The Joy of Sets

The X Factor, Seven, 7.30pm
Final Five results. By the end of the show, there will be 4. Who will be the top 4?

Breaking Into Europe, SBS ONE, 8.30pm
This is the story of people from across the world who risk their lives to find a way into Britain and a Fortress Europe. But just how hard is it to break into Europe? And why do so many risk so much to try? In a groundbreaking assignment, two reporters set out to follow the journeys that these migrants take along the most popular and dangerous routes to the UK. Meanwhile, journalist Evan Davis explores what Britain and the rest of Europe is doing to stop these economic migrants getting in.

Entourage, ARENA, 9.30pm
In the eighth season premiere, Vince comes out of rehab, psyched about a new film idea, but the guys don’t share his excitement. Meanwhile, Eric and his business partner, Scott Lavin, sign Johnny Galecki (guest starring as himself) to their new management company. And while Drama throws Vince a “dry” welcome-home party, Ari tries desperately to win back his wife.

The Silence, SBS TWO, 9.30pm
When 13-year-old Sinikka vanishes one summer’s night, the police are reminded of an almost identical case they failed to solve 23 years previously. The events surrounding Sinikka’s disappearance puzzle the police and torment her family – and force those involved in the original case to face their past. Based on Jan Costin Wagner’s novel of the same name.

The Joy of Sets, Nine, 10.30pm
Probably your last chance ever to see this show. A great TV series always ends with a thrilling climax, guaranteed to leave the viewers begging for more and getting the next series commissioned. Join the boys as they give you their version of a series finale.

In the week of November 6-12  on Nine will be the season finale of Underbelly Razor as well as the last Joy Of Sets. Other than that, the week remains the same as usual. Refreshingly stable programming from Nine.

Sunday Nov 6
6.30 Frozen Planet
7.30 60 Minutes
8.30 Underbelly: Razor – Final
9.30 Person of Interest
10.30 Prime Suspect rpt
11.30 Flashpoint

Monday Nov 7
7.00 Celebrity Apprentice Australia
8.00 The Big Bang Theory NEW
8.30 The Mentalist NEW
9.30 CSI: Miami NEW
10.30 CSI: Miami rpt
11.30 Better With You
12.00 Undercovers

Tuesday Nov 8
7.00 Celebrity Appretice Australia
7.30 The Big Bang Theory rpt x 2
8.30 Two and a Half Men NEW
9.00 Mike & Molly NEW
9.30 Survivor: South Pacific
10.30 The Joy of Sets: The Final Curtain? Or Begging For A Second Series?
11.00 Embarassing Bodies

Wednesday Nov 9
7.00 Celebrity Apprentice Australia
8.00 Young Doctors
8.30 CSI NEW
9.30 Person of Interest
10.30 Who Do You Think You Are? Tim McGraw – season final
11.30 Better With You. Season Final

Thursday Nov 10
7.00 Celebrity Apprentice Australia
7.30 RBT
8.30 Unforgettable
9.30 CSI: Miami Rpt
10.30 Chase
11.30 Rubicon

Friiday Nov 11
7.00 Celebrity Apprentice Australia – All Fired Up
7.30 Two and a Half Men rpt x 2
8.30 Movie TBA

And on GEM, Monday night see the season finales of The Big C and Weeds from 10.30pm Monday Nov 7.

Nine have moved The Joy Of Sets back to 10.30pm, after Survivor South Pacific as of next Tuesday October 18. On its first night, the Joy of Sets dropped over half of its 2.3 million viewer lead in from the premiere season 8 episode of Two and a Half Men. As the audience of Men has dropped, so too has The Joy of Sets – to the point where it was bringing down their whole night with not much more than 400,000 tuning in (OzTam 5 city metro).

At 9.00pm, after new Two and a Half Men will be a new episode of Mike & Molly – another show that has failed to attract ratings as well. It should do better than Joy of Sets, but probably won’t help Nine’s Tuesday night too much.

The night now looks like this:
7.30pm The Big Bang Theory rpt
8.00pm The Big Bang Theory rpt
8.30pm Two and a Half Men – new
9.00pm Mike & Molly – new
9.30pm Survivor South Pacific
10.30pm The Joy of Sets
11.00pm Embarrassing Bodies – new

As the third new episode of season five of The Big Bang Theory goes to air in the US, there still is no news from Nine as to when they will air the new season.

After filling schedules of both Nine and GO! with countless repeats of the hit comedy series, one would think Nine would have jumped at the chance of airing new episodes the minute they were available.

