Wife Swap USA

An Aussie version of Wife Swap is set to be produced by Shine Australia for XYZ Networks, owner of Foxtel’s Lifestyle Channels.

Shine has acquired the rights to the American reality series from Zodiak Rights, who has produced the series in the US and the UK for the past eight years.

“We have a strong hold on property, makeover and food productions, and this series moves us into the next evolution of lifestyle content in this country – life change,” said Nicole Sheffield, LifeStyle Channels’ general manager.

“As the home of all Wife Swap UK and US series it is well known by our viewers and Aussies will take it to a whole new level.

“From white collar privileged households to domestic neat freaks and self described supernannies – no parenting, family, diet, racial or socio economic stone will go unturned. We’ll see Australian families through fresh eyes, it will be fascinating and heart-warming viewing.”

The first season of the Aussie Wife Swap will consist of ten one-hour episdes and premiere early next year.

Source: The Spy Report

Some changes to Gem programming for the week after next.

Monday April 25.

9.30pm Kitchen Nightmares USA
10.30pm Wife Swap USA
11.30pm Friends.
12.00am Murder, She Wrote
1.00 Mary Queen of Shops

Movie The Wrong Man is out.

Tuesday April 26.

7.30 Antiques Roadshow – new episode.

Replaces How Clean is Your House.

Wednesday April 27.

8.30 Hoarders. Replaces The World’s Tallest Woman and Me which moves to…

Thursday April 28.

8.30 The World’s Tallest Woman and Me
9.30 Embarrassing Bodies
10.30 How to Have Sex After Marriage

This line up replaces Hoarders, Bizarre ER, How Clean Is Your House and Wife Swap USA.

Saturday April 30

8.10pm Two Fat Ladies, replaces As Time Goes By.

GEM re-arranging some of their 7.30 shows – again.

On Tuesday, as of tomorrow (Feb 8^th), The Secret Millionaire is replaced by Neighbours at War at 7.30pm and How Clean is Your House at 8pm. That of course, also affects the 4pm repeats on Wednesday.

Then, on Wednesday night, Wife Swap USA is replaced by As Time Goes By at 7.30 and The Golden Girls at 8pm.

As Time Goes By, and The Golden Girls still also air on Thursday nights at 7.30pm and 8.30pm respectively.

The programming changes just keep coming out of Nine and GEM.

Latest changes for GEM sees Wife Swap USA swapped for Black Adder the third on Sunday November 14, at 7.30pm and Black Adder the Third inserted also into the Saturday schedule for November 20 at 6.30pm. Black Adder the Third conintues the following week, at 7.30pm Sunday Nov 21 and at 6.30pm Saturday Nov 27, conitues into Black Adder Goes Forth.

Correct me if I am wrong, but to me, Wife Swap USA seems to suit the target GEM demographic a lot better than Black Adder the Third? The entire Black Adder series was seen on GO earlier this year as part of their Friday night British comedy line up which also included shows like ‘Allo ‘Allo. Wife Swap USA was also a GO! program originally.

A HD simulcast of the first test match between Australia and England will be seen on GEM, from Thursday November 25 between 10am and 6pm (AEDT). The match concludes on Monday November 29. Live from the ‘GABBA in Brisbane.

Note also, there is a HD simulcast of the Australia A vs England test cricket match from Wednesday Nov 17 until Sunday Nov 21.

Nine’s new channel GEM, replacing 9HD officially launches Sept 26. Programming was supposed to air from midday Sept 24, but that is no longer due to technical issues. GEM starts broadcasting from 6am Sunday Sept 26.

Here is the first full day of programming from GEM:

Sunday Sept 26
6.00am Movie: Kim (1950)
8.30 Movie: Spring and Port Wine
10.30 Movie: Thousands Cheer (1943)
1.05pm Movie: Life With Farmer (1947)
3.55 Movie: The Jazz Singer (1980)
6.00 The New Adventures of Old Christine
6.30 Wife Swap USA
7.30 Random Acts of Kindness (new)
8.30 Movie: The Bodyguard (1992)
11.10 The New Adventures of Old Christine
11.40 Wife Swap USA
12.40 Random Acts of Kindness replay
1.40 Movie: The Bodyguard

GEM replaces 9HD and can be seen on channel 90 (80 in eastern state regional areas) from Midday Sept 24.

See what’s on GEM for the rest of the first week here: http://www.throng.com.au/new-adventures-old-christine/first-look-tv-guide-gem

The first week of programming for GEM has been released. Like GO, GEM will offer repeats of prime time shows late night – which is great to help avoiding PVR conflicts earlier in the night. The Ellen Degeneres show will be on GEM at 5pm weekdays in HD, 4 hours after it airs on Nine. The mornings feature a simulcast of Today from 5.30am – 9am.

