A new game show premieres tonight on Channel 31 in Melbourne, Gay News Week.
Airing at 10:30pm, the show is produced by community group Bent TV which has been in existence since 1993.
In Sydney the gay community produces Queer Oz which airs on TVS Sunday nights at 10:30pm with hosts Pandora Box and Matt Taylor. It also airs on pay TV’s Aurora Channel.
But one young group of ambitious gay producers is looking to venture beyond community television to Free to Air or Pay TV.
The Weekly G is a lifestyle pilot produced by Kirk Goodsell and Serena Ryan, who produced The Red Room for Channel 31, picking up Antenna Awards along the way.
Hoping to launch on a network in 2010 the show explores the diversity of ‘everyday’ gay people and their families.
The 5 presenters cover food, fashion, family, friends, fitness and fun (maybe it should be retitled The Weekly F?). Aiming for inclusion rather than exclusion, it will also cover all sexualities regardless of orientation.
Producer / Presenter Kirk Goodsell says the show will include “Gay people, male and female, young and old, part of the family, community and world -as equals, contributors and role models for others both gay and straight.”
So far it has the support of a number of sponsors including JOY 94.9, Australis, Skinstitut, and MelbourneMedia.
The sizzle reel put together certainly looks a step above common production qualities in the community sector. Producers have approached a number of networks in both commercial and pay television sectors including executives at Seven, SBS, ABC, TEN, Nine, and XYZ Networks.
The Weekly G website can be seen at theweeklyg.com.au
Wow – imagine if this kind of show hit free-to-air! It would be one huge leap in the history of Australian television. I think the show will go a long way in breaking down narrow-mindedness, stereotyping and labelling. We’re all human; and, whether one is “gay” or “straight”, we are all fundamentally the same. I sincerely hope this show makes it. Good luck to Kirk and the team!
Can’t wait to see this one hit the networks. There is no way this one can slip through the cracks. Good work.
Yes this please.
The trailer looked great! Hope this makes it on air!
If only for the debate on sexuality and, more importantly basic human rights, this show would stir in our communities, The Weekly G is worth putting on public TV. Considering the fuss made about a ‘gay kiss’ on a certain Channel 7 show, I expect a hard sell to the TV executives, though it’s about time our TV stations cast aside their so called ‘morality’ and reclaimed their rights to put on innovative TV. Surely Australians in their majority would prefer to see these ‘sick’ people on screen to others with Embarrassing Illnesses. Come on, how bad could it be!? Bring it on! Good luck to all involved in the show!
Fantasic!!! Can’t wait to get my fix of The Weekly G on a weekly basis!
australia needs something Exactly like this…it will be a hit
What a great idea, I hope this show gets on air!
I’ve heard some inside goss on this, and if it makes free to air, which it should, i think the boundaries everyone has about who’s on what side of the fence, will show there is no fence at all. On free to air, Everyone will watch the show the first time, curiosity kills the cat, and when they see a neighbourhood with no fences and no indifference it won’t give anyone anything important to complain about. Lifestyle TV with real purpose… about bloody time! The only thing wrong with being on free to air, is it won’t fit in with the rest of the rubbish they show. Exceptions made for ABC and SBS of course.
Sounds like a great idea. Wishing you success with it.
Well I certainly hope this show gets to air – it would be about time something like this was shown. Sounds interesting & I would love to see more!
Everyone I have spoken to is so excited about this show, I really hope one of the networks realise how groundbreaking this concept is, and how overdue!!
So great to see a program that is looking at breaking stereotypes by having a policy of inclusion, but in an entertaining way! If more shows were like this I doubt we’d be justified for calling the t.v an idiot box.
Good on you guys, and good luck!
Well done… Am watching this success story unfold… Keep it about living life to the fullest regardless of sexual orientation… And ‘down to earth’ with energy and reality .. And you will capture the ratings!
Sounds like a great new concept and very much needed on TV. Looking forward to watching on TV !!!!!
What a great idea – come on networks – take a risk and put Australia on the international map by acting like grown ups and giving equal opportunities to everyone – who knows, where we lead the rest of the world may eventually follow!
Hey guys, I can’t wait till you guys finally get a regular slot on a network & we get a regular ‘real’ gay show to enjoy!
regards – Steve
great! had no idea of the direction the show was going till i saw this cant wait to check it out!!!
best of luck to all involved!
good luck with the show. with serena involved it should be just great
gerard
I can’t wait to be able to see the show in Perth. I may not be gay, but look forward to the opportunity to see the fresh ideas of all sections of the community. Good luck Serena, I always knew you would be a success!!!!
well done guys….and thanks for a show that will finally show our lives in a true light!
