The Who We Are update: Week 38

Wednesday May 9, 2007 04:08 PM

Who We Are

This week of the blog is now a heritage item - worth studying but no longer current. For the latest discussion, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.
To nominate the cleverest lines ever written for Australian television, go to The Tribal Mind.
To discuss why Australians watched the 40 most popular programs of 2008, go to Who We Are.

What Australia watched, Saturday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,284,000 329,000 376,000 283,000 135,000 161,000
2 AUSTRALIA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEO SHOW Nine 1,144,000 343,000 321,000 257,000 104,000 120,000
3 TEN'S AFL FINALS 2008: 2ND PRELIM. FINAL HAWTHORN V ST KILDA Ten 1,134,000 54,000 687,000 55,000 162,000 176,000
4 RUGBY LEAGUE FINAL SERIES SF2 Nine 1,043,000 529,000 47,000 438,000 13,000 16,000
5 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Nine 1,005,000 270,000 311,000 249,000 98,000 75,000
6 ABC NEWS-SAT ABC1 889,000 275,000 229,000 202,000 63,000 121,000
7 THE BILL ABC1 724,000 227,000 190,000 111,000 74,000 122,000
22 MYTHBUSTERS SBS 368,000 112,000 77,000 68,000 64,000 47,000
30 IRON CHEF RPT SBS 262,000 79,000 85,000 37,000 35,000 26,000
41 ROCKWIZ SBS 186,000 52,000 51,000 41,000 23,000 19,000

The ratings race, updated 11 am Saturday
Nine won Sunday and Thursday, but Seven won Friday, thanks to AFL's greater appeal than NRL. At this point in the week, the prime time audience shares stand at: Seven 30.1 per cent; Nine 26.6, Ten 19.8, ABC 18.4 and SBS 5.1. And look -- there's Spicks and Specks on the chart again, having been shown on Wednesday and repeated on Thursday on ABC2, with another episode on ABC1 on Friday. Is the ABC in danger of doing a Ramsay on its biggest asset?

What Australia watched, Friday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,411,000 364,000 377,000 279,000 168,000 224,000
2 SEVEN'S AFL: PRELIM FINAL 1: GEELONG VS WESTERN BULLDOG Seven 1,181,000 85,000 681,000 86,000 166,000 163,000
3 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,098,000 338,000 304,000 228,000 124,000 104,000
4 NINE NEWS Nine 1,097,000 293,000 331,000 256,000 120,000 96,000
5 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,051,000 267,000 341,000 211,000 123,000 109,000
6 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Seven 1,030,000 345,000 431,000 253,000
7 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,021,000 270,000 343,000 261,000 147,000
8 ABC NEWS ABC1 988,000 282,000 280,000 207,000 81,000 138,000
9 WIRE IN THE BLOOD ABC1 926,000 287,000 244,000 160,000 102,000 134,000
10 RUGBY LEAGUE FINAL SERIES SF1 Nine 923,000 508,000 38,000 354,000 12,000 11,000

22 TAKEN OUT Ten 465,000 127,000 158,000 93,000 48,000 39,000
29 FRINGE (ENCORE) -RPT Nine 337,000 218,000 118,000
73 TITO'S GHOSTS SBS 159,000 65,000 31,000 31,000 15,000 17,000
93 SPICKS AND SPECKS RPT ABC1 111,000 43,000 24,000 25,000 6,000 13,000

What Australia watched, Thursday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,425,000 348,000 367,000 320,000 151,000 237,000
2 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,303,000 302,000 358,000 266,000 163,000 214,000
3 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,219,000 353,000 357,000 238,000 116,000 155,000
4 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,151,000 310,000 396,000 206,000 132,000 107,000
5 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,149,000 340,000 325,000 223,000 87,000 174,000
6 NINE NEWS Nine 1,149,000 304,000 372,000 266,000 124,000 83,000
7 ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? Ten 1,111,000 326,000 316,000 205,000 118,000 145,000
8 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,086,000 295,000 369,000 237,000 113,000 72,000
9 LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT Ten 1,048,000 307,000 345,000 163,000 123,000 110,000
10 GETAWAY Nine 1,045,000 309,000 356,000 198,000 93,000 88,000
11 THE STRIP Nine 1,038,000 269,000 328,000 235,000 103,000 103,000
13 GHOST WHISPERER Seven 975,000 324,000 284,000 178,000 84,000 104,000
14 MAKE ME A SUPERMODEL Seven 940,000 263,000 273,000 196,000 78,000 130,000
25 TAKEN OUT Ten 567,000 162,000 200,000 97,000 45,000 63,000
36 INSPECTOR REX RPT SBS 331,000 105,000 75,000 72,000 50,000 30,000
113 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC2 66,000 19,000 18,000 13,000 4,000 11,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Thursday
One of the strange things about Fringe, Channel Nine's new X-Files type series "fast-tracked" from the USA, is that it stars an Australian named Anna Torv. Rupert Murdoch's ex-wife was an Australian named Anna Torv. Coincidence? Well, the Fringe star is actually the niece of Murdoch's ex (and the daughter of former Sydney disc jockey Hans Torv).

In any case, Fringe was number four most watched program last night with viewers aged 16 to 39 (after Two and a Half Men, So You Think You Can Dance and Kenny's World) so that was good news for Nine. But people in that age group don't watch a lot of television any more, and Nine will need something with older appeal if it's going to save itself this year.

With all viewers, Fringe was number 19 on the night, which is not an auspicious start. We don't want to suggest Rupert Murdoch can or should influence the ratings, but ...

What Australia watched, Wednesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,443,000 357,000 362,000 334,000 168,000 223,000
2 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Seven 1,426,000 409,000 349,000 338,000 142,000 189,000
3 TWO AND A HALF MEN -WED Nine 1,375,000 394,000 432,000 272,000 131,000 147,000
4 CRASH INVESTIGATION UNIT Seven 1,287,000 393,000 331,000 270,000 134,000 159,000
5 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,286,000 344,000 327,000 272,000 154,000 189,000
6 CRIMINAL MINDS Seven 1,258,000 321,000 377,000 250,000 160,000 150,000
7 SPICKS AND SPECKS ABC1 1,256,000 414,000 355,000 229,000 110,000 149,000
8 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,187,000 364,000 324,000 246,000 117,000 136,000
9 NINE NEWS Nine 1,178,000 313,000 368,000 289,000 127,000 82,000
10 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,122,000 323,000 322,000 242,000 113,000 122,000
11 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,115,000 314,000 344,000 201,000 103,000 153,000
12 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,101,000 291,000 346,000 259,000 116,000 89,000
13 HOLE IN THE WALL Nine 1,040,000 313,000 357,000 157,000 102,000 112,000
14 KENNY'S WORLD Ten 1,000,000 284,000 324,000 177,000 90,000 125,000
15 CRIMINAL MINDS (R) Seven 973,000 248,000 283,000 172,000 134,000 136,000
17 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Ten 968,000 315,000 323,000 147,000 73,000 110,000
19 FRINGE Nine 935,000 267,000 308,000 176,000 97,000 87,000
20 THE HOLLOWMEN (SERIES 2) ABC1 931,000 316,000 283,000 149,000 78,000 106,000
24 VERY SMALL BUSINESS ABC1 743,000 228,000 267,000 105,000 59,000 84,000
25 BONDI RESCUE: BALI Ten 737,000 187,000 231,000 147,000 57,000 115,000
26 FRIENDS - DAILY Ten 717,000 177,000 240,000 149,000 60,000 91,000
27 KITCHEN NIGHTMARES U.S.A. Nine 567,000 171,000 178,000 95,000 57,000 66,000
28 TAKEN OUT Ten 545,000 170,000 190,000 72,000 48,000 65,000
34 PARALYMPIC GAMES BEIJING 2008 CLOSING CEREMONY ABC1 369,000 109,000 134,000 54,000 39,000 33,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Wednesday
It's a bit unusual for a new series to be going into flashbacks after only four episodes. The conventional wisdom holds that at this point in a story, viewers prefer to know what happens next rather than what happened before. This may explain the slight dip in audience for Packed To The Rafters last night. Or it could simply be that Nine was showing episode three of Underbelly in Melbourne. Rush is giving Ten gold for a 9.30pm slot, and Billie Piper's overbite is giving Nine a mouthful at 10.30.

What Australia watched, Tuesday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Seven 1,895,000 615,000 589,000 328,000 153,000 210,000
2 FIND MY FAMILY Seven 1,815,000 482,000 558,000 401,000 156,000 218,000
3 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Seven 1,813,000 501,000 522,000 389,000 168,000 233,000
4 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,582,000 452,000 445,000 325,000 165,000 194,000
5 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,441,000 406,000 412,000 248,000 185,000 191,000
6 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,376,000 425,000 400,000 258,000 130,000 164,000
7 NCIS Ten 1,266,000 342,000 363,000 226,000 163,000 172,000
8 ABC NEWS ABC1 1,246,000 362,000 371,000 253,000 115,000 145,000
9 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Nine 1,221,000 330,000 404,000 216,000 166,000 104,000
10 NINE NEWS Nine 1,219,000 337,000 374,000 266,000 139,000 104,000
11 ALL SAINTS Seven 1,212,000 431,000 356,000 164,000 129,000 132,000
12 WIPEOUT Nine 1,170,000 326,000 404,000 171,000 141,000 128,000
13 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,131,000 307,000 401,000 217,000 114,000 91,000
16 RUSH Ten 1,014,000 234,000 352,000 164,000 141,000 124,000
19 TWO IN THE TOP END ABC1 887,000 324,000 210,000 158,000 96,000 99,000
25 FRIENDS Ten 694,000 169,000 208,000 126,000 77,000 114,000
29 SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL Nine 509,000 116,000 200,000 90,000 70,000 33,000
30 TAKEN OUT Ten 507,000 151,000 180,000 58,000 52,000 67,000
35 UNDERBELLY Nine 429,000 Already shown 429,000 Already shown Already shown Already shown
40 PARALYMPIC GAMES BEIJING 2008 HIGHLIGHTS DAY 10 ABC1 331,000 98,000 86,000 71,000 37,000 39,000.
To see Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, go here and scroll down a few clicks.

