TEN delivers a second half schedule that’s hot, with new faces, premiere shows and returning ratings successes, producing a recipe for delicious things still to come in 2009.
“Super Sundays” kick off in August with the launch of Australian Idol (9th) and the return of ROVE (16th). In Idol this year, all the best elements of the country’s most aspirational music show are wrapped up in one big night, promising more talent, more drama, more great music and more special guest appearances from music legends the world over. The night keeps getting better with the return of ROVE as he enters his 10th anniversary season celebrated over several weeks to ensure even the deepest archival footage sees the light of day.
Everyone’s favourite funny girl, Magda Szubanski, joins the TEN fold with a feisty pop culture clip show named The Spearman Experiment making its way to our screens in September. Magda brings her celebrated humour and enlists help of a host of friends to analyse, critique and celebrate Australia’s most popular topics.
MasterChef Australia became the surprise mega hit for 2009 so far, inspiring a nation to cook, introducing words like croquembouche, caramelised and ‘plate up’ to the everyday vernacular, culminating in 3.73m people tuning in to see Central Coast mum of three Julie Goodwin crowned Australia’s first MasterChef.
And our viewers want ‘more please’. Judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston return late September with Celebrity MasterChef, guiding an array of celebrities with culinary aspirations through the mystery box challenges, pressure tests and more. They must know how to cook, they will certainly love food, now who will be the best?
Shaun Micallef continues to lead our pack of “GENerals” Amanda Keller (Baby Boomers), Charlie Pickering (Generation X) and Josh Thomas (Generation Y) in the break-out comedy hit of the year Talkin’ ’bout Your Generation. This generational crowd pleaser, rating an average of 1.63m viewers weekly, has had an extended season and is now confirmed for a Christmas special featuring Denise Scott, Dylan Lewis and MTV’s Ruby Rose with special celebrity cameo appearances. You’ll have to tune in to see who is talkin’ ’bout your generation.
Can’t get enough of Shaun Micallef? Well, neither can we and what better way to herald in the new year than with a N.Y.E special event hosted by our comedy king and a few of his friends. What should we expect? Who knows but make it your new year resolution to be there.
In our eighth consecutive year as a major broadcast partner of the AFL, we are getting down to the business end of season 2009. As the teams contest their place in the final eight and into an exciting finals series, that one day in September looms larger than ever. The year’s biggest sporting event, the AFL Grand Final, is back home on Network Ten, with the game to be televised on both TEN and our new digital sports channel, ONE.
David Mott, chief programming officer, Network Ten:
“TEN has had an exceptional year so far and we have no intention of slowing down: we have a fantastic array of domestic and international shows slated for the rest of the year.”
“The talent on Idol this season is superb, the calibre of contestants in our upcoming Celebrity MasterChef is refreshing and surprising, as anticipated The 7PM Project is settling into a rhythm and introducing Magda Szubanski into the TEN fold with The Spearman Experiment is good fun.”
“We’ve also decided to bring NCIS spin-off NCIS:LA into this year. I love it, the original is an outstanding ratings hit, it’s a no brainer, so why wait? We’ll end the year with all new episodes on both these shows and I think our audience will love it too.”
“The schedule for the last quarter of this year is undoubtedly our strongest in years, headlined by Celebrity MasterChef and NCIS: LA. We intend to maximise the expected high audience in Celebrity MasterChef to launch and feed this audience into NCIS:LA and new exciting US drama Three Rivers with Aussie star Alex O’Loughlin.
All three shows will premiere Wednesdays from late September.”
“We are the number one network in both 16-39 and the all-important 18-49 demographics. That tells us that the Australian public are not afraid of trying new things, as long as they are the right things. We are positive we have that mix.”
Also premiering for the first time on Australian screens will be the new, high energy, feel good musical marvel that is GLEE, a show addressing the pecking order of high school with a twinkle in its eye and an ’80s power ballad in its lungs. The advance screening in July secured a high pitched audience of 1.14 million people and a 40.7% commercial share.
With food the hot topic of the moment, it would be rude not to welcome back Britain’s favourite chef Jamie Oliver with Jamie Saves our Bacon a look into the pork industry from piglet to plate and Jamie Oliver’s American Roadtrip where we’ll see Jamie delve into the social issues and diverse cultures that mark 21st century America.
They are wrong, they are rude and they are headed for the USA. They are…Little Britain USA, featuring familiar characters in new sketches, and introducing equally repulsive American counterparts, that will have you squirming and laughing in equal parts.
