Programming, Top Stories Archive:
Gone: Fringe (again)
This really is very poor for customer relations…
Nine has now dropped Fringe from its schedule a second time, despite promising the show would air over summer (technically they kept the promise, they just never promised for how long). It is to be replaced with repeats of Crime Investigation Australia from Monday.
On Monday night the show managed 602,000, beaten by a double ep of Bones on 1.16m and ABC’s 90 minute Celebrity: Dominick Dunne slightly ahead on 697,000.
Now the J.J.Abrams sci fi, hailed as one of Nine’s big titles for the second …
Seven summer guide
Updated *
Seven’s first week of summer viewing is in, and as previously reported, it includes the premiere of Eli Stone, Holby Blue, the return of Ugly Betty, Dirty Sexy Money, Kath & Kim (US), Las Vegas, Dance Machine. The 24: Redemption telemovie will also air.
Both Ugly Betty and Eli Stone air twice weekly.
Seven also continues Heroes, Prison Break, The Amazing Race, The Rich List, The Unit, repeats of How I Met Your Mother, A Touch of Frost and Bones.
Both Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone have just been all but axed …
Are we there yet?
It was the week that everybody said they had new toys to unwrap, TEN declared the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Aussie producers gathered on the Gold Coast for their annual gab-fest just as Nine decided not to revisit the only drama set there, TiVo dumped one of its key partners, the last original member of Hi-5 chose to retire, the axe fell on several shows in the US, network programmers tried to defend late amendments, Seven apologised for comments made by one of its stars, Nine was revealed as wanting “no …
Last minute guides keep viewers guessing
It took long enough but we finally got there.
Tonight according to a Seven amendment issued late last Friday, Bones is airing at 9:30pm, Heroes at 10:30pm and Prison Break is out of schedule.
But up until late yesterday, online guides were still listing Heroes at 9:30pm Scrubs at 10:30pm and Prison Break at 11:00pm.
Seven’s own online guide even had Heroes as a Hot Pick at 9:30pm yesterday. Now it chooses Bones instead. Either it prefers the Bones episode over Heroes, or it just prefers the timeslot to get a nudge along.
But why …
ABC beats TEN as Seven wins
It was the week that American critics began to knife Kath & Kim (officially), ABC told staff it would cut up to 35 production jobs, Nine denied having a contract with the wife of a convicted crim, an actor lambasted his former soap, Today Tonight announced its next host would be a sports presenter and said its film crew helped -not hounded- an interviewee, Seven ’streamlined’ its Lotto results, buyers eyed a key production company, the Imparja / Nine Darwin deal fell apart, a TV critic died, and suddenly so did …
Returning: CSI, Cold Case
Nine will fasttrack the new series of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation this month.
It returns to screen on a new night, 8:30pm Monday October 13. It airs in the US on October 9th.
This is the final season featuring William Petersen as a regular, who bows out after episode ten. He is expected to return as a guest in future episodes.
Nine will follow the show with the return of Cold Case at 9:30pm.
“Bad Reputation” is the 16th episode of Series Five, which aired in the US in April. There are only two more …
Burn Notice… bad news week
Burn Notice fans are not a bunch to quietly. Last time TEN took the show off air they protested so much the network did a backflip within 24 hours. Part of that was also due to the good ratings it won during the Olympics.
But it seems they just don’t have enough fans. How else do you explain that it’s being rested by TEN -again.
One more episode will air next Monday, “Rough Seas” episode 7 of the second season. Three more eps will go begging for now.
The drama also didn’t air this …
Bored rigid by lack of competition, it’s Seven.
It was the week that Seven and Nine argued over Karl Stefanovic, Grant Hackett signed with Channel Nine, ASTRA again attacked the anti-siphoning rule –prompting an hilarious “bored rigid” response from Seven, Nine denied a takeover of its Darwin affiliate by Imparja, Grant Denyer landed in hospital, a former Idol was assaulted, WIN trimmed its Queensland newsrooms, SBS said sponsors wouldn’t affect its editorial on Top Gear Australia and networks and advertisers all held their breath as the US financial market went into meltdown.
And unsurprisingly it was another win by Seven …
Tim Worner: “Fasttracking,” one year on.
In the US the fourth season of Prison Break kicked off today, Bones begins later in the week and Fringe premieres next week. The ‘Fall Season’ has begun, when the American networks launch their big series.
In Australia it was just on a year ago that our networks jointly embarked on the new trend of premiering US series simultaneously, or thereabouts. “Fasttracked,” “Direct from the US,” “Hot off the satellite” they all boasted. It was a bold, somewhat tenuous, turning point in Aussie programming –and then the Writer’s Strike hit. Suddenly, it …