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 CITY HOMICIDE Seven 1,854,000 511,000 615,000 314,000 201,000 213,000
2 BORDER SECURITY Seven 1,813,000 546,000 504,000 357,000 176,000 231,000
3 THE FORCE Seven 1,730,000 520,000 496,000 313,000 169,000 232,000
4 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,568,000 418,000 404,000 313,000 202,000 231,000
5 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,366,000 378,000 325,000 258,000 182,000 223,000
6 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,329,000 341,000 437,000 302,000 153,000 97,000
7 BONES Seven 1,317,000 337,000 413,000 230,000 158,000 179,000
8 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,294,000 411,000 320,000 261,000 142,000 159,000
9 NINE NEWS Nine 1,267,000 321,000 383,000 310,000 147,000 107,000
12 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - THE LIVE VERDICT Ten 1,009,000 339,000 280,000 192,000 99,000 99,000
16 TOP GEAR (SERIES 2) SBS 909,000 262,000 308,000 143,000 101,000 94,000
21 90210 Ten 816,000 285,000 228,000 147,000 67,000 89,000
24 FRIENDS Ten 741,000 167,000 253,000 137,000 84,000 100,000
26 BOSTON LEGAL Seven 648,000 158,000 225,000 102,000 86,000 77,000
27 TAKEN OUT Ten 590,000 161,000 206,000 92,000 72,000 58,000
28 BURN NOTICE MON Ten 539,000 166,000 138,000 101,000 66,000 68,000
40 PARALYMPIC GAMES BEIJING 2008 HIGHLIGHTS DAY 9 ABC1 347,000 90,000 96,000 61,000 44,000 56,000
50 30 ROCK Seven 292,000 62,000 107,000 52,000 32,000 39,000

The ratings race, updated 10 am Monday
Channel Nine learned two small things and one big thing last week. The smalls: Gordon Ramsay was a flash in the pan (the audience for his latest Kitchen Nightmares was down half a million on his pre-Olympic figures, apparently because Nine had overstuffed the viewers, and in the process, stuffed itself); and the success of Seven's City Homicide cannot be generalised into a fad for Australian cop shows (Nine's The Strip was down 200,000 from its debut).

The big: Nine will not be making a comeback this year, because Seven will have the largest audience share when the ratings race ends in November. Nine's audience may be up a bit, but it will not be The One.

The prime time shares last week were Seven 29.9 per cent, Nine 25.4, Ten 20.6 per cent, ABC 18.9, and SBS 5.3. Seven's top performers were Packed To The Rafters and Find My Family. Nine's only show in the top ten was Two and a Half Men (see the Top 50 chart below).

Ten had high hopes for the "re-imagining'' of the 80s teen favourite 90210 but managed only 837,000 (because there was not enough Shannen Doherty) but felt flushed with success when Kenny's World pulled 1.1 million. Taken Out is averaging 632,000 a night, which is apparently not bad enough to cause Ten to send it to Yasminland.

The ABC was going gangbusters with Spicks and Specks, Midsomer Murders, and the Four Corners September 11 conspiracy theory special. SBS scored with Top Gear (887,000) and Mythbusters (422,000), while Pay TV's top performers were NRL: Storm vs Rabbitohs (Fox Sports 2) 227,000; Project Runway Australia (Arena) 223,000; The Simpsons (Fox 8) 210,000 and Family Guy (Fox 8) 201,000.

Nine reasserted itself on Sunday, getting 29.8 per cent of the prime time audience to Seven's 22.5, with the help of 60 Minutes, a new gardening show and Underbelly's first (legal) showing in Melbourne.

Help wanted: Did any reader see the program listed in the ratings chart as "Fringe Sneak Peek"? It was not advertised. Can you tell us when it was shown, how long it was, and did it make you want to see the official first episode of Fringe on Wednesday?

What Australia watched, Sunday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 60 MINUTES Nine 1,713,000 508,000 475,000 333,000 192,000 205,000
2 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,638,000 576,000 422,000 336,000 177,000 126,000
3 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,490,000 359,000 462,000 283,000 161,000 225,000
4 FRINGE SNEAK PEEK Nine 1,416,000 400,000 511,000 208,000 157,000 139,000
5 BATTLEFRONTS Nine 1,286,000 385,000 372,000 265,000 148,000 116,000
6 MIDSOMER MURDERS ABC1 1,233,000 394,000 324,000 209,000 140,000 166,000
7 AUSTRALIAN IDOL Ten 1,224,000 381,000 348,000 246,000 139,000 111,000
8 THE OUTDOOR ROOM WITH JAMIE DURIE Seven 1,187,000 314,000 346,000 216,000 135,000 176,000
9 DOCTOR WHO ABC1 1,169,000 380,000 306,000 227,000 110,000 146,000
10 DANCING WITH THE STARS 8 Seven 1,167,000 355,000 397,000 172,000 90,000 153,000
13 OUTBACK WILDLIFE RESCUE Seven 1,057,000 235,000 349,000 201,000 121,000 150,000
17 RUGBY LEAGUE FINAL SERIES QF4 Nine 826,000 389,000 152,000 269,000 10,000 5,000
18 ROVE Ten 825,000 236,000 278,000 136,000 101,000 76,000
19 CSI: MIAMI Nine 776,000 317,000 185,000 142,000 132,000
20 PRIVATE PRACTICE Seven 722,000 237,000 241,000 118,000 58,000 68,000
23 UNDERBELLY -EP2 Nine 594,000 Already shown 594,000 Already shown Already shown
24 UNDERBELLY -EP1 Nine 575,000 Already shown 575,000 Already shown Already shown
26 DEXTER Ten 516,000 152,000 174,000 50,000 80,000 59,000
27 PARALYMPIC GAMES BEIJING 2008 HIGHLIGHTS DAY 8 ABC1 448,000 128,000 129,000 76,000 57,000 59,000
33 JAMES MAY'S 20TH CENTURY SBS 374,000 128,000 89,000 55,000 49,000 53,000
35 WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? SBS 354,000 118,000 96,000 51,000 54,000 34,000
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

What Australia watched, week ending September 13
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 PACKED TO THE RAFTERS Network 7 1,960,000 578,000 669,000 355,000 160,000 198,000
2 FIND MY FAMILY Network 7 1,919,000 549,000 591,000 381,000 180,000 217,000
3 CITY HOMICIDE Network 7 1,787,000 519,000 583,000 293,000 187,000 204,000
4 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Network 7 1,774,000 355,000 650,000 366,000 172,000 231,000
5 RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE Network 7 1,748,000 473,000 496,000 363,000 177,000 240,000
6 THE FORCE Network 7 1,660,000 445,000 473,000 315,000 170,000 257,000
7 BORDER SECURITY Network 7 1,648,000 499,000 450,000 308,000 153,000 239,000
8 SEVEN NEWS Network 7 1,515,000 403,000 402,000 301,000 161,000 247,000
9 CRIMINAL MINDS Network 7 1,478,000 407,000 433,000 284,000 177,000 178,000
10 TWO AND A HALF MEN -WED Network 9 1,410,000 397,000 433,000 267,000 169,000 144,000
11 TODAY TONIGHT Network 7 1,383,000 368,000 375,000 256,000 157,000 227,000
12 SPICKS AND SPECKS Network ABC1 1,364,000 447,000 385,000 229,000 130,000 173,000
13 THE OUTDOOR ROOM WITH JAMIE DURIE Network 7 1,356,000 341,000 436,000 262,000 122,000 195,000
14 MEDICAL EMERGENCY Network 7 1,353,000 385,000 365,000 303,000 133,000 167,000
15 DOMESTIC BLITZ Network 9 1,352,000 394,000 390,000 283,000 159,000 126,000
16 60 MINUTES Network 9 1,350,000 397,000 379,000 274,000 143,000 157,000
17 DANCING WITH THE STARS 8 Network 7 1,334,000 445,000 431,000 212,000 93,000 152,000
18 CRASH INVESTIGATION UNIT Network 7 1,320,000 396,000 329,000 291,000 123,000 181,000
19 ALL SAINTS Network 7 1,293,000 445,000 422,000 150,000 144,000 133,000
20 HOME AND AWAY Network 7 1,282,000 379,000 348,000 247,000 136,000 172,000
21 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Network 9 1,272,000 416,000 365,000 244,000 148,000 99,000
22 MIDSOMER MURDERS Network ABC1 1,271,000 407,000 353,000 196,000 157,000 158,000
23 TWO AND A HALF MEN -RPT Network 9 1,270,000 342,000 384,000 271,000 139,000 134,000
24 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Network 7 1,268,000 353,000 321,000 268,000 128,000 198,000
25 WIPEOUT Network 9 1,262,000 357,000 436,000 179,000 143,000 146,000
26 THE STRIP Network 9 1,247,000 319,000 386,000 284,000 118,000 140,000
27 NINE NEWS SATURDAY Network 9 1,214,000 384,000 368,000 261,000 123,000 80,000
28 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - WILDCARD Network TEN 1,191,000 354,000 375,000 246,000 94,000 122,000
29 NCIS Network TEN 1,188,000 331,000 334,000 238,000 139,000 147,000
30 NINE NEWS Network 9 1,181,000 323,000 382,000 258,000 126,000 93,000
31 A CURRENT AFFAIR Network 9 1,177,000 334,000 376,000 251,000 122,000 95,000
32 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS Network 7 1,173,000 295,000 399,000 235,000 123,000 121,000
33 GETAWAY Network 9 1,159,000 277,000 396,000 237,000 122,000 128,000
34 BONES - MON Network 7 1,149,000 349,000 316,000 224,000 137,000 122,000
35 KENNY'S WORLD Network TEN 1,129,000 309,000 400,000 195,000 108,000 118,000
36 FOUR CORNERS Network ABC1 1,124,000 356,000 293,000 205,000 104,000 166,000
37 HOLE IN THE WALL Network 9 1,121,000 317,000 329,000 206,000 134,000 135,000
38 ABC NEWS Network ABC1 1,119,000 353,000 319,000 193,000 108,000 145,000
39 SEVEN'S AFL: SEMI-FINAL 2: WESTERN BULLDOGS VS SYDNEY Network 7 1,117,000 179,000 556,000 73,000 133,000 176,000
40 CRIMINAL MINDS (R) Network 7 1,109,000 282,000 352,000 202,000 143,000 129,000
41 AUSTRALIAN IDOL - THE LIVE VERDICT Network TEN 1,099,000 320,000 347,000 216,000 110,000 107,000
42 DOCTOR WHO Network ABC1 1,095,000 350,000 303,000 207,000 109,000 126,000
43 OUTBACK WILDLIFE RESCUE Network 7 1,094,000 292,000 361,000 197,000 94,000 150,000
44 TEN'S AFL FINALS 2008: 1ST SEMI FINAL ST KILDA V COLLINGWOOD Network TEN 1,087,000 81,000 669,000 52,000 140,000 145,000
45 ABC NEWS-SUN Network ABC1 1,062,000 339,000 297,000 203,000 93,000 131,000
46 ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? Network TEN 1,053,000 308,000 288,000 225,000 97,000 136,000
47 MAKE ME A SUPERMODEL Network 7 1,052,000 321,000 332,000 182,000 79,000 139,000
48 THE HOLLOWMEN Network ABC1 1,044,000 351,000 315,000 156,000 81,000 141,000
49 THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE RPT Network TEN 1,032,000 293,000 340,000 185,000 101,000 112,000
50 CSI: MIAMI -EP1 Network 9 1,028,000 262,000 327,000 196,000 118,000 125,000
David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

