Channel Nine has locked in its premiere for Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities -and it’s not what was reported in The Herald Sun and Daily Telegraph this morning.
The prequel will premiere at 8:30pm Monday February 9th and, reports The Australian, “stay in the Monday timeslot.”
TV Tonight can also confirm it will be a two hour premiere.
This pits the show head to head with Desperate Housewives and Good News Week on Seven and TEN, plus Dexter and Brothers and Sisters.
Yesterday Nine announced the return of The Mentalist, Kitchen Nightmares: USA which when added with Domestic Blitz, Wipeout Australia and the cricket is beefing up Nine’s schedule.
This morning’s newspapers incorrectly stated the prequel would air on a Wednesday before moving to Sundays after the cricket. But that appears to have been a red herring.
TV Tonight notes the secrecy and guessing games over where shows are launching has also kept quite a few executives in an early year spin.
More to follow….
Source: The Australian
I had to go to dinner and missed it! Will there be a repeat of Episode 1?????
DFG has issues.
Ummm no, I don’t have a big plasma and I don’t download many TV shows. I am just glad I have enough tuners to cope with what is going to be a very busy night of TV. I am sorry you have tuner envy and/or anger management issues.
Belinda on January 28th, 2009 2:47 pm ,
Hey Belinda, who really cares if you have 4 tuners!!! I mean, big woopeydoo!! Are you one of those people who love boasting about how big there Plasma is or How many TV shows you love downloading, Illegailly from the net(like neon_kitten boasts about on here!!).
Get a Life…… sheesh!!
Am I missing something here, an 8:30 timeslot with what promises to be more gratuitous smut and filth just to satisfy a few pervs who need to get their rocks off and cannot enjoy drama any other way? Is that not a clear breach of regulations?
Underbelly 3 – Taxpayer funded gastric Bypass Surgery.
Will Underbelly 2 be aired uncut in Victoria..and what about the missing eps from series one or have the courts still refused permission to air here.
@ Kuttsywoo…..underbelly 3 will be set ~40 years in the future and called
“underbelly: the next generation”. lol
I won’t be watching Underbelly this year. I watched all of season 1 but now I feel the new one won’t be up to scratch, I’d rather a new idea was done rather than the same one being rehashed in a different time period. I expect it to rate rather massively though.
well i don’t bother recording seasons if i know i will have to do it for the whole season. too much stress kepping up to date. i have only seen episode 1 of desperate housewives and it is very enticing so the 1 week head start is a big advantage for them.
i think it will be a much more older skewing season this year of Underbelly. GNW will swallow some young people as well.
Craig: Underbelly 2 will also be 13 episodes long. Interesting match-up against DH though.
This is gonna slaughter the competition – I’m betting 2.1 for episode 1.
Il’m assuming though DH will only have to endure 12 weeks of Underbelly – but then Nine will likely bring in Sea Patrol to the timeslot which viewers will be used to watching Underbelly hence having already warmed the seat for Sea Patrol – its smart on Nine’s behalf, but I’ll stay loyal to Desperate Housewives it wasn’t on my download quota this year, I have a PVR that I’ll record Underbelly on and I already own and have seen the second season of Dexter. GNW hasn’t been one of my favourites for a long time now.
Of course it will be underbelly on monday; DH can easily be downloaded, it’s a no brainer.
Looks like the smarties at Nine are playing games
Monday night is a good choice with very little competition..new series of DH is way down in the states and wasn’t doing that great last year. I love GNW but cmon.
For me watching Underbelly and taping Paul & co.
Thank God I have four tuners on my PVR. Underbelly vs Desperate Housewives vs GNW vs South Park, and I watch all of them. Luckily Four Corners and Media Watch have repeat screenings too.
Scottstar it says “on Seven and TEN.”
is this another 13 ep season of Underbelly? also, how far into the ratinsg season does the cricket extend, i wouldnt have thought there are many games left…if there are 20/20 games then nine will probably notch up a few early weekly wins!
Desperate Housewives and Good News Week on Seven?
I wonder what Underbelly 3 will be…
It will be a battle over the remote! But I’ve seen Desperate and Dexter, plus Good News Week is not as good as it once was.
Urgh, I pick Desperate Housewives. Underbelly will be recorded – Nine should’ve left it in the Wednesday night timeslot. Maybe I’ll just wait for DVD.
Underbelly vs. DH seems sensible, considering DH appeals to mainly female audience. Plus DH was averaging 1.2/1.3mill last year I think, so the competition isn’t as strong as a City Homicide or Packed to the Rafters for example.