Hellcats

This is where Throng used to maintain an up to date TV Guide for GO! After running the guide for two years, we decided to leave it be as there are enough internet TV guides out there that also provide an accurate TV Guide for GO! (and all the other channels), subject to amendments.

For GO! programming details, visit the GO! website www.gochannel.com.au or your favourite internet guides such as ICE TV, Yahoo, and www.yourtv.com.au. Sometimes, they even put last minute programing changes on their GO! Facebook page: www.facebook.com/gochannel

To see the latest posts in the AndrewB blog, please click here.

For latest news on Throng, click here.

For TV Ratings, go here.

To see what others are saying about posts on Throng, click here.

Enjoy!

Updated October 11, 2011

 

Confirmed.

Hellcats and Pretty Little Liars return to GO! On Tuesday March 1, 2011.

Hellcats will be at 7.30pm, Pretty Little Liars at 8.30pm.

9.30pm Tuesdays remain as movies, with Blades of Glory airing Tue March 1, at 9.30pm.

Pretty Little Lairs is replayed at 1am, Hellcats replayed 2pm Wed March 2, 2pm.Subject to change.

 

This from the Facebook page of ELEVEN:

Hi guys, just a quick note about 90210 -

90210 is an awesome show that we love, however, we haven’t found the right audience in the timeslot it was in.

We have removed it from our schedule temporarily until we find a home for it.

…However, we’d love your feedback, so feel free to send your thoughts on this to us at: http://bit.ly/e42jXd

- The Channel Eleven Crew.

 

This has to be the best example of communicating a programming change I have ever seen from an Australian commercial TV channel or network.

GO! could certainly take a page out of ELEVEN’s book here. The GO Facebook page is full of fans asking when Pretty Little Liars and Hellcats will air again. None of them have been answered.

We understand programming is generally only really locked in for 2-3 weeks in advance – and an exact date for future airing of shows may not yet be confirmed – but at least the comment ELEVEN uses covers the fact that 1) the show has been taken off for now due to not having the ratings they would like aka “wrong timeslot” and 2) it will be back at another time.

With the number of programming changes GO makes, it is time they start explaining them to their fans, or risk loosing them for good.

In recent weeks, GO! have decided not to continue showing new episodes of Pretty Little Liars, dumped Hellcats from their schedule, moved nights for Top Gear, re-arranged Sunday nights thereby changing the timeslot for new episodes of The Middle, played around with when Big Bang repeats air, and added encores of the new episodes of Big Bang and Two and a Half Men, as well as $#*! My Dad Says and Mike and Molly to their line up.

These kind of erratic changes risk damaging GO! as a serious competitor against relative new comers ELEVEN and 7mate both of which have incredibly stable programming in comparison, and seldom make major changes even as they move into ratings season which starts from Feb 6.

With repeats of The Middle, The Big Bang Theory, Top Gear, Two and a Half Men, as well as encores of new episodes of The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, $#*! My Dad Says and Mike and Molly filling the GO schedule, the channel is seriously starting to look like more of a NINE-2 as opposed to its own brand.

As for the new content count per channel, that is another point lost for GO! And encores and repeats of shows aired on Nine earlier in the night do not count as new content for GO! – regardless of if the Nine network flag them as “1^st on GO!” or not.

Unfortunately, the commercial reality of it all is that ratings make money, and repeats of favourites tend to draw more ratings than first run content*. The rule of first run content is that it has to be given time to gain an audience and a following. It needs a regular timeslot. Stability. Promotion time… You Can’t just chop and change new shows to different timeslots or days at the drop of a hat.

It’s all too easy to drop in repeats of shows that people will watch over and over, but, and as I always say, what happens when everyone has seen each episode too many times? When they own the DVD box sets and no longer will watch these shows on TV? Has Nine noticed the fall in nightly Two and a Half Men ratings and started to question why? How will any of the new content fill these voids if new shows are not given a chance?

And why not start using timeslots outside of 6pm – midnight for shows that don’t rate during prime time so at least viewers can still get to see the news shows that have been dropped for the sake of ratings benefits from repeats?