COMMENTS

Watching Idol, just saw an ad for Friends being on 7pm weeknights - has Taken Out been taken out of the Ten schedule? Honestly, I'd prefer Friends! But half an hour ago, they had the ads for Taken Out... Change in timeslot? Taken off until summer? Does anyone have any info? Cpandilo, hoping you, with the fantastic knowledge (what is your source, btw? You always hear everything before anyone else! I like to think I keep up with the tv goss, but you are so far ahead!!) may have the answers to my questions!

by Beckala on September 14, 2008 at 08:03 PM

Taken Out's finally taken out! It did last a week longer than I expected...still, it was only a matter of time before it went to Yasminland. I have to agree with a reviewer that the first episode of Kenny's World was more of a kid's show. I am hoping it will get better.

by Kym on September 14, 2008 at 08:04 PM

I think you are a bit harsh on Gordon! I really like the original Kitchen Nightmares in the UK. Much less confrontational than the US and based on making a restaurant better due to the basics - no big makeovers and new equipment, new restaurant design etc. Just change the menu and service standards! I think he lost the audience with Hell's Kitchen. He was just nasty. Previously I did not mind his swearing and the like because I could see he was passionate about making a great restaurant. I think in Hell's Kitchen he crossed the line. Viewers responded.
That said, gosh I am enjoying Doctor Who. Love Catherine Tate as his assistant - despite her family.
I think Channel 7 will win this year - and despite their appalling Olympic coverage, I like that they have always supported Australian Drama and most of their top rating shows are Australian.

by Louise on September 14, 2008 at 09:57 PM

A qualification -Taken Out has been shifted to 6 pm - replaced at 7 by Friends.
Finally caught up with Rush over the weekend - OK, not brilliant - will give it another watch.

by Cathy on September 15, 2008 at 08:01 AM

Sorry, my mistake - Taken Out hasn't been to Yasminland. I got a tad excited, but now I�m sad it�s replaced The Simpsons, because I was watching that on a regular basis. I must add they were repeating episodes shown about a month ago, so they must have run out of episodes (with so many seasons, I can hardly see how). At this rate, Ten is certainly looking like Groundhog Day (which by the way, I'm sure is due to be shown soon). What I also found funny about Ten is their ad for 90210, where apparently "everybody's been talking about it."

by Kym on September 15, 2008 at 08:23 AM

Dammit you got me all excited, when I checked the Shirl TV guide at midnight and made a very witty post (which was eaten up by Internet Explorer - damn you Bill Gates) I only checked the 7pm slot, not the 6pm slot.
How will Shirl survive without showing The Simpsons every single bloody day?
The other part of my witty 12am pst was my disdain for all things Shrieky Lee on Idol. Can someone make the bad lady stop! And can somemake make the Daily Terror stop pimping stories on her?

by Bereft Skerrick on September 15, 2008 at 08:48 AM

Only show I saw last week in the top 50 chart above is Doctor Who, and that was recorded and watched later. I seem to be totally out of touch with popular culture.
Quoth Bereft Skerrick on September 15, 2008 at 08:48 AM: "How will Shirl survive without showing The Simpsons every single bloody day?"
Damn, that was the only show I watched on Channel 10... Oh well, one less channel to worry about.
From last week's comments: I too caught the Australian v. Germany murderball match over the weekend, and I was gripped (and I don't usually watch any sport). Loved the stout chap (Batt?) who was amazingly fast, and just barrelled into people and sent them flying. Awesome TV viewing.
And I actually caught Doctor Who last night! I'm up-to-date! Woot!! Okay, I've still got 3-4 Dexter episodes to watch...

by tqd on September 15, 2008 at 09:23 AM

Wasn't Dr Who amazing last night? And the coming finale looks - to quote my daughter- "awesome". Am really enjoying this season probably the best so far. Which is even more amazing as I thought I would hate Catherine Tate but am loving her.
Havent watched Idol. Just cannot get motivate to. Did switch over after the Dr for 1 unfortunate singer , some girl who was shrieking and not in tune. That was enough for me. I am completely and totally over the whole Idol thing.

by em on September 15, 2008 at 09:58 AM

Wow - what a brilliant Doctor Who last night! They are really stepping it up for the big two-parter finale. Can't wait!

by cronker on September 15, 2008 at 10:01 AM

Damn, I thought Taken Out was gone! I really wish it wasn't replacing The SImpsons - They were starting to get to the later seasons (they were up to 8 I think, and it's a lot of the ones after that which i've only seen twice). I agree with someone who said last week it's the kind of show that needs a later timeslot. It's fine once for novelty value but after that it's boring as hell. I'll go back to watching the news...
I see Idol is beating DWTS. Interesting - I would have thought it would be the other way around.

by Beckala on September 15, 2008 at 10:16 AM

Wow, Oz Idol outrated DWTS!

by Bim on September 15, 2008 at 10:28 AM

Ch.10 needs to get with the program (literally) - they screened a news promo last night that featured Tim Webster. It was all very slick, with B&W stills of the news team in action in the studio, intercut with newsy stuff...but didn't Webster leave Ch.10 MONTHS ago?!?

by NK on September 15, 2008 at 10:45 AM

Fringe sneak peek was less than five minutes shown before 60 minutes (and probably after the advertised start time for 60 minutes). It was an ad, not a program, shouldn't count.

by Paul on September 15, 2008 at 11:07 AM

Hi TM,
How did DW Confidential go last night? I'm interested if Midsomer lifts its ratings. Great to see DW beat DWTS too!
Adam.

Tribal Mind replies: Mysteriously, DWC got only 941,000, which suggests that Dr Who fans who are also Midsomer fans go off and do the washing up between shows. Or perhaps they don't want to spoil the magic by knowing how it's done.

by Adam on September 15, 2008 at 12:59 PM

Having seen the last 2 editions of Who Do You think You Are (Jeremy Irons and Sheila Hancock) - I have to say Jeremy Irons came across as a complete prat who was not so much interested in his ancestry as establishing a link to Ireland. Sheila Hancock on the other hand came across as a genuinely nice person. I am interested in any views of others who have seen both these eps.
On programming read that Shirl will be fasttracking NCIS season 6 at end of September

by Cathy on September 15, 2008 at 01:05 PM

Actually, fringe sneak peek was on 8.35-8.45pm after 60 minutes. Making CSI: Miami very late *angry*.

by arthur on September 15, 2008 at 01:06 PM

Why is Idol outrating DWTS? Is it because Mark is no longer there or because Ricky Lee is? Or is it because DWTS is below par? Idol has been below par for a couple of years but has remain stable.
Can't believe the ratings for the Jamie Durie show, so tacky... Take last night, have a man who loves Africa or at least the notion of Africa as he as never been there. So Jamie gets to go on a trip to Africa and brings back some souveniers. Then copying other people's ideas to make something that looks nothing like the original and the combination of all these borrowed ideas is not cohesive. What would have been a better idea for the show is to sponsor the couple who had never been to their dream country and just show the original good gardens.

by kate on September 15, 2008 at 01:12 PM

i agree with you Kate - Jame's gardening show should be retitled JAMIE'S FREE TREKS ACROSS THE WORLD TO PLUG A PLANT OR TWO.
He seems to pick some of the nicer points of the globe to pluck his ideas from and then imports those ideas to the backyards of Australia - How enriching! - Unsurprisingly I don't think we'll see him doing a garden transplant from the lawns of Afghanistan or Bosnia - there just may not be enough healthy vegetation or 5 star resorts for our outspoken little garden gnome to report from!
I missed Dr Who last night - is anyone able to give me a very short summary of the plotline - I read that the final two part episode is a classic - I guess I can wait till it screens on UK TV or buy the DVD or download!

Tribal Mind attempts a summary: Rose has come across from her universe to get the doctor's help against a force which is causing the stars to go out. All the rest was irrelevant to next week's episode.

by GJ on September 15, 2008 at 02:45 PM

I always thought that DWTS and AI would both suffer by being against each other because a lot of viewers would want to watch both. Without an alternative to reality/competition show, 60 Minutes thrives and Doctor Who also provides strong competition in the slot. Underbelly in Victoria put a dent in DWTS too.
Other shows could probably have given Ch 7 similar numbers on Sunday night and DWTS could have done a lot better on Wednesday or Thursday.

by J Bar on September 15, 2008 at 03:32 PM

Thanks TM for the update - we like Rose and the return of former characters - I really enjoyed it when Sarah Jane returned a few series back - she had aged pretty well too - I wonder if they would consider bringing back KATY MANNING - who was Jon Pertwee's assistant in the early years - she lives here now and I saw her in a recent episode of ALL SAINTS and she hadn't aged well at all - she played an over the top character and her face seemed a little distored - I think she's married or the partner of BARRY CROCKER!!

by GJ on September 15, 2008 at 03:39 PM

Watched Dr W last night - was Rose always that toothy?
You are right, TM, once DWC comes on I race to the kitchen, bathroom etc. Anything to avoid listening to the pretentious guff spewing forth from RTD. No doubt he imagines the final two part episode is a classic as mentioned by GJ. What defines a classic? Anything written by him? Surely, a classic needs to be out for longer than it takes for the ink to dry.
Humpf - not one single 9 to back up my rant.

by Shoopie on September 15, 2008 at 04:12 PM

Couldn't agree more Cathy. I thought Jeremy Irons was a total nob (or is it knob?) and I couldn't bear to watch him. So I missed Sheila Hancock because the show has dropped off my radar.

by Rupert on September 15, 2008 at 04:16 PM

Why was the Yasmin term (a show which flops and gets cancelled) compared to "Jumping the shark". That's totally different, referring to a show that finally does something so stupid, it finally crossed the line into the realm of absurdity

by Mike on September 15, 2008 at 04:26 PM

Dr Who beat DWTS!! Wow! That's what they get for dumping Daryl.

by Fielding on September 15, 2008 at 04:34 PM

The Fringe sneak peak was on after Sixty Minutes. It went for 2 minutes and they are going to do another 2 over the next couple of days..... After TAHM and Wipeout.
Ive seen the first episode and it was great.... hopefully it will find an audience here and it isnt "too smart" for the audience. Very action packed, Scifi, Drama kinda thing.

