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The TV Lounge is an Open Forum for you to add comments or ask questions on TV that you can’t see anywhere else on the site.

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1,696 Responses

  1. Jimmy Rees star of Giggle & Hoot is this weekends programmer on ABC’s rage. It was great that the popular long-running music show had tributes for Gary Wright, Jimmy Buffett and Smash Mouth’s Steve.

      1. Watched the finale of Season 2 of the Australian version, and it was no false advertising from 10. The end was indeed a world first, and it ended in a world first. I won’t tell you the results out of respect for anyone who hasn’t seen it (or if you are in Western Australia, who as I write are currently watching it).

        I think 10 should show the New Zealand version during the summer months because there isn’t much content over the summer months.

  3. Not sure if reported already or not?..

    Wheel of Fortune to return in Aus.

    Much like the Jepordy specials. WOF is set to return to a “well known Australian network”. Hosted by Graham Norton and filmed in the UK, production are looking for local Aussies to take part.

    Filmed in Manchester in late November/ early December 2023.

    1. Graham Norton will find it hard going, trying to make this old, slow tired show even more boring than it used to be. Remember the rattle of that wheel and waiting for it to stop?

  5. A mini-rant for today:

    Is it just me or have many people forgotten that Sky News Australia and Sky News UK owned by different companies? (For the record, Sky News UK is owned by Comcast and News Corp own Sky News Australia.) It means that whilst the UK Sky News has been lauded as an impartial and unbiased provider of news, the Australian Sky News is more like an Australian Fox News than Sky News UK itself.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if Foxtel renames Sky News Australia in the future.

    1. There’s definitely a difference, and at least a couple journalists have been caught out about conflation. Sky News UK is very moderate and impartial, where as it’s said that Sky News Australia is biased or centre-right.

    2. The 2 services are chalk and cheese, although to be fair to Sky News Australia they do have some decent journalists during the day who do a reasonable job covering different aspects of an issue. Tom Connell, among a couple of others. The coverage from 6PM is, of course, a completely different story.

  6. In the calendar, it said that season 2 of The Chelsea Detective was starting weekly from August 28, but Acorn are telling me that “This video is currently unavailable in this location”. I don’t suppose there is any news of when it will be available?

  9. Another question for all the TV Tonight readers:

    Are there any good reality shows out there that don’t have manipulative editing, obvious cross-promotion for other shows on the channel, OTT shouting matches or even more obvious product placement? (If it is a trashy show, it needs to have a good amount of trash!)

    4. Race across the world a BBC program. (not to be confused with The Amazing Race)
      Family friends have to travel without flying across a continent and learn about themselves along the way. 3 series, only problem is that it is not available on any platforms right now, I think the first series was shown on channel 9

  10. Over the weekend I added Netflix sub for the first time in 2 years.
    Overall pretty disappointed with their shows they have available and tried a couple of exclusives and didn’t get past Eps. 1 on either.

    Am I missing something? Not sure how people claim to only watch Netflix and not broadcast TV.
    They won’t be getting a renewal on my sub.
    (Same with Stan – but Stan is more about lack of new content).

    Fisk being in the Netflix Top 10 says a lot – as it has been readily available on iView. Shows lack of quality on Netflix.

    Ongoing US writers strike going to create a huge hole over next 6-12mths.

    Please let me know if I am missing any gold on Netflix.

    1. Fisk is top Ten in the US where you can’t watch iView. This week the WGA and Producers put out a Memorandum of Understanding. The WGA dropped it’s refusal to negotiate on AI as long as their salaries are guaranteed. And Producers have agreed to 3rd party verification of streaming numbers for residuals. Of course there is still the actors strike. SAGA are claiming that AI will stop extras becoming Hollywood Stars now.

      1. Fisk is in Top 10 in Australia on Netflix.
        I know it has also been popular since being added in USA.
        The writers strike developments are positive indeed. Still think there will be a gap of new content, was same last time and when we came through the 2020 lockdowns.
        Think my brain is just craving that fresh material you get via the US tonight shows. Miss The Late Show so much!

        1. Then I guess very few Netflix subscribers leave it to watch or stream the ABC for free. Pre-production for the US 2023/24 Network season has gone. Likely many will have shortened seasons, some will be cancelled. Many streaming shows have been postponed and could be delayed for some time. The few US shows left on FTA here are rubbish and can’t get any worse. The Equalizer S4 and So Help Me Todd S2 are the only shows that are of interest to me, and they aren’t exactly essential viewing.

    2. Netflix still has 6.1m accounts in Australia. Though the crack down on password sharing and doubling the price of their standard account for new subscribers has seen a 3% drop. I was going to subscribe to watch Stranger Things but S5 is now caught up in the strikes. Also Ozark, Sex Education, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt which which have finished. Alias Grace (based on an Attwood novel), Midnight Mass. And some sport docos Last Chance U. Instead I will rewatch my DVD collection while my player still works. I won’t be buying another one when it dies.