In going through the guide, for a HD channel, it is somewhat disappointing to see the number of shows not in HD. The inclusion of Today in the mornings – which is made in HD – would have to have been done to make sure Nine meets its daily HD requirements. Numerous older shows, movies, and even recent programs are not in HD.

Nevertheless, GEM will offer more alternative viewing and represents now 1 of 14 digital free to air channels we have the option to watch. Ratings will be interesting considering GEM is HD only and HD penetration is about 60%.

Like when GO began, there is NO Home Shopping on GEM. Let’s hope they keep it that way, as the late night / early morning repeats will give people some options when they would usually have nothing but Home Shopping or sport to chose from on free to air TV.

Here is the summary.

Prime Time.

Sunday Sept 26.
6.00 The New Adventures of Old Christine HD
6.30 Wife Swap USA
7.30 Random Acts of Kindness NEW
8.30 Movie: The Bodyguard
11.10 The New Adventures of Old Christine HD
11.40 Wife Swap USA
12.40 Random Acts of Kindness reply
1.40 Movie: The Bodyguard

Monday – Friday 6.00 – 7.30pm
6.00 The New Adventures of Old Christine HD
6.30 Friends
7.00 The Zoo

Monday Sept 27
7.30 60 Minutes (not clear whether this is exactly the same as Nine on Sunday)
8.30 Movie: The Fugitive.
11.15 Friends
11.45 Old Christine HD
12.15 60 Minutes
1.15 Movie: The Fugitive

Tuesday September 28
7.30 Secret Millionaire USA
8.30 Cold Case
9.30 Movie: Mystic River HD
12.15 Friends
12.40 Old Christine HD
1.05 Secret Millionaire USA
2.00 Movie: Mystic River

Wednesday September 29 HD night!
7.30 Who Do You Think You Are? HD
8.30 CSI HD
9.30 The Big C NEW – Pilot HD
10.00 Weeds NEW HD
10.30 Secret Diary of a Call Girl HD
11.00 Friends
11.30 Old Christine HD
12.00 Who Do You Think You Are? HD
1.00 CSI HD
2.00 The Big C NEW – Pilot HD
2.30 Weeds NEW HD
3.00 Secret Diary of a Call Girl HD

Thursday September 30
7.30 How Clean is Your House?
8.00 Neighbours at War
8.30 Marco Pierre White’s Chopping Block
9.30 The F Word
10.30 Amazing Medical Stories
11.30 Friends
12.00 Old Christine
12.30 Marco Pierre White’s Chopping Block
1.30 How Clean is Your House?
2.00 Neighbours at War
2.30 The F Word
3.30 Amazing Medical Stories

Friday October 1
7.30 Getaway Encore
8.30 Holiday Showdown
9.30 movie: Gangs of New York HD
12.50 Friends
1.15 Old Christine HD
1.40 Holiday Showdown
2.35 Movie: Follow the Boys

Saturday October 2
6.00 Old Christine HD
6.30 Deadly Surf
7.00 Animal Emergency
7.30 A Year With the Royal Family
8.30 Movie: Being Julia HD
10.45 Movie: The Jazz Singer
1.00 Old Christine
1.30 Movie: Being Julia HD

Daytime – Weekdays.
5.30 Today HD
9.00 Alive and Cooking
9.30 The Zoo
10.00 Old Christine HD
10.30 Friends
11.00 The Alice
12.00 Old Midday Movie
2.00 Varies – usually a replay from previous night.
3.00 McLeods Daughters
4.00 Sea Patrol
5.00 The Ellen Degneres Show HD

Weekend day times at this stage mostly made up of old movies.

Programming information TV Tonight. Subject to change.

Go are making some major changes to Monday and Tuesday nights from Monday June 7.

Community and the InBetweeners will move from their current timeslot of Tuesday night to Monday from June 7, while new episodes Hell’s Kitchen makes its first appearance on GO following the InBetweeners. Wife Swap USA remains at 7.30pm, and Nip/Tuck remains at 10.30 Mondays where it will continue into the seventh and final season.

On Tuesday nights, series 12 of the Bachelor comes to GO with the first episode being “Where Are They Now?” This will be followed by the 13 part small screen adaptation of The Witches of Eastwick called Eastwick at 9.30pm.

So from June 7, Monday nights on GO! Look like this:
7.30 Wife Swap USA
8.30 Community
9:00 The InBetweeners
9.30 Hell’s Kitchen
10.30 Nip/Tuck
11.30 South Park

While Tuesday nights look like:
7.30 The Middle
8.00 New Adventures of Old Christine
8.30 The Bachelor: London Calling
9.30 Eastwick
10.30 South Park

And on Thursday nights, with only 8 episodes remaining before the final episode ever, ER doubles are no more. Gossip Girl returns to GO at 10.30 Thursdays from May 27. Assuming no more programming changers, that should mean the finale of ER will be near the end of July. The finale in the US was a two hour episode that saw many of the show’ sold characters return for special appearances.