Stay up to date with what is on GO! here.

* Just to clarify – I am referring more to new shows as opposed to first runs of a series that a numerous seasons in. First run content on ELEVEN like The Simpsons, Neighbours, new Futurama, The Office, etc, doing well for the channel. All of these shows have already built a following, so they attract the viewers.

Looks like first run content is doomed on GO!

The latest casualty is Hellcats. Having just returned with a new episode at 7.30pm, Wed Jan 26, GO have decided not to air anymore new episodes for now.

Instead, ratings favourite Top Gear will move back to Wednesdays at 7.30pm from Wed Feb 2, while The Big Bang Theory will now air at both 7.30pm and 8.30pm on Thursdays, with the Middle at 8pm from Feb 3.

Hellcats was watched by less than 87,000 when it aired on Wednesday, while Top Gear regularly can attract well over 200,000. What is ridiculous about this programming change is that ALL shows were down in ratings on Wednesday night – it was the end of Australia Day, with most eyeballs watching the tennis or the cricket.

Perhaps GO should have put a little more thought into the timeslot for Hellcats, and not slated it against The Simpsons and NEW Futurama on ELEVEN. How I Met Your Mother on 7mate reached over 200,000, Futurama 213,000. Then there is the issue that Hellcats moved nights – how many of the potential audience would have either not known it was on, forgotten while celebrating Australia or stuck with their normal TV routine?

 An encore of Mick and Molly has been added to Wed Feb 9. That is in addition to encores of new episodes of $#*! My Dad Says, The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men.

Full details in the TV Guide for GO!

 

 VS

GO! have released their program guide for the week starting January 9, 2011 that therefore covers January 11, the day of the launch of Ten’s new channel Eleven.

In a schedule that is screaming for amendments as January 11 draws closer, there are large chunks of TBA’s on the night of January 11 and also most of January 12 as well. There are chunks of programming that utilise episodes of The Big Bang Theory and The Middle, while a number of new shows return that week.

On Monday January 10, there will be a new episode of Hellcats at 7.30pm, followed by new Pretty Little Liars. New Hellcats is being promoted on GO now, as is The Vampire Diaries which won’t return until Mon Jan 31 as the next new episode of The Vampire Diaries in not even seen in the US until Jan 27.

On Wednesday January 12, the premiere of season 2 of V comes to GO. It airs at 8.30pm. On Thursday, new The Inbetweeners is scheduled to air at 9pm.

 Full details in the GO Guide.

The first TV guide for Eleven is expected to be released close to Christmas. Only then will we have an idea of what will be on Eleven each night, and it will prompt GO to fill in the blanks on their schedule for that week as well as tweak the guide so as to reduce any effect Eleven may have on the GO audience. The demographics of both channels have a huge overlap.

Meanwhile, 7TWO and 7mate schedules for that week (based on highlights anyway) appear much the same as usual. While the launch of Eleven is not likely to affect 7TWO, there may be changes to some 7mate programming to keep viewers on their channel. A possible 7mate Thursday night revamp is likely, with the finale of Stargate Atlantis airing Thur Jan 13.

 

 

Can you really still call it fast tracking when only a few shows of a new season have been shown, and those that have, a month or so after their US premieres? Are networks trying to get the best of both worlds here by putting on just a few new episodes – enough for fans to think they are fast tracked, while, at the same time, leaving the majority of the new season until the new year?

Both Seven and Nine have done exactly that.

Nine have only shown three new episodes of The Mentalist since the new season premiered in the US back in September. They have also only shown three new episodes of the Big Bang Theory (thanks to William and Kate which replaced the fourth) and only three new episodes of their favourite show Two and a Half Men.

Seven only aired four new episodes of Bones and Criminal Minds before lapsing back into repeats.

Both networks continue to show repeats of these shows knowing full well that repeats rate quite well, while leaving fans either waiting for months for new episodes or sourcing them by other means.