by JM on September 15, 2008 at 04:43 PM

Kate posted: Why is Idol outrating DWTS? Is it because Mark is no longer there or because Ricky Lee is?
Oh, no way it's because of Ricki Lee. The girl is just a self-absorbed waste of space. Somehow, every contestant's story can lead to an anecdote about her favourite subject, Ricki Lee. I'm wondering if it is backlash against DWTS because they kept Todd McKenny (alleged drug taker) and kicked off Paul Mercurio (the nice and balanced judge who actually had interesting things to say). When it came down to my viewing choice - Idol is a bigger hit with my students and therefore I remain cool by knowing who the contestants are(the things we do to be able to bond with students!!). I watched DWTS when it was on Tuesdays because there wasn't much else on. I liked it, but now I've seen SYTYCD, I've moved on in my dance viewing, SYTYCD makes DWTS look like a cheesey RSL show.

by Beckala on September 15, 2008 at 05:49 PM

Shoopie: I imagine anyone wanting to check out whether Rose Tyler was as toothy should check out the Call Girl show, but I challenge people to only check out her teeth. her hair looked dreadful as well. But the show was awesome.
Beckala: Shrieky Lee and her plastic Bratz-like bobble head, plus her ranting and raving all about her makes me almost want to go and enter the competition to win a spot and Vyle's wedding. yes, apparently you can win a ticket to his wedding. With the pimping of his wedding is he becoming the Australian version of Star Jones?

by Bereft Skerrick on September 15, 2008 at 10:08 PM

TM: Question for you, is there a minimum time for the program to run to be consider a program? Like the Fringe sneak peek? Otherwise, why don't Oztam include high rating ads in their ratings? Even if 60secs? A trailer for a movie would also be an example, like the upcoming Bond film.
Beckala: I didn't really think it was the Ricky Lee effect, even though it is hard to avoid her in the media at the moment. The final 12 of Idol strangely resembles past 12 contestants, young cute dimpled one who dimples better than sings, one obese but can sing, one street cred, one pseudo rocker who can kinda sing, etc...
Shoopie: Yes, Billie has always had a very toothy overbite but it seems much worse in Doctor Who... When this episode aired in the U.K., instead of comments re the plot, all the feedback sites were flooded with comments about her teeth.
The only decent thing about the Dr Who finale is that it showcases what a brilliant actress Catherine Tate is, both comic and dramatic.

Tribal Mind replies: OzTam's computer gives a result for whatever appears on the program list sent in by the station. If Nine calls it a program, OzTAM publishes it.

by Kate on September 15, 2008 at 10:09 PM

DWTS Australian version is different to the UK & US shows .Our version strays from the concept & is not as good as original UK shows.The voting is done incorrectly & is confusing. If you get a download of either show you will see why our one is failing .

by Doug on September 15, 2008 at 10:30 PM

To Shoopie:
No, Rose was never that toothy, and she got a pummeling from fans of the show for the speech impediment she suddenly seemed to have.
It turns out that after some time away, and with different characters to work on, Billie Piper found it very tough to come back to character when she reprised Rose. Guaranteed that next week's episode sees her back in true form.
And TM, I disagree with you that the Turn Left episode (last Sunday) has only little to do with the double episode finale. It was a very sharp piece of television to tie the rest of the season together. Shame.
While I am at it, I am going to throw out a criticism, TM.
Is it just me, or a Fairfax insecurity that when I post here I must give my email address, a security code and then wait for my comment to be scrutinised?
It seems a bit precious that when we are talking telly, there is such a high security policy surrounding our blog. Oh My God, maybe I will say something derogatory about Laverne & Shirley?
Lighten up - get a spam filter and one that ***'s out the words we all use about Channel Ten.

Tribal Mind replies: It's standard Fairfax policy on all blogs. I'm the one who "scrutinises" in this case. You'd be horrified by some of the material that comes in -- the defamatory, the obscene and the insane.

by cronker on September 15, 2008 at 11:32 PM

Arthur - the fringe sneak peak didnt go for 10 minutes... it went for about 2-3 minutes... the reason CSI Miami was late was because 60 Minutes did an "Update" about claire oliver.

by JM on September 15, 2008 at 11:40 PM

Bereft, I too saw the competition to win a seat at Vile's wedding. How low can one person go? I read the terms and conditions (because I was intrigued because the comp stated that they were strict) and apparently they have the right to breath test you and not allow you in if you are under the influence of alcohol. Which ruined Mr Beckala's plan of getting liquored up and heckling! (not that he'd actually do it, I must stress, but we both had a good chuckle thinking about it). Wonder if he's going to do a special Idol shoot at the wedding, or perhaps invite the top 12 to sing a song as his bride walks down the aisle...? At the least, I bet they show a bit of coverage on Idol. If you're willing to give strangers a double pass, putting five minutes of it on video to screen on Idol is nothing!

by Beckala on September 16, 2008 at 06:56 AM

More obscene and insane commentary coming up right now. I forgot to mention about Billie Piper that, apart from it being a most excellent episode, all she seemed to be doing was smirking her way through the character. It was starting to give me the ****s.

by Bereft Skerrick on September 16, 2008 at 07:44 AM

If anyone gets a chance to see last night's Australian Story "The Girl Least Likely"- I highly recommend it. Kudos to the family for doing it - it is a very hard topic - depression and teenage suicide but I found it well handled - no tabloid journalism or sensationalism there! Some of our alleged current affairs programs should watch it just to see how to behave when faced with such issues.

Mrs Skerrick - tickets to Vyle's wedding - only worth it if you could throw boots at the groom!

by Cathy on September 16, 2008 at 07:46 AM

I stand corrected then. It just seemed that the fringe sneak peek seemed to go on forever, or at elast more than a few minutes. I was thinking: "Get this over with already!"

by arthur on September 16, 2008 at 07:51 AM

Anyone seen Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on 'Saturday Night Live' yet? I'm off to track it down on Youtube momentarily.
The ads for '90210' are starting to sound like ads for phone sex lines......"Eeeeveryone's sooooo bad.....what have these nauuuughty nauuuughty girls been up to?"...actually Ten have been advertising a lot of their shows like that lately.
Good to see 'Taken Out' writhing on the floor in it's death-throes. Die. Die.

Tribal Mind replies: Cease your search. I have given the link, above.

by darren on September 16, 2008 at 08:38 AM

For those fellow bloggers who may have misunderstood my use of the word 'classic' - my friends often say 'something is a classic' often to describe something funny, or great or kinda unique - its a term that we've adopted when we see or hear about something slightly above the norm - and we''ll say 'what a classic'. I don't imagine for a minute that a DR WHO EPISODE (as good as some of them are) would ever be described as a classic in the strict sense of the word! - but the review I read certainly got me interested!
In relation to Billie Piper I like her toothy look - its kinda sexy!!

Tribal Mind replies: Your wish is my command. I have inserted a picture, above. Hope that's toothy enough for you.

by GJ on September 16, 2008 at 09:46 AM

Massive numbers for 7 with 8 of the top 10 programs. Nine is dominating Sunday's though. It will be interesting to see what impact Underbelly screening in Melb has on PTTR tonight. Ch 9 has nothing on in Sydney so the numbers are still likely to be strong.

by Michael on September 16, 2008 at 10:10 AM

Ta for the linky for the SNL parody of Palin/Clinton. Reading through articles on same website has stories about calling Tina Fey "sexist" and Sarah Palin having a tanning bed in the Govenors Mansion.
It's a pity that SNL isn't available on Free To Air.
Watched 90210 last night, yiu're right about the whole 1900 aspect of their ads. I guess they think if they sex up the ads you might get viewers. Another expensive failure for Shirl I guess.

by Bereft Skerrick on September 16, 2008 at 10:41 AM

Thanks TM - pic much appreciated - I have seen Piper in THE CALL GIRL SHOW and put it this way - her adventures on that show far outweight any time travel escapedes she used to get up to with the DR - and her toothy look still impresses!

by GJ on September 16, 2008 at 10:41 AM

Bereft, Tickets to Vyle's wedding? How low could anyone go? What a ego that man has. Who would want to go to that bloated, egotistical toad's wedding! I can't believe he found someone with an IQ low enough to even marry him. Yuck!!! The mental image makes me want to puke!
(think happy thoughts... think happy thoughts...)
And is Shrieky Lee going to sing? And no doubt excerpts will be shown on Idol. Now I really have heard everything.
BTW I , too, did notice Billie Piper's strange speech impediment. I thought perhaps I was hearing things as I do not remember her having one before. It was a tad annoying but the brilliant acting of Catherine Tate diverted my attention.
And Cathy, I have to agree about Oz Story last night. Very compassionate reporting and ACA & TT need to take a long, hard look at how reporting should be done. Well done, ABC!
I'll shut up now and go to my happy place!

by em on September 16, 2008 at 10:58 AM

Cathy - Enjoyed both Jeremy Irons & Sheila Hancock episodes for different reasons & you should remember that Jeremy is a "thespian" therefore closer to a pratt than a nob (knob = door handle).We wondered where the 2 dogs stayed when he went into the buildings!! Couldn't agree more Cathy, Australian Story is head & sholders above anything that the commerials put forward as "serious journalism"

by PJ453 on September 16, 2008 at 11:27 AM

Beckala,
Kyle invites the top 12 to sing a song as his wife walks down the aisle? Perhaps something like "Ooh Aah, I lost my bra, I left it in my boyfriend's car"? Klassy.
Or maybe that Dennis Leary song "He's an ass, he's an ass, he's an asshole... ole... ole". Could get some nice harmonies going to that one.

by darren on September 16, 2008 at 11:28 AM

Thanks for that link to the Tina Fey's impersonation of Palin TM. I knew she would nail it. They both have that sexy librarian look.

by merciless on September 16, 2008 at 11:50 AM

You'd be horrified by some of the material that comes in -- the defamatory, the obscene and the insane.
Wonder which category I fall into? Can I choose???

