Everything old is new again as television slips into the somnambulance
that is the yearly Xmas non-ratings period. With the heady days
of summer - when many staffers take annual leave – comes
a televisual dead-zone, in which shows tried but failed are
trotted out for another go-round with the viewing public. Yes,
the zombie corpses of TV land emerge from their graves to (with
a few exceptions) rot, if not directly eat, your brain.
But
we all know summer TV is dire, so let's concentrate on those
few bright spots on the horizon; those few examples of forward
thinking that may pay off down the track. Last year, for example,
Channel 9 programmed Weeds in its summer line-up. That
show has gone on to be shown during ratings (albeit in a woeful
timeslot, as we discussed
last month). And while the networks clearly aren’t
going to be too brave, they have at least scheduled a few shows
that look to hold promise.
On top of that list is 30 Rock (Seven). This show
comes from the awarded mind of Tina Fey, comedian and Saturday
Night Live regular. Fey has writing, exec-producing and starring
credits in the series, which takes a comic behind-the-scenes
look at the workings of a live variety show.
The title is the nickname for NBC's New York City studios,
located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
The series won the Emmy for outstanding comedy series this
year, with both Fey and Alec Baldwin (who plays her arrogant
boss) picking up nominations; so it looks like it might be a
winner.
Seven will also be taking Six Degrees out for a spin;
even though it looks to have stalled at the gate. The drama
series from the producers of Lost and Alias, follows six New
Yorkers going about their lives without realising the impact
they're having on one another - yet. A mysterious web of coincidences
gradually draws them closer, changing the course of their lives
forever. The premise sounds intriguing, and the reviews coming
out of the States have been pretty solid; but the show was cancelled
by its US network after just 8 episodes; so don’t expect
this one to be around too long.
Over at Ten, their summer line-up features one big-ish new
show in the form of Journeyman, a sci-fi series starring
Kevin McKidd (another Brit playing an American on TV). The idea
is that McKidd’s character is a time traveller who zips
about the space-time continuum helping people in need. Sounds
a bit naff (Quantum Leap, anyone?); but could be worth
a look. It also features an actress with one of the more wonderfully
outrageous names on TV – Moon Bloodgood – who co-stars
with McKidd. Ten also has Psych, a crime-comedy series
in the mould of Monk. A novice detective played by
James Roday somehow convinces the cops that he has psychic powers.
Before you can say “Medium”, he’s
assigned to tough cases. The show also stars Corbin Bernsen
of L.A. Law fame.
Nine’s only notable new summer offering is The Big
Bang Theory. In this updated Man About the House
with gender roles reversed, a sexy woman tries to teach two
nerdy physicists how little they actually know about the world.
Described as “Frasier goes to college”,
the show could be a bit of a hit-or-miss proposition; but expectations
for it obviously aren’t that strong among Nine execs.
Apart
from those, it’s largely familiar territory for the big
players. Seven is stacking on new episodes of the legal drama
Shark, a show
it ignominiously dumped during the year; the sometimes-great,
sometimes-terrible forensic drama Bones; and the reality
series The Amazing Race. Actually, the episodes of
The Amazing Race might arguably not truly be described
as “new” since they’re the series before the
“All Stars” season that Seven has already screened.
Nine returns Waking the Dead; Men in Trees;
The New Adventures of Old Christine (possibly the worst
title for a TV series in recent memory); and the always-interesting
but sadly neglected The Closer. Ten meanwhile has the
mini-series The Starter Wife; more of old mate Jamie
Oliver in Jamie at Home; and the NZ series Orange
Roughies. Beyond that, we’re into repeats territory;
with Ten even trotting out Friends for yet more re-runs
(yawn).
As often happens, some of the best stuff isn’t on free-to-air,
but rather on pay-TV. Top of that list is the critically acclaimed
Dexter. This dark comedy follows the life of a serial
killer as he struggles to keep his apparently normal life and
his hideous crimes separate. It’s showing on the new Showcase,
a channel which sadly is one that even a lot of people who have
pay-TV don’t get.
Over on Fox8 (which most pay-TV subscribers do have), Gossip
Girl could be worth a look. Based on the popular books,
this show about well-to-do teens in New York is a kind of Clueless
meets Cruel Intentions for television. Bitchiness,
beauty and blogging dominate what looks like a worthwhile diversion.
And if all that fails, well, I guess there’s always sport.