Excellent initiatve. Congratulations! Australia needs a new kind of family to hit the screens. I believe your lifestyle show has enormous potential.
It is important to raise awarenes of equal rights for all people, regardless of sexual orientation. You are giving all of us an opportunity to embrace our community.
A gem for you: In a progressive country change is constant; change is inevitable – Benjamin Disraeli
I wish you every success in building upon our extended family and making changes, one small step at a time.
Gia Stone
Well done guys and a huge thankyou…innovative, a breath of fresh air, and an absolute relief to finally have a show that explores and depicts the lives of those in the glbt community in a truthful and accurate way…without the stereotyping….!!!!!! Good job guys!
This is such a brilliant idea. It’s about time someone thought of something like this. Pure genius!!!
Hi,
Great to see this subject aired with candour and humour.
Wishing you every success.
Peadareen
The TV viewing public is well and truely ready for this kind of show.
Well done to the Weekly G for a fantastic concept…
I’m going to be an Aunt to twins soon that will be born to my gorgeous niece and her gorgeous partner through IVF.
So looking forward to it…
C’mn you commercial stations, take this show on board and you will be riding a winner…
This will be a great show with my fab and hard-working sister-in-law co-producing. Way to go, Serena and the best of luck with it.
Coming from the other side of the fence (i.e. not gay) I think that it is about time TV and society gets behind programmes like this to celebrate the diversity of life. Who says what is a right way to live? If people don’t hurt other people, or animals, then it should be live and let live.
Good luck with the show and I hope you have great success
Fingers crossed that this fantastic concept of a tv show gets picked up by one of the networks. I’m sure it would help break down the barriers – maybe not overnight, but hopefully during the course of the “Weekly G” show, narrow minded ‘straight’ people might find that ‘queers’ aren’t that weird and strange after all…pretty nice human beings actually! Good luck guys…
I think all of Australia should be able to view this program as it is a fantastic concept something fresh and new for all to enjoy. Can’t wait to see it !!
What a fabulous concept. I really hope this show gets picked up by a commercial station. It’s great to see a show that portrays the ‘regular, normal’ gay people out there and what interests they have in their daily lives. There’s a real gap in the market for this type of show.
Hi John,
Thank you for your comments. As co-producer and co-creator of the show, I can assure you that this show does not label people. The concept behind the show is to demonstrate the elements for living a happy and healthy lifestyle is the same regardless of sexuality. the weekly g is a show for everyone. Yes, we do provide content that is about the lives of gay people (such as same-sex parenting) and feature organisations that are gay-focused; but the point is the whole show is accessible by everyone.
We are not telling people how to live their life by any means, we are focused on living a positive life – embracing community and family (whether that is a family is biologically related or just purely logically related – like a best friend or a group of mates) so we don’t seek to dictate to any population or culture. The show is comprised of both gay and straight folk in terms of the presenting team and guests.
Our aim for this show is to present a range a gay folk who are your everyday people – not conforming to stereotypes but rather, people who are honest, hard-working and living life to the fullest. The strength of the weekly g is that it’s a lifestyle show that features gay and straight people with gay and straight content. What’s unique is that we give gay people an equal voice in a non-stereotypical way. It’s time a show like this featured on Australian TV.
I hope that clarifies the show’s message a little more. With thanks and best wishes, Kirk Goodsell.
Kirk & Serena,
One of the majors aired kiwifruit from New Zealand – with kiwi content – although interesting – there wasn’t much relevance – I hope everything works out.
Shane
I can’t believe something like this hasn’t been on the air already. Why we have to always box people into their little clicks all the time is beyond me. I think catering for anyone and everyone is a great idea and I will definitely be watching! Make sure you come to WA though dont leave out the West!
An Australian network needs to take the lead here! It is vital that the we represent on television the wonderful diversity in our communities and our country. It’s time to challenege the stereotypes. Terrific idea and congrats to all involved!
Would dearly Loveo see such a show on Free to air/pay tv channels; it’s beyond time the programming execs pulled their finger out of their proverbials and represented the LGBT community on air.
Based on the info and trailer I’ve seen, the whole idea of the show is to move beyond parties and Kylie. Not that there’s anything wrong with that either. I think in this case we should be encouraging independent producers and taking a risk. But John if you have an angle for a show you could always get to work on a pilot too? Good ideas will always win out…
Understand David, but why do so many people in the scene need to conform by going to the right parties, listening to Kylie etc ?? ( Not that there’s anything wrong with that )
Not only just gay people.
Young gay people need to know they don’t have to live a certain way to be accepted.
Surely you can see where I’m coming from ?