So far, although advertising suggests new episodes of Big Bang are coming to Nine, no air date has been confirmed. Meanwhile, all repeats have vanished from Nine, with repeats only airing on GO! now. Next Thursday October 6, at 7.30pm is RBT.

With The Farmer Wants a Wife concluding next Monday October 3 from the special time of 7pm, new Big Bang could return to its traditional night of Monday night from October 10, at either 7.30 or 8pm.

Ideally, with the Joy Of Sets on Tuesday night bringing down the entire night for the network, Nine should seriously consider re-instating the combination of new Big Bang and new Two and a Half Men on Monday nights, by moving new Two and a Half Men away from Tuesday night 8.30pm and removing The Joy of Sets from the schedule. 8.30-9.30pm Tuesdays is one of the most difficult timeslots for Nine being up against Packed to the Rafters on Seven and new NCIS on Ten.

Nine rightfully fast tracked new Two and a Half Men within hours of its US broadcast resulting in around 3 million tuning in across the country. Its second episode dropped half of the first’s audience, as the curiosity factor dwindled. Meanwhile, The Joy of Sets dropped to just over 500,000, after over a million trialled its first episode. Surely not sustainable now at those figures.

Perhaps Nine could move Survivor: South Pacific to 8.30pm Tuesday instead?

Then there is the question of when Nine will fit in Pan Am and 2 Broke Girls – both also promoted as coming soon to Nine. Mondays with new Big Bang? Tuesdays? Thursday 9.30pm instead of CSI: Miami repeats?

We will hopefully know shortly.

Tonight on Nine (Tuesday Sept 20) Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee headed up their latest TV show, The Joy of Sets. The premiere episode followed new fast tracked Two and a Half Men which we were lucky enough to see hours after the US.

The premise of The Joy of Sets is to discuss aspects of TV shows, looking at examples – the first episode focused on opening titles.

For me, the opening of the show was lame, and just seemed out of place in prime time on a main TV channel. Nine would have been better off airing this at another time, and moving straight into the Charlie Sheen Roast after new Two and a Half Men.

With Ed and Tony sitting there on lounge chairs, an old “Hey Hey It’s Saturday” style telephone between them and a fire place in the background, it just got off to a bad start.

They showed opening titles from many shows – with the exception of Masterchef, Rescue Special Ops and Project Runway, just about all of them came from shows that aired in the 70′s or 80′s – I am wondering just how many of the potential audience of this show would have seen the shows they chose when they aired?

As an avid TV viewer and fan of shows that send up and make comedy out of other TV shows, I watched The Joy of Sets with the hope it would be both entertaining and an opportunity to have a great laugh jokes about other TV shows.

That wasn’t the case.

I have to say, history pretty well determined the outcome of The Joy Of Sets. Ed’s last project – TV Burp – flopped on Seven. And this show will most likely head the same way for Nine.

Sorry, but this show really has no place in prime time on Nine, It wouldn’t even suit GO! as the audience won’t know most of the shows they talk about.

I personally give the show two weeks – this one and next – before Nine put something else at 9pm Tuesdays after new Two and a Half Men.

The Joy of Sets airs on Nine, Tuesday 9pm – unless withdrawn.

Watch out for amendments!

Two and a Half Men, Nine, 8.30pm
See Ashton Kutcher replace Charlie Harper (Sheen). Will in be better, worse, or the same.

United States of Tara, ABC1, 9.30pm
Season 3 begins tonight and unfortunately is the last. We see Tara deal with her multiple personalities and how they affect her family.

Charlie Sheen Roast, Nine, 9.30pm
Watch Charlie Sheen’s ex-wife Brooke and others put him through the comedy ringer.

Modern Family, Ten, 7.30pm
See this multi Emmy award winning comedy for its laughs abound.

The Joy of Sets, Nine, 9.00pm
Ed Kavalee and Tony Martin’s latest skit show sending up our favourite and not so favourite shows on TV

Lots of fast tracking at Nine, as they release their guide for the week commencing September 25, 2011. New shows including Person of Interest and Charlie’s Angels will premiere that week, as will the latest season of Survivor which this time is in the South Pacific.

Here’s the details.

