice on Thank God You're Here and I heard she was in the Singing Office on Foxtel but I don't have Foxtel so...
John Mangos; Had never heard of him until I heard on Weekend Sunrise that his wife had had a baby. And once again, because I don't have Foxtel, I have never seen him on Sky News.
Sara Groen; I remember seeing her once or twice on Saturday Disney until she left and I haven't seen her since.
Mark Wilson; He is probably the biggest "celebrity" on this show- and that is saying something.
Candice Falzon: Had never heard of her until she did a couple of publicity interviews on the radio... apparently an Ironwoman... OK.
Russell Robertson: Once again, I am familiar with his name but not much else. I don't barrack for Melbourne either.
And by the way, a note on the It Takes Two web-page; Channel Seven, please update the picture of Grant Denyer and Terasa Livingstone at the top of the page... isn't Erika Heynatz supposed to be co-hosting? That picture is two years old!
Anyway, I will not be watching ITT as much this season. The show is just a vehicle for D- Grade celebrities to boost their profiles and hopefully get a job as It Takes Two co-host next season... like Kate Ritchie and Erika Heynatz.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Channel Nine's New Old Look
Well I know this is about a week old now but I would just to congratulate nine for reverting back to its old logo. It looks much better that its old 9 in a square. The Nine promos also look good in between the programs. The old promos were shocking. They were unimaginative and tired. The only thing that the new promos expose about Channel Nine is that they don't have a lot of new talent and new faces. Over the past two or three years the same faces have been around at Channel Nine. For example; Eddie, Catriona, Peter Hitchener, Bert, Ray, Sam Newman. I'm not saying we should get rid of these people because they are experienced professionals but an injection of fresh talent would give Nine its much needed boost.
It is also about time that they got a slogan again. I don't think that they've actually had a proper slogan for the past 2 years and their new one, We (heart) TV, while not the most original, is pretty good. Anyway, what do you think?
Sunrise vs. Today
As we head into another ratings season I was wondering whether the fortunes of the struggling Today show will improve. Which show have you been watching and what will you watch this year. I have always watched Today. Don't ask me why. To me, both of the shows are looking more and more like each other everyday. Are there any members of the Today show or Sunrise team who annoy you. Who is the best host? Karl and Lisa are always improving and the show can only get better as they improve their rapport together. The Today show has well and truly moved on from the whole Jessica Rowe debacle. Karl doesn't look as nervous as he used to and is also getting better. Sunrise is rolling along, still winning the ratings easily without having to make drastic changes to its format. If the Today show can continue with its current team without losing anyone, its ratings should slowly improve.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
TV08
This post is designed for you to express your opinions, expectations and hopes for TV shows in 2008. Which new and returning shows are you excited about? Which ones are you dreading? Which personalities do you hope to see more of and less of? Once again I will start it off...
New Shows
So far no new shows have really got me excited. I don't know about you guys but
Reaper- Looks OK, could serve as a replacement to My Name is Earl before it comes back.
Out of the Question- This will either be really good and funny. Could be the next Thank God You're Here ratings wise. This will be some of the only Aussie comedy on offer at the start of the year so it could provide a few laughs, especially with Glenn Robbins at the helm. He has not yet fronted a show by himself but has become popular through his roles as Kel, Uncle Arthur and Russel Coight. If Ed Kavalee really is going to be on the show, it really will be worth watching. Fifi Box and Tony Moclair might be entertaining.
Good News Week- There is nothing bad about it returning, with the absence of the axed Slideshow, it will be good to see Paul McDermott back on screen. The big question will be whether it rates. It probably won't get really high figures given The Sideshow was axed, but it might pull respectable figures...And I know that it's technically not a new show.
Back To You- I think many people have been missing Frasier and Raymond since they left a couple of years ago and we haven't seen a decent new American sitcom since. It will be good light-entertainment.
Monster House- It might not be the best show coming up but it might unearth some new Aussie talent. It also sounds like a kind-of original idea.
I will add more to this when I find out more about the new shows.
Returning Shows
Lost- Lost has been a great show over the past couple of years and the saga continues to unfold and we will hopefully get closer to some answers in Season 4. The only bad thing about Lost is that Seven only has less than half a normal season up its sleeve. So don't get too attached to it because just as you start to get into it, it will be yanked off your screen.