Ten, on the other hand, despite losing two weeks of programming to the Commonwealth Games back in October have managed to show seven episodes from new seasons of The Good Wife, House and Glee, as well as six of NCIS by the time ratings season ends. They have even gone so far as having one extra episode of Glee (perhaps making up for the one they didn’t schedule on Wed Nov 17) on Monday Nov 29 which is not part of the official ratings survey. These shows are all as close as days behind their US air times.

GO, part of the Nine network have also successfully managed to air Hellcats and The Vampire Diaries so close to the US air dates, that the two shows end up having breaks between new episodes when they are not shown over there.

There was a time when you would see all new episodes of whatever shows were on air on the main channels right until the last week of official ratings. Now, in this new television environment where we have more channels to spread limited content over, and where repeats of shows rate well enough to justify playing them during official ratings time, it seems the true concept of fast tracking is out the window, as networks try to manage stock of new shows, holding back until the new year.

It’s kind of crazy to see just a few new episodes of a show only to have to wait up to three months for more in the new year. Maybe they should just hold back any show they are not going to give a significant run at the end of the year until the next year.

Fast tracking is not fast tracking when a few episodes are show a month after they are in the US, while the rest of the season ends up being many months later.

The first week of summer on GO sees some significant programming changes, most notable The Big Bang Theory drops down to one episode per week, while the number of Two and a Half Men and Seinfeld episodes in prime time increase.

The Middle has gone, Top Gear on Thursday moves to Wednesday, swapping with Wipe Out USA, while Community returns for its next season on GO. Hit US series Pretty Little Liars premieres on Monday November 29, in a two hour premiere.

Gossip Girl, Fringe, Drop Dead Diva, Nikita and Human Target all remain at their usual times. Hellcats does as well, but repeats will fill gaps in the US schedule.

Here is the summary of week 49:

Sunday November 28
5.30 Wipeout
6.30 Top Gear
7.30 Two and a Half Men
8.30 Movie: Dukes of Hazzard
10.40 Movie: Old School
12.30 Star Trek – The Original Series 
1.30 Help Me Help You 

Monday – Thursday 6.00 – 7.30pm
6:00 The Flinstones
6:30 Total Wipeout UK

Monday November 29
7.30 Hellcats Rpt
8.30 Pretty Little Liars – two hour premiere
10.30 The Big Bang Thoery
11.00 Two and a Half Men
11.30 Gossip Girl Season 3
12.30 Pretty Little Liars replay. 2.30 Home Shopping.

Tuesday November 30
7.30 Drop Dead Diva
8.30 Seinfeld
9.30 Community – series return
10.30 South Park double ep
11.30 Reno 911
12.00 Community replay
1.00 Drop Dead Diva replay

Wednesday December 1
7.30 Top Gear (new night)
8.30 Human Target
9.30 Fringe S3
10.30 Two and a Half Men
11.30 South Park
12.00 Human Target replay
1.00 Fringe replay

Thursday December 2
7.30 Wipe Out USA (new night – swapped with Top Gear) 
8.30 Seinfeld
9.30 Nikita
10.30 Movie: Vacancy
12.20 Eclipse Music TV
12.50 Nikita replay

Friday December 3
6.00 Movie: Tom and Jerry The Fast and the Furry
7.30 Movie: The Three Amigos
9.40 Movie: History of the World Part 1
11.35 Survivors – 3 episodes
2.45 Go filler. 3.00 Starsky and Hutch
4.00 Just Shoot Me. 4.30 TMZ

Saturday December 4
5.30 Unnatural History  
6.30 Movie: Speed racer
9.15 Movie: Mama’s Boy 
11.15 Star Trek The Original Series
1.15 Movie: And Starring Pacho Villa as Himself
3.30 Get Smart. 4.30 The Flintstones

Click here for GO! TV guide.

Updated November 9, 2010

The US ratings season 2010/11 started on Monday Sept 20, 2010.

Here is the Throng guide to what shows are starting when in the US and when they might be likely to be seen in Australia.

The list of shows is presented with the date they premiere or return in the US, followed by if or when we are likely to see them in Australia, in alphabetical order.