Sunday Sept 25
6.30 RBT
7.30 60 Minutes
8.30 Underbelly: Razor
9.30 Person Of Interest Premiere

Monday Sept 26
7.30 Farmer Wants a Wife
8.30 Movie: Four Holidays – free to air premiere
(Note this is Brownlow Medal night on Seven, so nothing big pitched against it on Nine)

Tuesday Sept 27
7.30 Charlie’s Angels Premiere
8.30 Two and a Half Men new season, second episode (1st one premieres 8.30pm Sept 20)
9.00 The Joy of Sets ep2
9.30 Survivor South Pacific 90 minute premiere

Wednesday Sept 28
7.30 Send in the Dogs Australia – new series
8.30 CSI season 12 premiere
9.30 Prime Suspect Premiere

Thursday Sept 29
7.30 The Big Bang Theory repeat
8.00 The Big Bang Theory repeat
8.30 Hamish & Andy’s Gap Year – season finale
9.30 The Footy Show – season finale (NRL markets 2 hour final.. AFL markets 3 hour final)

The following week, expect even more new shows with numerous timeslots on Thursday night becoming available, as well as Monday from 8.30pm. New The Mentalist may air on Mondays at 8.30, and will new Big Bang reside on Thursday nights, like it does in the states?

Nine are now heavily promoting new Two and a Half Men which is set to air at 8.30pm, Tuesday September 20. This will be the much anticipated first episode of the new season without Charlie Sheen and with Ashton Kutcher filling Sheen’s void.

New Two and a Half Men will be followed by the premiere of new locally produced comedy series The Joy of Sets which is another TV based comedy show involving Ed Kavelee. While I am tempted to say “it won’t work”, based on the (lack of) success of anything comedy Nine have done this year, as well as similar shows in past years, The Joy of Sets could maybe become the exception. It airs at 9pm Tuesday Sept 20.

That will be followed by The Roast of Charlie Sheen at 9.30pm that night.

Looking at the rest of that week on Nine, the network are yet to decide what to air at 9.30pm Sunday Sept 19, with two hours of TBA currently slated at that time.

On Monday night (Sept 19), at 8.30pm will be the movie Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Whether this remains in that timeslot will depend how this week’s movie “The Ugly Truth” (which airs 8.30pm Monday Sept 12) does in ratings.

To Tuesday night, prior to NEW Two and a Half Men at 8.30pm, is an hour of repeat Two and a Half Men from 7.30pm. Perhaps the idea here is to wet the viewers’ appetite for the new one, but honestly – my concern is that the new one will be lost in a sea of reteats and the result will be the new episode at 8.30pm won’t do anywhere near as well as it could have in ratings.

Wednesday night – Nine’s equally troubled night as Tuesdays sees the final in the Ocean Giants series air ay 7.30pm. A Mentalist repeat airs at 8.30pm, then new RPA at 9.30pm. UPDATED – NOTE: Although Nine have now changed Wed Sept 14 moving RPA to 8.30 and Where Are They Now in at 10pm, they have not yet issued an amendment for Wed Sept 21.

Thursday night (Sept 22), and Big Bang repeats fill 7pm – 8.30pm, while, in the US, the season 5 premiere of NEW Big Bang Theory airs on this night their time. Will Nine fast track and get new Big Bang on the following week? We hope so!

On Friday (Sept 23), NRL (NRL markets, plus VIC if the Storm are still in the comp and playing that night) will see the NRL preliminary final no.1 at 7.30pm, followed byThe Rugby World Cup 2011 at 9.45pm in which Australia play the USA (should be on GEM in non-NRL markets). Should be a shoe-in for the Wallabies!

As mentioned in the Ten programming post for the week Sept 18-24, I will soon be posting a tally of which Australian network is doing the best with fast tracking as the new US season takes off from Sept 19 their time.

So far Nine and Ten are equal with one each. Nine have Two and a Half Men, Ten have Glee. As for Seven, they are almost overflowing with content that fast tracking hardly seems necessary for them. Besides – Seven have well and truly won the 2011 ratings year in any case.

Programming news for the week September 25-October 1 will be very interesting! Monday September 26 for Nine will be especially interesting, as it is obvious that the movies on Monday nights now are a temporary programming measure.

Will we see new Mentalist at 8.30pm Monday Sept 26?

New Two and a Half Men will premiere at 8.30pm on Tuesday September 20, to be followed by The Joy of Sets and then the Charlie Sheen Roast at 9.30pm!

The Joy Of Sets, a unique take on television – the good, the bad and the gloriously misguided – premieres Tuesday, September 20 at 9.00pm on Channel Nine.

