 David Knox delivers his mid-year report on all things TV.
Halfway through the TV year, what have we learned? Gordon Ramsay fucking rules; we apparently can’t get enough of gangsters (or their molls); and Kyle Sandilands has a dodgy eye. If only programmers knew then what we know now. They would never have made Monster House, My Kid’s a Star, The Night Cap, Wheel of Fortune or have fast-tracked shows in 2007.
The US Writer’s Strike hit so hard that shows we were generously given last year (Prison Break, Heroes, House, etc) were frozen out. But it gave a new life to Good News Week, a show that’s rebounded with a much fresher makeover than Gladiators, whose eye candy novelty quickly subsided; leaving us listening to the autocue shouting of Tom Williams and Zoe Naylor.
There’s been next to no local comedy this year: The Chaser, Kath & Kim, Thank God You’re Here, Summer Heights High, Wilfred we miss you. Roll on The Hollowmen. Thankfully drama has been booming, with the excellent Underbelly a clear winner. But what an almighty debacle was the Victorian ban. Who needs a sequel or prequel when there’s already one being played out on A Current Affair and Today Tonight?
The brightest new hit of the year, and the gayest, was So You Think You Can Dance Australia, bursting with true talent, optimism and a sense of inclusion. Rhys, Demi and judge Jason did us proud. And who would have thought the deconstruction of ads in The Gruen Transfer could be so entertaining? SBS also did a great job with the local Who Do You Think You Are? Can they ever hope to score with Top Gear Australia? Doubtful...
We’re smothered with factual series. What are we to make of the egg and shell titles of Border Security, Border Patrol, Surf Patrol, Bondi Rescue, Search and Rescue, RSPCA Animal Rescue, Animal Emergency and Medical Emergency? Pass me the Panadol.
Yet the biggest faux pas continues to be with shows ripped off air without explanation or apology. Even Ugly Betty, the once-glorious hope of 2007, is gone. And it’s YOUR FAULT! For the second half of the year I propose the networks front up to customs with a suitcase full of programmes. Anybody smuggling anything that has already screened on another network, or that involves Roberta Williams, Kyle Sandilands or Mercedes Corby is out.
I’d watch that.
TV Guide
FRIDAY 4
[SBS/7:30pm] The Fabulous Flag Sisters. Perth’s Neil Hansen was one of three drag performers who, in 1977, took Italy by storm as outrageous television stars The Flag Sisters. Here, intercut with archival TV footage, he revisits Italy; reminiscing on those salad days alongside Roberto Benigni and Isabella Rossellini.
SATURDAY 5
[W/7:15pm] An Audience with... Anthony Callea, Rob Mills, Amanda Harrison and Maggie Kirkpatrick chat about the premiere season of Wicked.
SUNDAY 6
[ABC/7:30pm] Doctor Who. New Series. The highlight of this first new episode is the reunion of David Tennant (The Doctor) and companion Catherine Tate (Donna), a moment of inspired mime. I’m pleased to see Tate’s boisterous comic style is otherwise kept in check. As always, the production values are immaculate, though it’s a rather routine Earth-bound start. No doubt the rest of the road-movie series, Russell T. Davies’ last, holds much more.
[ABC/8:30pm] Valentine’s Day. This ‘battler’s’ telemovie won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s not without its underdog charms. With country larrikins, a pie factory and a rock band, the only thing missing is the chook raffle. Some familar supporting players dot the cast including Lulu McClatchy aka SuperGirly.
[Nine/9:30pm] Without a Trace. Aussie director John Polson delivers a rather laboured episode, notable for a rare television appearance by actress Linda Hunt (The Year of Living Dangerously).
[TEN/9:50pm] Dexter. Cancel everything for the next 12 Sundays. This is quite simply the best new series in a long, long time: sinister, diabolical, whimsical and entirely captivating. Michael C. Hall is dazzling as the ‘darkly dreaming Dexter’, a sympathetic serial-killer. Shame about the timeslot, but at least it’s uncut. Unmissable.
MONDAY 7
[Arena/8:30pm] Project Runway Australia. Premiere. There’s a lot of anticipation for the local fashion reality series that reportedly has more than its share of gay contestants.
[SBS/8:35pm] South Park. Guess which repeat this is? “Come out of the closet, Tom. You're not fooling anyone.”
TUESDAY 8
[Seven/8:30pm] All Saints. Charlotte (Tammy McIntosh) has her day in court in a defamation claim against a female nurse (Petra Yared) who says she sexually assaulted her. The defending lawyer tries to determine Charlotte’s sexuality, which is kinda helpful, because as a viewer it’s something I’ve never really been clear on either.
WEDNESDAY 9
[ABC/9:30pm] The Hollowmen. Premiere. I was hoping to score a preview of Working Dog’s newest fare, which satirises the think-tank of the PM’s department. Place your bets now for a smart, incisive contemporary comedy that has everybody in Canberra ducking for cover.
[Seven/9:30pm] Prison Break. Series Return. Seven finally screens the last five eps (y’know, the ones you downloaded in February?) as scrummy Michael tries to break out of the Panamanian gaol. I guess he’s not into Latinos. Hope you can remember where we last left off.
THURSDAY 10
[Nine/12:00pm] Best in Show (US 2000). Doesn’t matter what time of day this is on. Truly irreverent fun at the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show. Rpt.
[Seven/7:30pm] How I Met Your Mother. Buoyed by the reinvention of her first appearance, Britney is back, and a whole lot of fun as the lovesick Abby. At this rate she could land her own sitcom with Dr. Phil in tow.
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