30 Rock – US Thur Sept 23. New season on Seven, 10.30pm, Thur Oct 21.

90210 – US Mon Sept 13. Will be shown on Eleven in 2011, but we have a lot of catching up to do.

America’s Next Top Model – US Wed Sept 8. FOX8, 7.30pm, Tuesday October 19, 2010

American Dad – US Sunday Oct 3. Expect to see it on 7mate, after we catch up with old episodes not yet shown. American Dad (first run eps, but still S6) on 7mate Wednesday nights 9pm from Sept 29. 

Blue Bloods – Ten in 2011.

Bones – US Thur Sept 23 – Seven currently airing repeats. New Bones on Seven from Sunday, October 18. Last new ep Sun Nov 7. Only showed four of them.

Brothers and Sisters – US Sun Sept 26. Seven in 2011, most likely back to Monday nights after Desperate Housewives.

Castle – US Mon Sept 20. Seven in 2011. They chose not to run the new episodes for now.

Chase – US Mon Sept 20. Part of Nine’s line up still to come in 2010. Yet to see promos though.

Chuck – US Mon Sept 20. Last season still showing on FOX8. New season in 2011 sometime, although FOX8 are notoriously slow to put it on. No chance of a fast track here, but possibly the new season will just carry on once the current ends.

Community – US Wed Sept 22. GO say they plan to fast track. Possibly late Sept or October.

Cougar Town – US Wed Sept 22. Unlikely to be seen on Seven until summer, if at all. Possibly will go to 7TWO.

Criminal Minds – US Wed Sept 22. CONFIRMED for Monday Oct 25 at 8.30pm. Last new ep Mon Nov 15.

CSI - US Thur Sept 23. New season premires on Nine Thursday October 21, 9.30pm.

CSI: Miami - US Sun Oct 3. On Nine from Mon Oct 25, 9.30pm

CSI: NY – US Fri Sept 24. Will be seen on Nine, but not likely to be fast tracked.

Dexter - US Sun Sept 26. New season on Showcase November 2010.

Desperate Housewives – US Sun Sept 26. Seven in 2011. Probably back to Monday nights as always. No surprises there!

Fringe - US Thur Sept 23. On GO Wed Nov 11, 9.30pm.

Glee - US Tue Sept 21. SUPER Fast Tracked to Ten Wed Sept 22, 7.30pm. With the time difference, that is hours after it airs in the US. However – the Comm Games break will see us fall two weeks behind the US. Last new ep Mon Nov 22.

Gossip Girl S5 – US Mon Sept 13. FOX8 Dec 2010. S3 on GO Mon Sept 13, 10.30pm

Grey’s Anatomy - US Thur Sept 23. Seven in 2011. No fast tracking likely.

Hawaii 5-O - US Mon Sept 20. Will be on Ten in 2011. Part of the 2011 line up. Rating very well in US.

Hellcats – US Wed Sept 8. Premiered on GO, Mon Sept 13, 7.30pm.

House - US Mon Sept 20. Fast Tracked to Ten Wed Sept 22, 8.30pm. Two week break for Comm Games sees us fall behind be 2 weeks.

How I Met Your Mother – US Mon Sept 20. New season not till 2011 now. There are still repeats on Seven as well as 7mate.

Human Target - US Fri Oct 1. First season currently on GO, Wednesday nights – and now off GO. Seeing S2 then I would say is unlikely. Returns to GO Wed Oct 20, 8.30pm

Law and Order: SVU - US Wed Sept 22. Possible for Ten after the Commonwealth Games, but more likely not to be seen until 2011. Ten are playing repeats of SVU after the Games.

Law and Order LA – US Tue Sept 28. Will be seen on Seven (!), but not likely to be fast tracked. So maybe not until 2011.

Lie to Me – US Brought forward to Mon Oct 4. WAS Wed Nov 10. Possible fast track for Ten after the Commonwealth Games. Lie to Me season 3 brought forward due to Lone Star being axed.

Medium – US Fri Sept 24. Returns to Ten 9.30pm Sunday October 17. And off from Oct 31.