Did we say more? We have more…all new episodes of NCIS, Lie to Me, days after they broadcast in the US. Brand new series Three Rivers starring Australia’s own Alex O’Loughlin in a medical drama with “heart” and introducing cult hit Nurse Jackie starring Sopranos matriarch Edie Falco (in her first role since the multiaward- winning series ended) as Jackie Peyton, a brilliant but very flawed emergency room nurse.
Still more? OK. We have not one but two Hamish & Andy specials coming your way. Hamish and Andy don’t even know what they are yet, but whatever they are, they’ll be on TEN.
TEN’s line-up ahead in 2009 will be complemented by continuing, all new episodes of RUSH, Rove, Dexter, Neighbours, AFL, Simpsons, Burn Notice, Numb3rs, 5th Grader, and GNW.
SHOW RUNDOWN/SYNOPSES
NEW
CELEBRITY MASTERCHEF: Following on from the hugely successful first season, MasterChef judges George, Gary and Matt return to take some of Australia’s most famous through their paces in Celebrity MasterChef. We know these celebrity contestants are all professionals in their field and profess they can cook, but can they handle the heat of the MasterChef kitchen?
NCIS: LOS ANGELES: Staring Chris O’Donnell and LL COOL J, this hotly anticipated NCIS spin-off, delves into the world of undercover surveillance at the Office of Special Projects (OSP). These enigmatic undercover agents, legends in their field, are charged with apprehending dangerous and elusive criminals that pose a threat to the nation’s security.
GLEE: A one-hour musical comedy that follows an optimistic teacher’s quest to turn a failing high school Glee Club into National Champions. From the creators of Nip/Tuck, Glee addresses the pecking order of high school with a twinkle in its eye and an ’80s power ballad in its lungs. On Sunday 19 July, 1.14 million people (40.7% share) watched the Advance Screening.
LAW & ORDER: UK is based on the hugely successful US format, created by two time Emmy award-winning producer Dick Wolf. This gritty smash hit British drama, set on the fast-paced streets of London, follows the dedicated figures who stand at the front line of the law – the police who investigate crime, and the attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
THE SPEARMAN EXPERIMENT: Hosted by Magda Szubanski, this feisty pop culture clip show is making its way to our screens in September. Magda brings her celebrated humour and enlists help of a host of friends to analyse, critique and celebrate Australia’s most popular topics.
JAMIE AMERICAN ROADTRIP: Jamie Oliver sets off on his next culinary journey, taking a backpacking trip around the USA for a new six-part series. More than a slice of American pie, this series will see Jamie delve into the social issues and diverse cultures that mark 21st Century America. The result is unpredictable, challenging, but ultimately heart-warming and entertaining television.
JAMIE SAVES OUR BACON: A headline-grabbing special in which Jamie Oliver will show a live audience of cheap pork eaters how the majority of pork meat consumed reaches their plate. A natural successor to Jamie’s Fowl Dinners.
ELECTRIC DREAMS: Now that we’re beyond 2000, how has technology in the new millennia shaped our lives? In this 3-part series, Amanda Keller will give viewers a unique insight into how developments in technology have affected lifestyles in the past forty years by following one ordinary family as their home is “renovated” to the standard of a typical house in 1970 and then fast-forwarded at the rate of a day per year through the 70s, 80s and 90s.
LITTLE BRITAIN USA: A six-part series written and created by Matt Lucas and David Walliams set in contemporary America. Featuring familiar “Little Britain” characters in new sketches, and introducing equally repulsive American counterparts, Little Britain USA will have you squirming and laughing in equal parts. Returning favourites include Dafydd Thomas, the self-proclaimed “only gay in the village”; Emily Howard, an awkward and obvious transvestite in denial; and the horribly insensitive Fatfighters Club leader Marjorie Dawes.
NURSE JACKIE: is a half-hour dark comedy with Edie Falco starring as Jackie Peyton, a brilliant but very flawed emergency room nurse. Working in the frenzied environment of a New York Hospital, Jackie has a weakness for painkillers, a unique bedside manner and her own brand of medical justice. Every day, Jackie faces many moral and ethical quandaries as she attempts to juggle patients, doctors and her own indiscretions.