Tribal Mind remarks: Anybody whose comment gets published is not in any of those categories.

by kate on September 16, 2008 at 12:28 PM

Yes, TAKEN OUT has replaced THE SIMPSONS in the 6pm weeknight timeslot with FRIENDS back at 7pm. Also, from this week, Ten are due to show Season Ten (the final season) of FRIENDS which Nine have had the rights to till recently.
SURVIVOR: PALAU returns Tuesday, September 30 at 10.30 on Nine. It doesn't start during Summer as I previously commented.
Perhaps Nine should have skipped it for GABON which premieres on CBS on September 25.

by cpandilo on September 16, 2008 at 12:30 PM

by GJ on September 16, 2008 at 09:46 AM
Sorry, GJ, I assumed you were referring to something you had read describing the following Dr Who eps as classic. As for Billie's toothiness - I can see why she decided to do Secret Diary of a Call Girl - something she could get her teeth into...

by Shoopie on September 16, 2008 at 12:54 PM

Great ratings for Boston Legal last night considering its time slot. It was another great episode.

by Nick on September 16, 2008 at 02:16 PM

Another massive result for City Homicide, with the second highest ratings ever. 90210 was massacred and the return to movies on for Ch 9 was probably not a good idea. McLeod's Daughters and Canal Road rated better than any of these movies.
Australian Idol Live Verdict is dangerously close to dropping below the magic million. How stupid to stretch the results show to 70 minutes and have the losers perform again and then be interviewed by three hosts. I reached for remote after about 20 minutes. What happened to the group performance from previous years? I don't think I'll bother watching any of this rubbish again.
Thanks for the link to Tina Fey on SNL. Too funny. When I saw Sarah Palin, I thought the resemblance was remarkable and wondered how soon it would rate a mention in 30 Rock but they were even quicker off the mark at SNL.

by J Bar on September 16, 2008 at 03:13 PM

Thought the pre-program warning was interesting on 4 Corners last night - they usually say something like "scenes MAY disturb some viewers". This one said "scenes WILL disturb some viewers". They obviously weren't kidding themselves...and they were right - graphic footage, swearing, and even the c-bomb (remember the furore last time that one was dropped...on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares?). I guess it's like nude paintings vs porn: maybe on the ABC swearing like that is ok.

by NK on September 16, 2008 at 03:16 PM

re tickets to Vyle's wedding - a colleague who listens to his radio show told me what one woman had to do to get a ciket - she turned up in her wedding dress (married 3 years before) and was immersed in cow manure - then they sliced up the dress so it was completely destroyed - an apt analogy for Vyle I would argue - methinks we could use cow manure instead of rice or confetti to throw at said groom -so em's IQ argument rings true...

by Cathy on September 16, 2008 at 04:43 PM

i loved taken out it was just so trashy but i loved it So Much

by Homagawd on September 16, 2008 at 07:18 PM

During the airing of the Olympics, there were many posts complaining about the quality of the coverage but now the Paralympics is on, there have been no comments, does that mean people are happy or that they are not watching?
Re Australian Story, I find it either hits or really misses. I thought the story on Belinda Emmet was brilliantly done but sometimes it is more like ACA or TT in allowing participants to generate some nice softly softly PR fluff piece. They also need to be more aware of the consequences, like Jihad Jack who by participating gave the authorities the evidence they needed ... It is a show with good intentions but like I said, hits or misses.
By the way, to Doctor Who fans, not sure if Russell T Davies is making mischief or if he is having early separation pains from the series. He is touting Russell Tovey to replace David Tennant. Tovey played the young sailor at the ship's helm in the Christmas Voyage of The Damned.

by kate on September 16, 2008 at 11:21 PM

CPandilo, last night the first episode of Season 10 of Friends aired. Love the last season, I think they finished it beautifully.
Cathy, i'm all in for the manure at Vyle's wedding, and I'm sure Mr Beckala will be in on it too (he hates him even more than I do, and actually hecked Vyle one night when we saw him at the movies!) I can't believe someone would be that desperate to get a ticket to his wedding that they would give up their wedding dress! What a sad individual that person must be... Darren, I would think that they would leave it to Tamara to sing her song, your Dennis Leary suggestion is much more fitting! Or maybe "You're so Vain"...

by Beckala on September 17, 2008 at 06:42 AM

Kate, I think you'll find that it's because few people are watching the Paralympics. It's only broadcast live on ABC2, and even then a lot of it is delayed stuff (like 7). At least they'll clearly state it's delayed before showing such footage though.

by arthur on September 17, 2008 at 07:49 AM

kate: apart from the pathetic lack of coverage in the commercial media of the Paralympics (it takes quite an effort even on the SMH website to find any results) the ABC coverage has been comparatively excellent. On TV as well as Web.
I've been watching the Murderball (which I missed the final of sadly) and some of the basketball, plus track events. The commentators actually know what they're talking about, as opposed to preening know-nothing Ch 7 personalities. People complain more about bad service then they praise good service.
Speaking of complain, the lack of coverage on commercial newspaper websites though is poor. The Olympics site is still here on SMH, the only story I can find on the Paralympics is something about someone not shaking hands. Why is there no separate Paralympic section? Or why is there not continuing coverage under the "Beijing Olympics" section?
Even the evil opposition has the Paralympics stories under their "more sports" heading, but it's shoved out of the way at the bottom of the sports page.

by Bereft Skerrick on September 17, 2008 at 08:42 AM

I think that it is pretty p. weak that Channel 9 isn't showing the Warriors vs Roosters game live on Friday night.. I hope that they lose a lot of viewers because of it.

Tribal Mind asks: What is Nine doing instead?

by Michelle on September 17, 2008 at 08:53 AM

Underbelly took some of the audience away from Packed To The Rafters in Melbourne but it was up heaps in Sydney so there was minimal damage. Maybe Ch 9 should have picked a less competitive night to maximise Underbelly's ratings but they probably thought that they would cause huge damage, but didn't. Huge audiences for the factuals RSPCA Rescue and Find My Family too. There's no way Dancing With The Stars could have matched these ratings on a Tuesday night.
All Saints is still doing well in the late slot and Rush doing well too. Imagine what Rush might achieve without the competition of another Aussie drama (on Wednesdays after House - hint, hint).

by J Bar on September 17, 2008 at 09:10 AM

Re VYLE'S wedding - I suspect the dress code will be 'piss elegant' or tissy (a la KATH AND KIM) and I've heard there's going to be something like 9 bridesmaids - does that mean 99 black umbrellas to cover their heads/outfits and some cheap tacky helicopter shots hovering over VYLE'S tacky mansion to give those who don't 'win' an invite a chance to view the groom. They are Australia's version of PETER ANDRE/JORDAN - the whole marketing hype is just breathtackingly tacky!!!.
Maybe VYLE could have the reception in the BIG BROTHER house - I hear that's taking group bookings!!!

by GJ on September 17, 2008 at 09:15 AM

Tribal Mind asks: What is Nine doing instead [on Friday Night]?
6.30 ACA
7.00 2 1/2 Men
7.30 Warriors v Roosters on delay.

Tribal Mind remarks: Well then it's the Warriors and Roosters fault for playing their game at the wrong time. Don't they know 2 and 1/2 Men is sacred?

by arthur on September 17, 2008 at 10:10 AM

Can anyone who watched Packed to the Rafters live fill me in on the end? We always watch it later in our house as we have Foxtel IQ and for FTA programs always get IQ to add the maximum allowed of 10 minutes to the end of the show to allow for the annoying habit of always running over time.
Find My Family only ran 5 minutes over time so was suprised that given that the show recorded to 9.40pm, still missed the very end.
Obviously 7 know it is a ratings hit so the show maybe should be re-titled Packed to the Ads.
It cut out just when Nathan confessed to Sammy that he did not want to appear to be a failure to his parents. Did he then come clean to his family?
I actually enjoyed the flashback (well, not really a flashback as these were not old scenes) as it filled in a lot the back story about them.
And,yes, each week I hope to see Ben running around in his boxers.

by Rafters Fan on September 17, 2008 at 10:11 AM

Rush doing superbly considering 10 gave it a shocking timeslot (against ch7's oz drama double) and deservedly so. The pilot (like most) was patchy. (I mean City Homicides was panned a bit and even Blue Heelers' one all that time ago didn't indicate the success it would become,) but the two eps since have been great. i didn't know 10 had it in them to produce good drama.
'Rafters' ratings drop (if you can really call it that) is probably due to Underbelly in melbourne. Amazingly despite the great success of 'Rafters' its competition is holding up quite well. NCIS was a dull episode but the ending was great. and fast tracking means we only wait 2 weeks for the new series!

by Matt on September 17, 2008 at 10:43 AM

Thanks TM for the HP link to TF & AP doing SP & HC on SNL. I'm tempted to say LOL but I hate it when people abbreviate everything to capitals like that so I won't.
A related gripe: When is Australia going to get an intelligent satirical sketch show that's worth watching ('Newstopia' notwithstanding)? Who's going to make fun of Kyle's wedding SNL style? Who's going to have a go at Malcolm Turnbull's "I know what it's like to be poor" speech? It's already too late to make fun of Brendan Nelson, a lost opportunity if ever there was one. The material's writing itself but there's no-one making use of it. Instead of real comedy we get sappy 'dramadies' (I hate that word) like 'Packed to the Rafters' and sob-fests like 'Find My Family' and 'RSPCA Rescue' (or whatever it's called). Is Australia going through some sort of national depression?
'Taken Out' is awful but do exactly the same things on a sketch show & it's hilarious:
James Kerley (Kerley! Heehee): "Okay, everyone's turned out their light on Marvin (Marvin!), ummmm.....I think I'll talk to Debbie....clump, clump, clump, clump (you can hear him walking, has anyone noticed?) clump, clump.... Hi Debbie. What's the prob?"
Debbie: "I'm like, sooooo sooorry. I feel reeeeally bad. But ummmmm like the thing is .....I don't like your vest. I'm soooo sooooorry....like I feel reeeeally bad, but like it's nothing personal & God knows I need a root but....noooooo, I just don't like vests. I'm soooo soooorry. I'm sure you're reeeeally nice but ... noooo. Soooorry."
See?

by darren on September 17, 2008 at 11:29 AM

Rush would be a lot better if every minute of show wasn't followed by a minute of ads. It's ridiculous.

by Matt on September 17, 2008 at 12:04 PM

We have been watching quite a bit of the paralympics on ABC2, and the coverage is excellent. The commentators are not only knowledgable, but are also excited - and often as excited by a silver or gold, or an extraordinary non-Australian, as they are for an Aussie gold.
Some of the events (particularly wheelchair basketball & murderball) have been excellent, really exciting, and once again I don't understand why it can't all be merged into a single Olympic event - maybe spread over 3 weeks instead of 2).

by LR on September 17, 2008 at 12:08 PM

To Matt, with a PVR & recording shows like Rush you can replay a show in 40 minutes , skipping thru the ads/promos etc. Our viewing is now compacted in time to suit our lives. You can watch 3 "one hour" shows in less than two hours or if the show is bad just delete it.

by doug on September 17, 2008 at 02:33 PM

Darren, I must say I agree with you. We need a SNL type of sketch show quick! We have the talent and we have the subject matter just asking for it. So how about it Networks, how about some more comedy in our lives?
And speaking of comedy, did anyone else hear that Darryl Somers is in talks with Nein to bring back Hey, Hey?
And speaking of rubbish, does anyone know what happend to the rest of the final season of McCleods? Nein showed a few eps then stopped. I used to be a fan and wanted to see how they ended the series but it appears to have disappeared into the vast abyss of non rating Nein shows.