Desperate Housewives- After a better Season 3, Season 4 of Desperate Housewives should be good. But once again, don't get too attached to it.
Rove- Consistently funny and entertaining show. Rove was voted most annoying TV personality at the beginning of the year but this isn't accurate at all. Anyway, hopefully the whole Rove team is back again for 2008.
Newstopia- The extremely funny Shaun Micallef is back with this fast-paced show which is sure to entertain again.
Scrubs- Hopefully it is coming back but I haven't read or seen anything yet. Also a very funny show but is buried at night.
Spicks and Specks- Great show which hasn't tired itself out yet. It should continue to be funny especially with Adam Hills, Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough still on board.
New Shows
So far no new shows have really got me excited. I don't know about you guys but
Reaper- Looks OK, could serve as a replacement to My Name is Earl before it comes back.
Out of the Question- This will either be really good and funny. Could be the next Thank God You're Here ratings wise. This will be some of the only Aussie comedy on offer at the start of the year so it could provide a few laughs, especially with Glenn Robbins at the helm. He has not yet fronted a show by himself but has become popular through his roles as Kel, Uncle Arthur and Russel Coight. If Ed Kavalee really is going to be on the show, it really will be worth watching. Fifi Box and Tony Moclair might be entertaining.
Good News Week- There is nothing bad about it returning, with the absence of the axed Slideshow, it will be good to see Paul McDermott back on screen. The big question will be whether it rates. It probably won't get really high figures given The Sideshow was axed, but it might pull respectable figures...And I know that it's technically not a new show.
Back To You- I think many people have been missing Frasier and Raymond since they left a couple of years ago and we haven't seen a decent new American sitcom since. It will be good light-entertainment.
Monster House- It might not be the best show coming up but it might unearth some new Aussie talent. It also sounds like a kind-of original idea.
I will add more to this when I find out more about the new shows.
Returning Shows
Lost- Lost has been a great show over the past couple of years and the saga continues to unfold and we will hopefully get closer to some answers in Season 4. The only bad thing about Lost is that Seven only has less than half a normal season up its sleeve. So don't get too attached to it because just as you start to get into it, it will be yanked off your screen.
Desperate Housewives- After a better Season 3, Season 4 of Desperate Housewives should be good. But once again, don't get too attached to it.
Rove- Consistently funny and entertaining show. Rove was voted most annoying TV personality at the beginning of the year but this isn't accurate at all. Anyway, hopefully the whole Rove team is back again for 2008.
Newstopia- The extremely funny Shaun Micallef is back with this fast-paced show which is sure to entertain again.
Scrubs- Hopefully it is coming back but I haven't read or seen anything yet. Also a very funny show but is buried at night.
Spicks and Specks- Great show which hasn't tired itself out yet. It should continue to be funny especially with Adam Hills, Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough still on board.
The Cranky Corner
This is the place where you can vent all of your frustrations about Australian TV. It can be your annoyances with certain TV personalities, TV commercials or anything else which happens to get on your nerves. I will start off the Cranky Corner with the Channel Nine Advertising Watermarks. If you thought that the scrolling banners across your screen weren't annoying enough, Channel Nine manages to step it up a notch with ads such as The Chopping Block- Coming February written across the bottom right of your screen for an hour while Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is on. I believe that there was also a Sarah Connor Chronicles watermark in the corner of another show which I glanced at. Anyway, another Cranky is a small one but is still really annoying. I am also against Rove Voted Most Annoying TV Personality. People have run out of people to call annoying and have gone for Rove. Is he annoying because he was on a mammoth 2 shows in 2007? Maybe you can tell me if you find Rove annoying and why/why not. Well that's all I've got for now, hopefully you can help add to the list.
Welcome
Hello... this is my TV blog. I am not here to supply news, http://www.tvtonight.com.au/ is the best source for news to do with TV. This site is to act as a forum for opinions and views on Australian TV. Discuss your favourite and least favourite shows and personalities on TV. I will offer some of my opinions for you to dispute or agree on. Feel free to leave comments or send me an email.
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