THREE RIVERS: Starring Australia’s very own Alex O’Loughlin as Dr. Andy Yablonski, the highly-skilled workaholic lead organ transplant surgeon, Three Rivers is a medical drama that goes inside the emotionally complex lives of organ donors, the recipients and the surgeons at one of America’s leading transplant hospitals.
HAMISH & ANDY SPECIALS x 2: We have not one but two Hamish & Andy specials coming your way. Hamish and Andy don’t even know what they are yet, but whatever they are, they’ll be on TEN.
SPECIAL EVENTS
AUSTRALIAN IDOL: It’s Super Sundays for 2009 as Idol takes over the night, with 2 hours each week of fastpaced performance entertainment plus nail-biting eliminations, all wrapped up in one show.
ROVE’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON: It all started ten years ago when a fledgling Rove opened his first show in 1999 with guest Alan Brough on a different network. Now, ten years later on Network Ten, Rove has cemented his place in the hearts and homes of Australia as he continues to attract the big-name guests from home and around the world with his cheeky humour and friendly wit. The season will run over several weeks so as to ensure even the deepest archived footage sees the light of day.
AFL: In its eighth consecutive year as a major broadcast partner of the AFL, season 2009 is set to be bigger than ever before for Network Ten. The AFL Grand Final returns to Network Ten with the game to be televised on both TEN and ONE. 2009 promises to be another monumental year in AFL and Network Ten will be there every step of the way.
ALL NEW EPISODES + DAY & DATE
NCIS: Australia’s number one rating US TV series returns with all new episodes in October. Sleek, intelligent, high octane and with a wry dose of humour, NCIS is a show that is far more than just an action drama.
LIE TO ME: Inspired by the work of a real-life specialist, LIE TO ME became the number one rating new US drama to launch in Australia in 2009. Tim Roth is mesmerising as Dr Cal Lightman a man that can’t be fooled with lies. This season sees Dr Cal and his team scrutinise the slightest body movements and facial twitches so even the most hardened of criminals can’t hide.
DEXTER introduces acclaimed actor Jimmy Smits to this season but will he be friend or foe? We know Dexter Morgan is a respected police officer by day, serial killer by night but his life has changed. Will Dexter become a happy home maker? Is he softening? or is it all an act? This season sees twists you can’t imagine.
BURN NOTICE: Will the sexual tension between Michael and Fiona finally combust as we head in to all new episodes of season 2 of this volatile drama series. Michael Westen is a covert operative who has been burned and is now back in his hometown of Miami searching for answers about who has burned him and why.
CONTINUING
TALKIN’ ‘BOUT YOUR GENERATION is the break-out comedy hit of the year with an average 1.63m people tuning in weekly, and it ain’t over yet. Shaun Micallef continues to lead our pack of “GENerals” as they enlist the outrageous knowledge of celebrity recruits to determine which out of the “Baby Boomers”, “Gen X” or “Gen Y” are the supreme leaders of the entire world. RUSH in its second season is packed with more heart-stopping action, and more surprises at every turn. The Tactical Response team welcomes new team member Shannon Henry played by Jolene Anderson, and are set to take on even bigger and better challenges in 2009.
The 7PM PROJECT: Just getting started but already finding its groove, Charlie Pickering, Dave Hughes and Carrie Bickmore head up The 7PM Project as they dissect, digest and re-constitute the big news stories of the day. With help from James Mathison, MTV’s Ruby Rose and a host of ‘experts’ across the country and abroad, the 7PM team are gradually laying claim to this timeslot with their unique approach to news, offering genuine conversation in a space previously crowded by scandal and spin.
GOOD NEWS WEEK is an hour of guilty laughs for those sinners who need nothing more than to shake off the shackles of life and make damn good fun at the news of the week. Hallelujah!
ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? Rove McManus is back with a new class for the third series of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? throwing caution to the wind and ignoring that old showbiz maxim about never working with children or animals. Our new class of 5th graders are on hand to help ordinary Australians and a line-up of celebs win hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money. The Celebrity line up includes: Julia Gillard – Dept. PM, Dicko, Dave Hughes, Ian ‘Thorpie’ Thorpe, Dr Chris Brown, Shaun Micallef and Nicole Livingston just to name a few.
NEIGHBOURS: British pop starlet Lily Allen guest stars on Australia’s longest running drama, and while Kate Ramsay thinks she can dance, will expert judge Jason Coleman agree? With a surprise return of an old Ramsay Street favourite, and some hard hitting storylines to come, Neighbours goes from strength to strength in 2009.
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