Television

Diving head first into Ten's 2006 plans   Author: eNews staff and agencies | Dec 1, 2005, 10:49

Rove Live: More edgy in 2006

Some programming notes from Tuesday night's launch of Ten's 2006 line-up.

The Ten schedule for next year (click here for the rundown) makes no mention of Merrick and Rosso, The Surgeon or Australian Princess.

Well M&R are not returning to Ten next year. They lasted around six episodes this year and will be replaced by The Ronnie Johns Half Hour which followed M&R on Thursday nights..

There's no Ronnie Johns character: it's just a name but the program shows promise with Glenn Robbins ('Mr Kath') involved which gives it a start.

Ten has two other comedy programs: the Wedge, about a fictional program from Cornerbox, a Melbourne production company. It's the one that Steve Vizard was involved with before his 'unfortunate' experience earlier this year in having his 'wedge' exposed: insider trading!

Also the name is a bit confrontational: it does re-call the principle of 'wedge' politics, something that causes division.

The other is Thank God You're Here. Not quite comedy, but personalities will be 'dropped' into situations where they have no idea of knowing who why or where and have to bluff their way through.

So it will be 'hilarious' in an alleged sense of that word and therefore have some comedic values. Nine has already tried a similar type of program called, I think Surprise, Surprise.

Discussions are continuing about Australian Princess; it did well for Ten in the target demographic, and has been sold overseas as a format, but it is also a format that appears to be a one-shot wonder. Ten will try hard to get it back on air later in the year.

The Surgeon won't be back and that's the saddest of all, or rather it probably won't be back unless Ten has to change its mind for local content reasons.

It was a brave trial at 9.30 pm on Thursday nights, but did Ten slaughter a good idea by programming it against RPA?

Rational viewers outside the TV industry would say 'yes'.

Why put a program that was an experiment (serious drama in a half hour format) up against one of the best produced and most effective programs seen on Australian TV in RPA on Nine.

Something not right here and you have to wonder if someone in ten just wanted to be cruel.

I liked The Surgeon even if it was a bit bloody (unnecessarily so) at times.

But the most interesting comment from David Mott at the launch was about Rove. Rove of course starred in the opening; not live on stage like he was at the Opera House launch a year ago but Tuesday night he was on tape in an amusing introduction to Grant Blackley, the newish CEO of Ten TV.

But Mott said that Rove would return to what it was, more live and more edgy.

Hmmm, that's a nice backhanded slap at the program and its producers (who number Rove himself) about straying from the path.

Rove's audiences have been a bit lower some weeks this past year and his Gold Logie seems to be more based on the affections of older teenagers and twenty something women than on actual performance.

The live vasectomy episode was a good example of 'jumping the shark' to arrest a fading program.

David Mott's comments should therefore be read as both a sign of what's to come and a critique of what was shown on Ten this year.

Seriously

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