A year on the box
Before we jump into discussing the merits or otherwise
of television in 2007, it’s important to set a few ground
rules. Firstly, we all know that 75% of what’s on TV at
any given moment is rubbish. That includes repeats of shows you’ve
already seen, infomercials masquerading as actual shows and anything
involving ballroom dancing. Of the remaining 25%, half is sport;
leaving only about 12.5% of all TV programming eligible for inclusion
in this survey.
I’ve tried to concentrate on "new"
shows i.e. those that we in Australia have first seen throughout
the calendar year. Hence, new episodes of old favourites like
McLeod’s Daughters, Mythbusters and Temptation
don’t rate a mention. There will however inevitably be exceptions
to the rules. I’ve also tried to focus on prime time viewing
(with a few exceptions), because – let’s face it –
late night and morning TV is pretty dire.
With those guidelines in place, let’s dive
in.
Best
new Australian drama
City Homicide (Seven). While the formula
may have been set in the 1970s, this involving cop drama set in
Melbourne proved that Australian drama can match it with the best
the Yanks have to offer. It also proved that great writing counts
for a lot more than pretty smiles or attractive locations. Honourable
mention: The Circuit (could have been a winner had anyone
bothered to watch it).
Worst new Australian drama
Sea Patrol (Nine). The polar opposite of
City Homicide, this production relied on jingoism and
tropical locales as a substitute for other things. Things like
a believable script and half-decent acting.
Best new Australian comedy/variety/reality/game
show
The Chaser’s War on Everything (ABC).
I may be breaking one of my own rules here, but this was the year
the Chaser boys stepped up from being annoying sophomores sniping
from the sidelines to actually engaging with a broad audience.
The APEC stunt was a classic and garnered the team headlines around
the world. Honourable mention: The Librarians –
the ABC’s darkest comedy to date.
Worst new Australian comedy/variety/reality/game
show
National Bingo Night (Seven). With so many
to choose from, viewers were hard pressed to avoid some kind of
drab Oz production this year. The National Bingo Night
however truly scraped the bottom of the barrel. Not only was it
ludicrously over-hyped, silly and racist, it made the cardinal
sin of being just plain boring. Dishonourable mention: 1 vs
100 (Nine) – is there any way we can ban Eddie from
TV?
Best
new overseas drama
Californication (Ten). Any show that has
people protesting outside the Network Ten offices has to be OK
in my book. Dark, incisive and occasionally very funny, the show
had Australia’s self-appointed moral guardians in a lather
of indignation and righteous fury for daring to show things that
would seem tame in an MA movie. Meanwhile, those not caught up
in the moral fervour enjoyed one of the sharpest shows of the
year. I guess you could argue the toss as to whether it was comedy
or drama, but the show’s black edge led me to plumb for
the latter. Honourable mentions: Big Love (SBS), Heroes
(Seven) and Damages (Nine)
Worst new overseas drama
The Bionic Woman (Ten). Maybe not the absolute
worst show on TV in 2007, The Bionic Woman nonetheless proved
that re-awakening defunct shows from the 1970s isn’t a great
idea. You only needed to watch some of the original series to
know the whole thing was pretty silly to begin with. Then to graft
on a faux ‘war on terror’ justification only made
it worse. Hopefully it won’t be back in 2008. Dishonourable
mention: Moonlight (Nine) – a vampire detective?
Come on!
Best new overseas comedy
Ugly Betty (Seven). This was a tough one,
as Ugly Betty faced some pretty tough competition this year. While
it might not have been as insightful as some other shows, and
it had a minor misstep with the Mexico episodes, Ugly Betty proved
that a show that doesn’t have to feature a bevy of blonde
bimbos before Australians will watch it. It also tempered its
ample humour with moments of pathos that connected. The series
proved a ratings winner for Seven and there’s no indication
that will flag anytime soon. Honourable mention: 30 Rock
(Seven)
Worst
new overseas comedy
Not many options here, thanks largely to my own
rules. Most of the bad overseas comedy shows seen this year (a
la The King of Queens) had already been shown here previously,
leaving little to choose from. As a result, I’ve decided
to extend my definition of “comedy” into the world
of reality television – which, let’s face it, is full
of laugh-or-you’ll-cry shows - and nominate the stinker
of all stinkers in 2007, Mark Philippoussis’s Age of
Love.
And finally…
Our wishes for 2008
There are so many, I’ll have to be restrained.
First, for Australian networks to produce more shows like City
Homicide and fewer like Australia’s Funniest Home
Videos. For the commercial stations to take a few more risks
and start running shows like Weeds at a half-decent time. For
the 2007 series of Survivor, Australian Idol
and Big Brother to be the last. For cross-promotion of
your own network’s shows to be banned.
Oh, and for current affairs shows to treat their
subjects with dignity and respect – yeah, right!
Phil James