by em on September 17, 2008 at 03:04 PM

We've been watching some Paralympics as well - loving the lack of ad breaks in particular. :) I don't watch sports, but I find some of the events edge-of-your-seat viewing (murderball in particular; I am cheesed off that I missed the final!).
The last Grand Designs on last night. I shall miss that show. So many opportunities for histrionics, but so British that they'll never show it to us. I love filling in the blanks.
I guess Tuesdays are going to go back to being one of those "catch up on previously recorded TV" nights.
Speaking of which, shall be recording The Fringe tonight...

by tqd on September 17, 2008 at 03:11 PM

Next Friday, Ten are finally showing a new movie, Domino starring Keira Knightly.

by cpandilo on September 17, 2008 at 04:22 PM

Darren and em - can I suggest Annabel Crabb or John Clark as writers of a political satire show - Coining the phrase People Skills for Tony Abbott and Your Umble Servant for Turnbull is brilliant - I cannot hear anything Abbott says now without thinking People Skills... but then again re pollies they are enough political satire without the need for writers...... NSW ALP and the federal Libs - there is just too too much to giggle at....

by Cathy on September 17, 2008 at 04:31 PM

Sadly, apart from The Chaser and Newstopia which will apparently be back next month YEE HAA!), there's little inventive Oz comedy in the vein of SNL. TPTB bank on shows like The Wedge, which spawned Whats-his-head loves Whats-her-name. (why watch the show when clowns like Warne & Carey are the real life comedy).
The last attempt on Ch & died in the butt after 2 episodes (so bad can't remember the name). Our last successful ensemble show was Fast Forward/Full Frontal, and before that was The Late Show (before the D-Gen gang went all opinionated and hoity toity).
So the solution? Show SNL on Free-to-Air, because the Bug 3 won't let anything of that ilk hang around long enough to establish itself.
Saw some monster trucks on a trip to Dapto today - and after watching the news it was the one which attempted to rid the world (and our TV screens) of Denyer.

by Bereft Skerrick on September 17, 2008 at 05:09 PM

@Rafters fan: Yes, Nathan did confess the real reason but only to his Mum and Dad, he & Sammy woke them up to tell them. Why? The catalyst was a chat with Grandad (Michael Caton) who said that he should have told the family earlier how much he had been missing his deceased wife and that bottling a secret like that was no good for anyone.. so while he was in bed thinking, Nathan pondered on his Grandad's words & decided as Sammy also suggested to tell the reason. Didn't really miss anything else. The preview of next week is that there is marital strife between Julie & Dave as he starts self-employment.
One big plot hole in this soap, is that Grandad doesn't want to go back home as there are too many memories and he "can't face the neighbours" but surely Nathan and Sammy could live in Grandad's house, as they are not embarrassed & the end result would be the same, rent free accommodation, or Grandad's house could be rented out and subsidised another place for him to leave where the neighbours haven't seen him in a nightie. Of course, the logic can't apply as the house then would not be "packed to the rafters" ...
TM: are you a happy man now that House is back on the US :)
Speaking of US season starting, one new show I saw the pre-air of was The Mentalist starring Simon Baker, I enjoyed it very much. It is slick but clever and not overly simplified like the CSI series

by kate on September 17, 2008 at 05:27 PM

TM:The game is in New Zealand who of course are two hours ahead. Nine is contracted to play the games live but wont because it would mean showing the game here at 6:30pm...

by Shell Shell on September 17, 2008 at 05:36 PM

For House fan viewer downloaders, Ten kick off season 5 next Wednesday (Sept. 24) presumably against Fringe (if it rates for Nine and stays on for Wednesdays at 8.30 pm), but by then House's 2nd episode will have already aired in the US. People not wanting to wait so long, can watch House's 1st episode (continuing on from season 4's finale), ad free at sidereel.com site. Same with the Desperate Housewives show's 1st season 5 episode (as Seven have no plans to fast track it) kicking off on Sept. 28 in the US.

by Chris on September 17, 2008 at 06:07 PM

Thought 'Fringe' was pretty good last night, although it came very close to patently ridiculous a few times (the cow). Not sure if they were trying to be quirky as well as serious but I'm sure it'll settle down over the next few episodes before descending into incomprehensible twaddle. Should start 'jumping the shark' early in the next season. I figure we've got at least five or six episodes to go before Nine stops fast-tracking it & moves it to 11:30 pm every third week (sometimes).
I think I'm getting too cynical to live.
By the way, does anyone recall, is this Nine's first foray into fast-tracking? I see they're going to do it with 'The Mentalist' also.

by darren on September 18, 2008 at 05:53 AM

For any Trekkies out there, George Takei (Sulu for the uniformed) just got married to the MAN he has been living with for over 20 years! I didnt know he was gay! Why wasnt I told?? Truly, was a bit of a shock as I had no idea. But good luck to him. I hear he, Leonard Nimoy and Uhura & Checkov are making cameo appearances in the new Trek movie. Which is a prequel to the original series, i.e. when they were all at the Academy. Also has Eric Bana as the films bad guy. And young Spock is played by the guy that plays Sylar (the bad guy) in Heroes.
I know, I know, I am a nerd! Are females classed as nerds?? And speaking of nerds, Fringe last night was pretty good. Not in the league of X Files but will see if it gets better over the weeks. Not too sure I liked the female lead (she's no Scully) but always liked Joshua Jackson and he suited the role. Anyone else see it?
Cathy, What a brillant idea! John Clark or Annabel Crabb as writers of a new political satire/sketch show. I love reading Annabel's column. Always gives me a good giggle. I wont ever look at Turnbull the same after reading "Your Umble Servant".
Sorry for the long post. Promise to keep quiet the rest of the week.

Tribal Mind replies: Why should you keep quiet? We want more.

by em on September 18, 2008 at 07:37 AM

With the Fringe series, I'm unsure if it was what Nine was given to screen, or if Nine had asked for a shorter version, but what was screened seemed like it was shorter than the 80 minute version of the show's first episode I saw online ; either way, Nine were doing viewers a favour showing a shorter version, as the 80 minute long version is mindnumbingly boring, slow paced and confusing. As Fringe will be up against House season 5 next week (if it'll remain at 8.30 pm Wednesdays), it'd be surprising if Nine will have the patience to stick with this show at that timeslot, if the show doesn't improve, as all new shows try to find their legs when they start.

by Barry on September 18, 2008 at 08:12 AM

I really enjoyed FRINGE last night too and actually thought the 'cow' (and I'm not talking about the redhead with the bionic arm) added just a touch of quirkiness - it had elements of the X FILES, TWIN PEAKS and of course LOST - I think its failure to win more viewers is largely the result of a lot of ANTI-NEIN sentiment - we're so used to NEIN plugging a show ad nausem for months only to pull it off air or re-schedule simply because it doesnt snare a million plus viewers - think DAMAGES -it was a relatively good drama series but NEIN pulled it and poked it in all sorts of timeslots and viewers lost interest. DOES ANYONE IN TV LAND KNOW IF ITS COMING BACK!!!
MEMO to NEIN if we have to put up with CRAP IN THE HOLE on Wednesday nights with Jules and his D list celebrities please do us a favour and leave FRINGE where it is - at least for the season - give us, the loyal viewer, a chance to see if we like it or not - at least after 3 episodes!!.
FOOTNOTE - I did watch CRAP IN THE HOLE last night towards the end and saw one of the gay dudes from BIG BROTHER get flattened because his other two team mates 'didn't display team work'. He nearly lost it - I honestly didnt think the show required such collaboration and intensity but they actually take being dunked in a pool seriously!!!

by GJ on September 18, 2008 at 08:31 AM

Fringe was bor-ing and deserves those poor ratings. Switched off after half an hour. I actually found Hole In The Wall far more entertaining *invites trolls*.

by arthur on September 18, 2008 at 08:34 AM

How much did the finale of SYTYCD get last night? Thanks! Just interested to know since they were getting around 800k normally.

Tribal Mind replies: In the chart now

by Clem on September 18, 2008 at 08:48 AM

Kenny is sinking, and Bondi Rescue looks like it's drowning too .... change your format ten ......

Tribal Mind remarks: House will make all the difference next week.

by Randwick Geoff on September 18, 2008 at 08:56 AM

"How long before Nine cuts Fringe?"
Sure, but what will they replace it with? 50 to 1 ?? It is not as though ch9 has a large stable of blockbusters to replace it with.
BTW, I thought it was quite good.

by sebastien on September 18, 2008 at 09:17 AM

em asked: "I know, I know, I am a nerd! Are females classed as nerds?? "
I certainly hope so, because I shall counter your nerdlieness with: and Scotty in the new Trek movie shall be played by Simon Pegg, aka Shaun (of the Dead), aka Tim from Spaced. Colour me tickled pink, I shall be queuing up to see this movie asap.
Of course, we could also be geeks.
GJ on September 18, 2008 at 08:31 AM: I too caught the end of HITW last night (checking to see how late they were running with The Fringe and whether I should extend the recording time by more than the usual extra 20 minutes). There is a special place in hell for whoever dreamt that show up. I could feel my neurons switching off as I watched.

by tqd on September 18, 2008 at 10:13 AM

Criminal Minds suffered a big drop from last week but I think many of those viewers might have been sampling Fringe. The movies in that timeslot on Ch 9 over the last few weeks had done a lot worse.
With all that promotion, I thought Fringe might have done better for its first episode but I'm not at all surprised that it wasn't huge. I kept seeing them mentioning in the promos that it was from the producer of Lost. Maybe Ch 9 haven't been paying attention to the fact that ratings have crashed severely for that show. It shouldn't be a major selling point for the series, considering how many of the fans of Lost have been frustrated by the never ending storylines and mysteries and have given up on the show. The other problem is that it looked to be a complete rip-off of X-Files and therefore was a turn-off to me. Fringe will probably do worse next week when House returns. Kenny's World stayed above the magic million but Bondi Rescue did terribly. Even beaten by Very Small Business, which is not brilliantly funny and is in a much later timeslot. Hole In tHe Wall is only just hanging on above a million. Big drop from the new episode of 2.5 Men though. There is a big danger in overexposing the audience to 2.5 Men as Ramsay has proven. Ramsay is dead. Bring back McLeod's Daughters and Canal Road. Ha Ha. Both rated better.

by J Bar on September 18, 2008 at 10:21 AM

Apparently I missed the chance to see Mary Mouthie put her money where her mouth is last night when she danced on SYTYCD - my daughter said she really can dance and was amazing - but she is young, foolish and easily impressed - she watches a lot of Channel Stupid. Can anyone back up her claim? I switched on to watch Nigel doing some tapping -he looked pretty good but then he was dancing with some kids.
by em on September 18, 2008 at 07:37 AM - I found this out a few days ago when I was bored and googled Gay Actors - I was actually checking out my current crush, Richard Armitage, and couldn't find out if he had a significant other so had a thought that he might be gay. His name wasn't on the list in case you are interested! Sorry to be so rambly but need coffee.