John, clearly as a lifestyle show it would aim at a certain audience, and while there are many shows that cross demographics, shows/networks/advertisers need to know who their audience is. Guide to the Good Life for instance is aimed at a seniors audience. We’ve had shows that speak to indigenous, Muslim, kids, youth, technology enthusiasts etc. Worth noting that this pilot is in-clusive rather than ex-clusive. TV is a huge landscape, there is room for all…
What an awesome idea! When is it going to be on free to air?
I am not homophopbic, but why label people.
Lets have a show about people, who cares who they sleep with etc
I hate stereotyping people, just because you are gay dosen’t mean you have to listen to a certain type of music or live in a certain suburb !!!
When people get together to make something wonderful and to tell a story, great energy is created. Isnt that what is important? We are all the same, we hope, dream, live, work, love and die. It’s what we do before the dying part that’s important, and the making of a show like this, exploring life and the joys of such, whether you are straight or gay, should be embraced and on TV!
Bring it on. I really hope they aim to cross the sexuality divide as well. It’s important that gay content is not merely treated as such and given a patronising, self serving response from the mainstream media. I think this show looks to have some great talent and ideas. Good luck.
Are any of these Pay TV shows on Briz 31 up here in Brisbane?
It would be great to see this on Free to Air or Pay TV. I really hope that networks focus on the quality and potential of the show when making a decision. I think it will have wide appeal, because it’s basically good entertainment.
I love the concept of this show, it sounds like it will represent our community in a posative and natural light that many people fail to understand. Its not a rip off comedy show which jokes about gay issues and about being gay but a serious representation that we deal with the same things that everybody else in the world does.
We are families, mothers, brothers, sisters, auncles, aunts, fathers, single parents, elderley, we are the same and we are everywhere so well done and good luck !
Sounds interesting so far… has this been picked up by a network yet? Do we know anything about when it’ll be aired? If they do this right (i.e. the networks don’t make it stereotypical), then I’d definitely want to watch this…
An excellent idea for any net work to pick up. It sounds like something new, fresh and creative. That is what television needs at the moment!
It is high time shows like this are aired. I fully support this project whole heartedly and look forward to seeing it on TV soon. The production values are of a high standard and the team working on it are totally on the ball by pitching to the inclusivity of all regardless of sexual orientation.
“When is the Weekly G going o be on TV!”
The world becomes a dull, boring and dangerous place when value is placed on being separate and exclusive. Wake up TV producers and start thinking like these guys, that is guys in the inclusive sense. He he. lol
I’m sure a commercial network would rework this to focus on community accepted stereotypes. Instead of grouping people by sexuality, gender, race, religion etc, why not encompass everyone as…humans? Explore our similarities rather than who we share a bed with. Do I not like motor-sports because I am gay? Do I not follow fashion because I am straight? If The Weekly G aims to break down the stereotypes then I would watch!
Networks gain a decent market share by including alternative themes such as cooking, home renovation and national news shows with with gay hosts, a good network could clean their lenses and focus on the elephant in the room by casting away the veneer of camp to realize the abundance of gay viewers.
The media can enrich the potential of its presence and reach more viewers by placing the The Weekly G in a decent viewing slot.
Ratings talk hypocrites should walk.
This is great people, and the sooner it has a wider audience the better. So if the free to air stations can really get behind and consider showing this program, it will entertain and inform a new section of the public.
It sounds like a great show and something that is needed in Australia.
I hope someone picks up the show! Goodluck!
C’mon Channel 10! We know you are the best station. Grab the opportunity!
This sounds pretty exciting – something that can be embraced by society on the whole. TV shows which star gay people or homosexuality as a theme aren’t for the niche market any more (e.g. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Will & Grace). I’m glad “The Weekly G” is branching out and I wish them all the best!! Looking forward to seeing it!
What a great concept, it’s about time something like this was picked up by one of the networks and portrayed gays, lesbians and friends in a positive light, not just as fluff fairies on queer eye! Go team!
The concept of a gay lifestyle programme is fantastic, even though the views of the glbti community on the surface appears to be gaining a positive movement, our lifestyle is still being swept under the carpet (so to speak) and thought of as undesirable by many people. A program such as The Weekly G will greatly help shatter those negative view points throughout society and truly bring us forth into the mindset people living in the 20th century should have. I can’t wait to see it in full flight, and hopefully on a network station before to long.
Absolutely brilliant idea!
Newtaste: LOL! Imagine if it did…
“Nothing gay happened this week. We’re still praying to be straight. God bless – see you next time.”
Sounds great! SBS should have a re-think & air something like this so a *national* audience gets to see it. I say SBS because I can’t see any other network giving it a chance (I apologise in advance if that sounds bad). :/
I am assuming this program will not get a slot on the Australian Christian Channel.