Written and hosted by Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee, The Joy of Sets will take you to parts of the television universe you never knew existed. By the end of the series keen viewers will have learnt enough to create their own smash hit TV format – or their money back. *

In the premiere episode, Tony and Ed start their tutorials at the very beginning – opening titles or, as it’s known in the trade, “selling the meat”. What’s the best way to hook an audience – sex, freaky weirdness or cheesy headshots? Joining the boys to help explain are Peter Phelps, veteran of title sequences from Sons and Daughters, Baywatch and Rescue Special Ops, and for some unknown reason Warwick Capper.

Throughout the series Tony and Ed teach the audience things about television that they probably would have already noticed if they hadn’t wasted so much of their lives watching television. How do cooking shows turn peeling potatoes into ratings gold? Why does every third cop on American TV seem to be called “Ramerez?” Who killed Warwick Capper? All these questions, and more, will be answered on The Joy Of Sets.

New Zealand-born comedian Tony Martin first appeared on Australian TV and radio as part of the D-Generation comedy troupe and was part of their Logie-winning cult hit, The Late Show. He has made multiple appearances on Kath & Kim, Thank God You’re Here, The 7PM Project and Spicks and Specks. Most recently he directed episodes of The Librarians and Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey, and has hosted two series of A Quiet Word.

 Ed Kavalee has appeared as a TV regular on Thank God You’re Here, Out of the Question hosted by Glenn Robbins, Good News Week, and Santo Sam and Ed’s Cup Fever during the 2010 World Cup. He currently anchors Hughesy and Kate on radio for Nova.

Tony and Ed first worked together in 2006 on Triple M’s radio program, Get This.    

 From Andrew Denton’s production company, Zapruder’s Other Films, The Joy Of Sets is an affectionate and funny journey through the world of television.

Nine have released to the media their major new shows and significant returning titles for 2011.

The release focuses mainly on new and ongoing Australian productions but Nine favourites like The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and The Mentalist all get a mention.

Here is the release:

Channel Nine announced today a number of new productions for 2011, adding to the already outstanding schedule from 2010 that won the network the ratings battle in all key demographics (16-39s, 25-54s, and 18-49s).

First up, the most anticipated new series from the producers of Australia’s number one drama, comes the gripping new instalment, UNDERBELLY RAZOR. Set during the roaring ‘20s in Sydney, when organised crime in Australia began. This is the story of the bloody battle between the era’s most feared vice queens – Tilly Devine and her rival Kate Leigh. It’s the most ambitious, daring UNDERBELLY yet.

Two of Australia’s great comedic talents, Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee, will be reunited on Nine in 2011 in The Joy Of Sets, giving viewers their unique take on television; the good, the bad and the fabulously misguided. From Zapruder’s Other Films (producers of The Gruen Transfer) The Joy Of Sets will take you to parts of the television universe you never knew existed.

Strengthening this line up of laughter, Nine welcomes international comedy icon BEN ELTON and his new creation, BEN ELTON LIVE FROM PLANET EARTH. A live comedy show jampacked with Ben’s unique take on pop culture, direct from Melbourne each week.

And, in anticipation of the 2012 London Olympics Games, Nine is delighted that John Clarke and Gina Riley will star in an all new series of the John Clarke/Ross Stevenson mockumentary, THE GAMES – London Calling.

Finally, Australia’s guru of lifestyle television, JAMIE DURIE returns home to Nine, hosting a massive new series, TOP DESIGN. Jamie will take viewers on a journey, searching the country to find people from all walks of life who are passionate about design and renovation. They will then be put to the test to create a masterpiece in this exciting new make over show.

These outstanding new productions join the strongest Nine schedule yet:

Nine, the Home of Drama: UNDERBELLY RAZOR, three major UNDERBELLY movie events – Tell Them Lucifer was Here, Infiltration and The Man Who Got Away, Rescue Special Ops – series 3 and Sea Patrol 5: Damage Control, The Mentalist and the CSI franchise.

Nine, the Home of Entertainment: All new Top Gear UK & Australia, Customs, RBT, RPA, Hot Property, This is Your Life, The Block, Getaway, The Farmer Wants a Wife and Millionaire Hot Seat.

Nine, the Home of Laughter: $#*! My Dad Says, Mike & Molly, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Hot in Cleveland, Mr Sunshine and Episodes.

Nine, the Home of the most respected News and Current Affairs: Nine News, A Current Affair, 60 Minutes and the Today Show.

Nine, the Home of Sport: The ASHES, the World Cup Cricket, the NRL and State of Origin series, the Rugby Union World Cup, and coming in 2012, London Olympic Games.