Great Spicks & Specks last night - also Hollowmen.

by Shoopie on September 18, 2008 at 10:50 AM

Oh, TM, dont encourage me! I'll never leave!

by em on September 18, 2008 at 10:51 AM

Sebastion noted on Sep 18 at 9:17am "How long before Nine cuts Fringe?"
Sure, but what will they replace it with? 50 to 1 ??
No Sebastian - if they move FRINGE after 2 or 3 episodes (which I hope they don't do) they should replace it with 1000 to 1 - one thousand and one ways a network like NEIN can offend their viewer base!!!
Now coming in at
1000 - Bert Newton
999- Eddie McQuire
998 - A Current Affair
997 - Hole in the Wall - Episode 1
996 - Wipeout
995 - Bert Newton's Hair
994 - Hole in the Wall - Episode 2
993 - Roberta Williams posing in a bikini on a Current Affair
992 - The Footy Show
991 - Axing of Sunday
and I could go on!!!!

by GJ on September 18, 2008 at 11:07 AM

Em, tqd, a female nerd is a dork.
Em, sorry to break it to you, but I think you're the only person in the civilised world who didn't know that about George Takei.
Gives a whole new dimension to old Star Trek episodes though, like, exactly where was Sulu when Scotty was down in the engine room crying out "I canna push it any harder captain or I'm afraid it'll *CENSORED*CENSORED*CENSORED*and also explains why Sulu liked to stay in the cockpit pulling on levers & *CENSORED*CENSORED*CENSORED* all day long. Hahaha.
By the way (Em) regarding your post at 3:04pm yesterday about Channel Nine being in talks with Daryl Somers about bringing back 'Hey Hey it's Saturday'....you're right. That is hilarious.
And I thought there was no humour in Australian television.

by darren on September 18, 2008 at 11:23 AM

TM,
I stumbled across "Make Me A Supermodel: Off the Runway" the other night, and I thought it was just trash TV. Seven's answer to Next Top Model is poorly cobbled together and pulling out every stunt in the book to get people to watch. The Thursday night shows aren't setting the ratings world on fire, how did Tuesday's late episode rate?
My money's on a 2nd or 3rd place in its timeslot.
Thanks.

Tribal Mind replies: It's a spinoff from a show that gets 1 million. It gets about 400,000. No idea what that means relative to other shows in that timeslot, because OzTam doesn't present ratings charts in that way.

by Ryan on September 18, 2008 at 11:32 AM

Enjoying ABC too much last night so forgot to record Fringe for later viewing, as it did have the thumbs up review in The Guide. I could be wrong but I think The Guide has it again on Fri night after the football. Ch9 will probably advertise it as "encore presentation" or even better "due to popular demand" or even worse "the show everybody's watching"

by pj453 on September 18, 2008 at 11:57 AM

TM, how did the Paralympic Games closing ceremony rated on ABC1 last night? Thanks.
And on the subject of Fringe, Anna Torv must be one of the unluckiest actresses on Australian TV. Most of the series she has starred in (Young Lions, Secret Life of Us, Mistresses) rated poorly and/or received bad reviews

Tribal Mind replies: In the chart, above.

by Johnson on September 18, 2008 at 12:43 PM

Is there some correlation between the short titles of dubious shows , and the length of time they stay on our screens ?
Rush , Fringe , The Strip etc ...I'm sure there are many others , but I don't watch them , having been forewarned by Tribal Minders that they are crapola .

by jane doe on September 18, 2008 at 12:44 PM

The Doctor Who: Confidential Cutdown following the final episode on Sept. 28 is not on till 10.45 pm as the final episode runs over an hour. It is followed by the final Midsomer Murders.
Did anyone notice that the Professor in the episode last Sunday week was played by David Troughton, son of the second Doctor Who, Patrick Troughton. I read that he had always distanced himself from the Dr. Who fan club gatherings so it was interesting that he had appeared in an episode. There was no mention of his appearance in the Doctor Who: Confidential Cutdown after the episode.

by Gary on September 18, 2008 at 01:06 PM

Replying to darren on September 18, 2008 Concur, think this is the first time Ch9 have fast-tracked, unless you included things like sports & award nights. Of both shows, I think The Mentalist is a better show (based on 1 show but hey thats all it takes these days for networks) Seen the second season of Fringe & without spoilers, I don't think it will do well this season...
Yes, Shoopie, Mary can dance :) and has nice pins for her age. She had the added bonus of dancing with some buff dancer from the season before. The bonus of her dancing is the she is not miked and can't screech :) Having said that, I much prefer Mary as a judge than Bonnie

by kate on September 18, 2008 at 01:19 PM

Shoopie, Mary was pretty good, actually, on last night's SYTYCD. I enjoyed seeing her dance, proves that she does know what she is talking about when she judges. Looking good for an older woman - she was in great shape too.

Tribal Mind asks: Which woman? Shoopie might know what you are talking about, but not every reader watches every show on the box.

by Beckala on September 18, 2008 at 02:02 PM

Shoopie, that woman can dance - she looked a lot better on the dancefloor than she does on the judging panel...but that might just be because she wasn't hooked up to a mic during the dance number. Her face WAS still contorted into that grotesque smile/grimace/my-head-is-about-to-explode-with-all-this-excitement expression for most of the dance though

Tribal Mind pleads: Which woman? In which show? Could commenting readers kindly explain references so new readers will not feel left out?

by NK on September 18, 2008 at 02:02 PM

Quoth darren: "Em, tqd, a female nerd is a dork." Darren, darren, darren. I did out myself as a hairy-legged feminist last week (or maybe a week before that, time does fly). So, as a (self-proclaimed) hairy legged feminist, I shall say: pshaw! We have just as much right to the word "nerd" as men do. And, in generous recompense, men can call themselves "dork" should they wish.
No gender preference on "geek"? "Boffin"? "Anorak"? "Dweeb"?

Tribal Mind asks: And is there a difference between bogan and boganne?

by tqd on September 18, 2008 at 02:14 PM

George Takei was also on last night's PSYCH (Wednesdays 10.30 on TEN HD). Playing himself with specific blueberry demands which somehow Shawn knew about (or possibly a lucky wild guess)?
KENNY'S WORLD was good last night as well (I will be watching the rest of the series). I expected it to at least hold its viewers from last week's premiere. HOLE IN THE WALL is still rating above a million viewers.

by cpandilo on September 18, 2008 at 03:01 PM

last night, ABC1 aired the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympics. How did that rate?

Tribal Mind replies: I have added it to the chart, above. Bottom line: Not good.

by Jimbo on September 18, 2008 at 04:21 PM

You guys state that 16-39's are watching less TV which I agree with, they've always watched the least but do you have any statistics on how much TV teenagers are watching 13-19? Because traditionally haven't the teenagers and over 55's been the largest watchers? I would still think teenagers watch quite a bit from my experience they are just sitting in front of the box all the time with the computer on in the background.

Tribal Mind replies: A good question. I'll check it out for a future column.

by Alex on September 18, 2008 at 06:16 PM

Tribal Mind asks: Which woman? Shoopie might know what you are talking about, but not every reader watches every show on the box.
Sorry, TM, I thought my opening sentence: "Mary was pretty good, actually, on last night's SYTYCD"
was enough info, I will attempt to be more informative in future and clearly state my topic (something I have spent the last two weeks trying to get my HSC students to do, to no avail!!) I was referring to Mary Murphy, during the finale of So You Think You Can Dance, who did a ballroom routine with a former contestant (whose name escapes me). She doesn't usually do the dancing, just sits back in judgement, so it was fascinating viewing for us "Dance" addicts! So sorry again for my lack of info, I get so used to replying to the regulars, I forget that newbies might not pick up on our secret codes!
tqd, in relation to your debate with Darren in relation to what a "female nerd" is, with his suggestion of "dork" - on Scrubs, they called a black nerd a "Blerd". Maybe we could call a girl nerd a "gerd" or a "Ferd" (female).
Surprising to see Hollowmen being beaten by SYTYCD. I know I watched SYTYCD, but I still recorded Hollowmen, and Mr Beckala went to bed to view it rather than enjoy the trashy spectacle with me. Is this a drop in the ratings for Hollowmen? I know it started strongly, and I thought it was doing well and getting consistently strong ratings.

by Beckala on September 18, 2008 at 06:28 PM

The Mary that Shoopie asked about and Beckala & I agreed upon that she can dance is Mary Murphy is a female judge on the American version of So You Think You Can Dance. She used to be a competitive ballroom dancer in her earlier years so she is considered "the expert" for the ballroom dance routines on that show. She also is quite toothy and likes to shout at high decibels, "that's what I'm talking about" or "you're on the hot tamale train" when she likes the dancers' routines. In fact, this season, one of the dancers said, "yeah it would be nice for Nigel to say we did a good job but what we really want is a scream for Mary"

by kate on September 18, 2008 at 07:54 PM

I'M A NERD AND PROUD OF IT!!
Anyone else catch the dreadful hatchet job Today Tonight did on Susie Maroney tonight? Did she knock them back for an interview today? ( I seem to think there was an AVO involving her ex-husband and her mother) They've helped propagate the famewhorism, and their flame job on her tonight - with expert commentary from John Michael Howson - was truly sour grapes television.

by Bereft Skerrick on September 18, 2008 at 09:55 PM

I immensely enjoyed ABC's coverage of the Paralympics, stayed up every night to watch it. The basketball games were added with fine, excited commentary, and it was hard not to get caught up with them. I also agree Bereft, that it is/was such an effort to find Paralympic coverage! I was initially excited about Very Small Business, but after the first ep, it seems as if it's going downhill. At least The Hollowmen is providing excellent laughter.
Re: kate on September 16, 2008 at 11:21pm - I have a feeling Russell T. Davies is making mischief because he also wants J.K. Rowling to have a role. (For any one interested http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7610000/newsid_7619800/7619854.stm - it's a site for kids but with plenty of Dr Who action).

by Kym on September 18, 2008 at 11:58 PM

I stand by my statement. A female nerd is a dork. Ask the little lady from 'Three Men & a Little Lady'. As she's walking down the aisle with her Mom, dressed in a puffy-sleeved satin monstrosity which her Mom says she looks lovely in she replies "I look like a Dork". Not a Nerd. Not a Nerdette. A Dork. Case closed.
It was actually a pale imitation of a line from 'The Simpsons' (as usual) from Patty or Selma who emphatically proclaimed "There are no lady goats. A lady goat is a sheep". No ifs or butts. I love the certainty. Sometimes you just gotta go with what you know to be truth. When in doubt over complicated cultural definitions, always refer to twenty-year-old C-grade movies, or 'The Simpsons".