Mike and Molly - US Mon Sept 20. Not until 2011

Modern Family – US Wed Sept 22. New season premieres on Ten 7pm Sunday October 17, 2010

NCIS & NCIS:LA – US Tue Sept 21. New NCIS after the Commonwealth Games, Tue Oct 19. NCIS: LA will still play in repeats though. Last new ep Tue Nov 23.

Nikita – US Thur Sept 9. ON GO 9.30 Thur Oct 28.

Parenthood - US Tue Sept 14. Seven will contuinue into season 2 when season 1 finishes in November. Last new eps for 2010 8.30pm Tue Nov 23.

Private Practice – US Thur Sept 23. Seven in 2011, together with Grey’s Anatomy – as they do every year.

Raising Hope – US Tue Sept 21. Ten Wed Nov 17 8pm. Continues Nov 24 8pm.

Rules of Engagement - US Mon Sept 20. Doesn’t do too well for Ten, so not likely to see any more of it until either summer or on Eleven in 2011.

Smallville – US Fri Sept 24. Eleven in 2011. Also some catching up to do before we get to this new season.

S**t! My Dad Says – US Thur Sept 23. Not until 2011 now.

Stargate Universe – US Tue Sept 28. SciFi channel will fast track new season – premieres Friday October 1, 8.30pm. Free to air will see previous season in 2011 on Eleven.

Supernatural – US Thur Sept 23. Although we have some catching up to do, this show is planned to air on Ten’s new channel Eleven in 2011. Unlikely to be seen sooner.

Survivor Nicaragua – US Wed Sept 15. Returned to Tuesday nights from Sept 28 at 9pm on Nine. Start time has drifted back towards 10pm though.

The Amazing Race S17 - US Sun Sept 26. On Seven 8.30pm Thursday September 30. Moved to 7.30 Thursdays from Thur Oct 7th.

The Apprentice – US Thur Sept 16. FOX8 Wed Oct 20, 8.30pm.

The Big Bang Theory – US Thur Sept 23. New season starts on Nine, 8.30pm Wed Oct 20.

The Cleveland Show – US Sun Sept 26. Possible for Ten over summer, or Eleven in 2011.

The Defenders – US Wed Sept 22. Ten in 2011.

The Event – US Mon Sept 20. Seven Mondays, 8.30pm. Encores 7mate Thursdays 10.30pm. Moves to 10.30 Mondays from Oct 25. Week off Nov 8. Back Nov 15. Due to break in US.

The Good Wife - US Tue Sept 28. New night – S2 Wednesdays on Ten, after Glee, from Wed Oct 20, 2010.

The Mentalist – US Thur Sept 23. Confirmed on Nine from October 25, 8.30pm. No more new episodes after Nov 8, until 2011.

The Middle – US Wed Sept 22. New eps on GO, 8.30pm Sundays from Nov 7.

The Office – US Thur Sept 23. Possible for Ten over summer. More likely on Eleven in 2011.

The Simpsons - US Sunday Sept 26. New season, ep 1 on Ten, 6.30pm, Friday October 15, 2010. New simpsons continues on Ten on Fridays from Nov 19, also Nov 26.

The Vampire Diaries – US Thur Sept 9. Premiered on GO, Mon Sept 13, 8.30pm. Continues on Monday nights but there is a break coming up Nov 22 and 29 due to break in US. Back (I assume) Dec 6.

The Whole Truth – US Wed Sept 22. Nine in 2011.

Two and a Half Men – US Mon Sept 20. Confirmed for Nine for Oct 18. No more new episodes after Nov 8.

Undercover Boss – US Sun Sept 26. Season 2 premieres on Ten Monday Sept 27, 7.30pm. Hours after US airing. But no further eps to be shown for now, due to Australian version airing 8.30pm Mondays, from Oct 18.

Undercovers – US Wed Sept 22. Another one part of Nine’s 2010 shows but not known if it will air in 2010 or not. Like many of these Nine acquisitions, whether they are rushed to air or not will depend on how they perform in the US. THIS HAS BEEN AXED – so if Nine keep the rights, expect it on GO or GEM.