      1. Why buy the DVDs in the 1st place if you consider them disposable?

        I have an extensive collection of DVDs – some of which are on streaming services, some may at a future date, for limited periods.
        I bought them because I wish to rewatch them all periodically from now until I complete my lifecycle.

    3. I also recently got Netflix. I’m watching the last season of Riverdale, the fourth season of Titans, I have Wednesday on my list to watch and started watching The Big Bang theory from the start.

  12. Just a quick question, you have a friend or relative from overseas that has never seen an Australian TV show but wants to binge their way through a good one, which show would you recommend?

      1. OK. I understand that.

        Just wanted to make a point for overseas that “Australian TV is more than just UK-funded soap operas and a talking cartoon dog!”

        For that person’s taste, either a comedy show or a drama in the HBO mould.

          1. I honestly knew someone was gonna mention Kath and Kim!

            For Janet King, with or withour Crownies?

          2. Without. Wentworth was one of my thoughts too.

            But I think they will also want something distinctly Aussie so try Robbie Hood. Also Tangle. Puberty Blues (series). The Newsreader off the top of my head.

    3. It’s actually a great discussion point, but – as David stated – does depend on quite a few factors, especially personal taste. I would think that there has to be some international appeal about the series, while also being undoubtedly Australian at the same time. It would be a coin flip between Wentworth & Mr. In-Between for that reason.

    8. Humbled to see a lot of really good answers! Goes to show that the world can enjoy something Australian. At the very least, most of these shows can be streamed abroad!

  13. As a frequent ABC late night news watcher, I’m a little sad to learn that we’ll lose Michael Tetlow, at least for the rest of this year. He is an accomplished news presenter with a warm style. I’m sure he’ll connect well with his radio audience.
    radiotoday.com.au/michael-tetlow-takes-the-reins-on-abc-radio-perth-afternoons/

  15. Virginia Gay looked like she was having the time of her life every second she was on screen during Ep3 of TGYH. She owned every second of her solo scene as only an accomplished theatre and screen actress such as herself could do. I want more of her in the future please. And more actors of her calibre too. Guy Montgomery was excellent as well, he was genuinely funny and clever (a lot of it was to do with his scenario though). The other two were passable… I just don’t see why everyone thinks Aaron Chen is hilarious… he’s 0 from 2 in my book. The all in challenge was the best of the season. That was far and away the best one yet in this new iteration.

  17. I see the Melissa George iteration of Heartbeat gets a run on 7 at 2pm today. Funny though, when checking the Foxtel EPG about it, you will see that where the photo normally sits with the synopsis of the ep, a big 9Gem logo is plastered…

    1. Only good show on there is Spongebob. My favourite Nickelodeon programs Rugrats and Hey Arnold are missing. I’m also getting withdrawal symptoms for South Park.

      1. Big Time Rush and The Smurfs are my current faves. SpongeBob is okay, it depends which season is playing. Angry Beavers and CatDog are good too. I do like my cartoons!

    2. I mentioned this earlier. Nickelodeon was available from Aug 1 on Foxtel 168. It seems weird as 10shake wasn’t available prior and still waiting on 7Bravo and 9Rush.

  19. I have seen Bamay listed on SBS did not pay any attention….watching now….just beautiful….15 minutes of peaceful music and ‘A showcase of Australia’s most diverse and stunning landscapes, shot from the air’

  21. Hi David,

    Thank god you’re here had episode 1 pop up on Paramount Plus for about 2 days shortly after it aired. It’s no longer there. Did they jump the gun on their licensing and put it up there without it being cleared? hence its removal?

    1. It’s a matter of perception. The multichannels can be individual channels in their own right, and not secondary, tertiary and so on. The idea of main channels may be dated and over.

  24. Hi David, does anyone in Australia have hope for a channel on TV that airs nothing but Hallmark Channel movies?

    (Yes, I know there is a Lifetime Movie Network on Foxtel, but it’s not the same and I know they air a few Hallmark movies here and there on Channels 7 and 9, but that’s few and far between!)

  25. During one of the three Home & Away episodes on Thursday, Mackenzie (Emily Weir) and Felicity (Jacqui Purvis) wore green and gold while working in the restaurant Salt though Matildas or soccer wasn’t mentioned.

    1. You do realize those 2 colours have been lumped upon us as ‘national sporting colours’ since blue and gold were replaced by the Hawke govt in the 1980s.

      1. Blue and Gold were our offical colours because they were the colours on the 1908 Coat Of Arms but where never offical sporting colours or worn much. Even before the Coat Of Arms was revised with the State emblems and smothered with Green and Gold Wattle in 1912, Green and Gold were the most popular sporting colours. Thje 1899 Ashes wore a green blazer and cap with gold trim, 1908 @l^mp!c Team, the 1924 Soccer team, 1928 League and 1929 Union teams all played in Green and Gold. What Hawke did in 1984 was pass a law that defined an offical set of dimension for the flag, the national anthem and sporting colours that were already in use. Hawke tried to associate himself with working class culture, sport and patriotism as much as possible.

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