V – US Jan 2011. GO plan to fast track – so possibly on air soon after the US date.

Note: I have not yet included new shows where the Australian network the show is likely to air on is not yet known. These I will add as I find out, and hopefully keep up to date.

Some of these titles include: Lone Star, Running Wild, The Cape, Detroit 1-8-7, Better With You, The Defenders, Outsourced (possibly one for Seven), School Pride, Outlaw, and No Ordinary Family.

If you there is something left out that you know about, or have questions about any of the content, please let us know.

Fast tracking score sheet (0-7 days after US air date):

Australian ratings for 2010 ends November 27. Pretty well everything new, fast tracked or semi fast tracked after that date on the main channels will either go into repeats or disappear until 2011. Therefore, all networks revert to having 0 fast track points after that date with the exception of Survivor and Amazing Race, possibly the Event will continue on Seven due to low ratings.

Ten – 0. Comm Games sees Ten lose their fast track points.
GO! – 2. Hellcats and The Vampire Diaries
Seven - 2. The Event and The Amazing Race S17

Semi-fast tracked (between 7 and 30 days after US air date):

Nine 5 – Survivor Nicaragua, CSI, CSI: Miami, Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory. Note Mentalist now outside what I would consider fast tracked. Also Fringe on GO outside of what I consider fast tracked.
Ten 4 – The Good Wife, Glee, House, NCIS – all starting or back in the week after the Comm Games, from Sunday Oct 17. Note – I won’t count new Simpsons, as it looks like the new ep on Friday Oct 15 is a one off, and not regular programming.
Seven 1 – 30 Rock. Criminal Minds misses out as it is more than 30 days after US air date. Bones now gone into repeats from Nov 14 – so no more points there.

Here I’ll define Fast Tracking as airing within 7 days of US date. I’ll have a second category for semi-fast tracked if shows air between 7 days and 1 month of the US air date. Anything beyond a month I would consider not to be fast tracked. The networks may see it differently, but to me, the less than seven days rules is most appropriate as it means we see an episode of a show before the US sees the next one. Whereas, after 7 days, we end up episodes behind, which means it is easy to see spoilers across the internet.

Updated as at Nov 9.

GO! bursts into Spring with a stack of fast-tracked Australian premieres and free-to-air firsts ready to hit the screen from Monday, September 13.

Monday nights are set to sizzle with two fast-tracked Australian premieres: Hellcats, the US dance “dramedy” starring Disney alumni Aly Michalka and Ashley Tisdale; and the seriously sexy series return of The Vampire Diaries, starring Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder.

Hellcats follows Marti (Michalka), a smart, sassy, indie rock chick who has lost her law scholarship. The only way she can keep it and stay in college is by winning a spot on the “peptastic” Savannah’s (Tisdale) cheerleading squad. Hellcats premieres Monday, September 13, at 7.30pm.

At the end of the first season, fans of The Vampire Diaries were left amid a scene of anarchy, destruction and death on a night when Mystic Falls came face to face with its biggest threat. The series returns on the same chaotic night, as Elena (Dobrev) and vampire brothers Damon (Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) realise that Katherine (also played by Dobrev) is back, with a serious taste for blood.

The Vampire Diaries returns on Monday, September 13, at 8.30pm.

Then, at 9.30pm, get ready to cringe as 12 American rough guts transform themselves into diamonds in an attempt to take home $100,000 in the Australian premiere of Ladette to Lady USA. This will be followed by the free-to-air television premiere of the salacious third season of Gossip Girl at 10.30pm.

Also returning this month with Australian premiere episodes: the second season of the larger-than-life comedy Drop Dead Diva and the third season of the sci-fi thriller Fringe, starring Australian Anna Torv.

 

Monday, September 13 on GO!

7.30pm Hellcats – Australian premiere

8.30pm The Vampire Diaries – Fast-tracked

9.30pm Ladette to Lady USA – Australian premiere

10.30pm Gossip Girl – Season three free-to-air first