by darren on September 19, 2008 at 06:01 AM

Darren, I beg to differ re nerds and dorks. According to my online research (and we both know how factual that can be) nerds and dorks are different. Basically a dork is a really dumb nerd. Surely you are not suggesting that girl nerds are dumber than boy nerds??? Brave man.
Thanks gang for the info re Mary Murphy dancing on SYTYCD on Wednesday night on Channel 10 which aired between 8.30 and dawn. Sorry you both got into trouble with the headmaster.

by Shoopie on September 19, 2008 at 07:35 AM

darren: I'm a little concerned that you're taking grammatical direction from a movie that "starred" Steve Guttenberg. The Stonecutters have a lot to answer for.

by Bereft Skerrick on September 19, 2008 at 07:38 AM

What was the point of screening the Paralympics closing ceremony on both ABC1 and ABC2. I thought the point of multi-channeling was to provide alternative programming on the other channels.

by J Bar on September 19, 2008 at 08:07 AM

Shoopie, I think you've redefined 'nerd' altogether by doing online research to get to the nitty gritty of the nerd / dork controversy. I should've known there'd be a website set up by some pasty-faced klingon-speaking fat geek sitting in a darkened room somewhere mapping out the subtle differences between definitions of geeks, nerds, dorks, dweebs, morons & imbeciles & ranking them in order of brain capacity by which I mean hand to joystick co-ordination & ability to recite by heart and in correct chronological order the name of every character in 'The Hobbit' / 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy / 'Simarillion'........etc..
Geeez.
Bereft Skerrick, Steve Guttenberg is a god amongst men. A god I say.

by darren on September 19, 2008 at 08:38 AM

The Strip is being stripped of viewers. Rush might have a few flaws but The Strip has many. It looks like they obviously tried to remake CSI Miami rather than make an original Aussie show on the Gold Coast.
The dialogue is woeful and some of the acting is very wooden. I end up laughing at some of the bits that aren't supposed to be funny. I really don't like Vanessa Gray in the lead role and Aaron Jeffrey has moments where he's great and moments where he's terrible. Why do they try so hard to make him look like a total wanker with the aggro on the ex-wife, the bad cop routine when interviewing people and the constant stream of smartarse comments at his partner? Why do they make her act like a total bitch to so many of the male characters and have her sleep around, with a different bloke on her boat every week?
There were some good moments. When Aaron's character wasn't being such a tool and Vanessa's character was showing compassion to others. I think the rest of the cast are great Simone Mcaullay, Bob Morley and Frankie J Holden. I really enjoyed it when we saw the group scenes at the police station and bar. They seemed to have a good group dynamic going on in those scenes. I actually like the the other three characters more than the two leads. The Gold Coast provides some great scenery but some of the music used, like the reggae last night, is completely out of place. Canal Road looks like a masterpiece next to The Strip.

by J Bar on September 19, 2008 at 09:29 AM

Other than being an admirer of Brit actor Damien Lewis, I'm not a fan of the stupidly titled Life detective show Ten start showing the 2nd season of on Wednesday (after House season 5's first ep), but Ten are doing something admirable with it that they should also do with House and any other US show they're fast tracking, which is screen it before it airs in North America (Life season 2 there starts Sept. 29). Of course viewer downloaders who want to see it in their own time commercial free and / or who want to watch Life online ad free, won't be swayed and that's fine.

by Chris on September 19, 2008 at 09:34 AM

pj453, yes FRINGE will have an encore on 9.45 tonight in NSW & QLD. The southern states will have it on Saturday night at 9.55pm on Nine.

by cpandilo on September 19, 2008 at 09:48 AM

Dare I say it ? The womanly version of 'nerd' is 'we(i)rd.
A nerd is very similar to a geek, but with more RAM and a faster modem.
It has been suggested that the word is derived from "knurd" ("drunk" spelled backwards), which was used to describe people who studied rather than partied.
There is a term 'Nerd Girl' which describes a person who is not simply a female nerd but has distinctive characteristics of her own. Examples on TV are :-
Velma from Scooby Doo
Hermione Granger in Harry Potter.
Diana Prince in Wonder Woman
Lisa Simpson, The Simpsons
Connie Souphanousinphone in King of the Hill
Liz Lemon in 30 Rock
Willow Rosenberg in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Personally, I would have included Abby Sciuto in NCIS. She is definitely weird.
Aaah Wikipedia, the source of many an argument.

by Les on September 19, 2008 at 10:19 AM

Sorry, Darren, but I do not agree with your assertion that a female Nerd is a Dork. A dork could be either male or female and is basically a dumb nerd who dresses really badly. Or just does really stupid things. For example, in your basic old Jerry Lewis film like The Nutty Professor, Jerrry is a Dork.
Nerds on the other hand are intellligent, perhaps not terribly fashion conscious, usually really good at IT stuff, like watching sci-fi , fantasy etc. Also play lots of computer games especially the old school games etc.
Bill Gates is a typical Nerd. One that every young Nerd aspires to imitate.
Then I think there are classes of Nerds. I am merely a sci-fi nerd. Love my Stargate, Star Trek, Dr Who , X Files etc. But I am definitely not a Dork!!
And I really must be the only nerd on the planet that didnt know that George Takei was gay. Probably explains why George and Bill Shatner do not like each other!

by em on September 19, 2008 at 10:39 AM

The Strip stripped ? Give it a couple of more weeks before late time slot pasture. Reason - more wood than ikea.

by Edgar on September 19, 2008 at 10:52 AM

Just read an article (Washington Post online) about 'Fringe' saying that it increased it's ratings in the U.S. by 43% for the second episode. Don't hold your breath for the same result here though, because the difference was a lead in by a new episode of 'House' whereas the first episode was a self-starter.
Also mentioned 'Wipeout' is starting to die in the proverbial. There is a god. 'Hole in the Wall' viewers repent.

by darren on September 19, 2008 at 11:48 AM

Well, dang me - whilst trying to prove my coolness I outed myself as a nerd. Jebus, I even have 9's to prove it. I'm doomed especially as I identified with most of the Nerd Girls on Les' list or should that be Les's list or even the list of Les.
PS - Watched 5 seconds of AYSTA5G last night - who was that short bloke jumping up and down next to Hamish and Andy?? I don't think it was a 5th grader but it could have been...

by Shoopie on September 19, 2008 at 12:04 PM

darren: I'm going to have to refer you to the definitive thesis on Nerdism. Revenge Of The Nerds. Back with Anthony Edwards had hair. There were predominantly male nerds, but there were many Female nerds.
But probably best to not refer to any of the sequels i.e. Nerds In Paradise, Revenge Of The Nerds: The Next Generation. Or Nerds In Love. The acting in the sequels make Taken Out or The Strip look like Shakespeare.

by Bereft Skerrick on September 19, 2008 at 12:18 PM

Hey Bereft, I too caught the hatchet job on poor Susie and thought she must have knocked them back for an interview. Case of "if we can have you, we'll make sure we sully you" - it stank of sour grapes and was in very poor taste - ironic, given that is what they were saying about Susie. Anna Coren should hang her head in shame.

by LAH on September 19, 2008 at 12:29 PM

Bereft wrote: darren: I'm a little concerned that you're taking grammatical direction from a movie that "starred" Steve Guttenberg. The Stonecutters have a lot to answer for.
That's the best laugh i've had in ages. I'm having a particularly awful day too, so thank you so much! I'm now singing the Stonecutters song in my head! They rig every Oscars night too, remember!

by Beckala on September 19, 2008 at 12:36 PM

Quoth Les: Ah, I hit Wikipedia too, just to confirm that there wasn't some sort of male conspiracy to hog the use of the word "nerd". See, shoopie, you're not the only one to research these things. :)
Willow! Velma! Lisa Simpson! Liz Lemon! I can die happy, if I can be included in their august company.
Bill Gates, however, I dare to say, falls over into Dorkdom.
In my never-ending quest to never watch TV in its scheduled timeslot: I caught up on the new Simpsons from last Tuesday last night. Still enjoying this show immensely, even after *mumble* years. Even the repeats are one of the best things on TV. However, darren, I shall refuse to accept Selma & Patty's verdict on anything. (Although I am tempted by "the older they get, the cuter they ain't", it does seem to be universal wisdom there.)
And damn you, Ms Skerrick! I shall be humming the Stonecutters song all day now! I may have to counter by plugging in the iPod and listening to the Buffy musical. Or maybe Spamalot. (See, even my iPod is nerdly.)

by tqd on September 19, 2008 at 01:14 PM

I had wondered what the Stonecutters was as referred to by a number of you all, I admit I wikied it (is that the correct phrase?) to find it referred to The Simpsons - as I am probably one of the very few people who does nor has ever watched The Simpsons I missed the pop culture reference.
Re The Fringe I watched ti last night - was it just me or was the soundtrack remarkably similar to Lost - found it OK - will have another look. Wonder what Nein will call their fasttracking - Shirl's is seriously fasttracked - Perhaps Yes Fasttracked? Noted the teaser for the Simon Baker Mentalist show - still no clue as to what it is supposed to be about.
Les - Although Willow began life as nerd - in my view she transcended nerdism to become ultimately cool - as did Hermione in the Harry Potter books

by Cathy on September 19, 2008 at 03:50 PM

Actually in the nerd vs dork debate, I would have thought that Bill Gates & Willow (from Buffy) would more be classified as "Geeks" rather than as nerds.
Replying a little late to Jane Doe's comment about length of title correlating to the staying power of a show, e.g. short title = short stay. Have to disagree, Neighbours, a one word title has been around for decades. Whereas Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos (4 words) lasted 1/2 way through first ep (the first run). I think any correlation is weak.

by kate on September 19, 2008 at 04:09 PM

I'm surprised that I didn't get a rap over the knuckles and a please explain from TM for the Stonecutters reference.
I glad I've made someones day with my comments as I had rather quite a meltdown at work this afternoon (lets just say that Mr Skerrick is in the bad books) so it's a little ray of sunshine coming here and reading praise. You're all beautiful people *wipes fake Oscar acceptance spech tear away*.
I wasn't really a Buffy fan. Did appreciate the show, but wasn't into late night TV viewage back when it was on. Although these day I'll stay up and watch Beauty and The Geek, and, even last night, playing it straight. I hope whoever created an Oz version is infested by the fleas of 1000 camels.
And a final ponderance - do any of the Free To Air channels have the rights to Robot Chicken?

Tribal Mind asks Can you please explain the Stonecutters reference?

by Bereft Skerrick on September 19, 2008 at 05:14 PM

Sorry, I need to add my 2 cents: Nobody wants to be called a dork, it's a really negative term.
The others all imply intelligence, so give a back-handed compliment.
Bill Gates could care what he's called! Clever? Rich? Yep.
Stonecutters? Simpsons? No idea there.
George Takei gay? Do tell. And I've seen every episode of every Star Trek. Several times.
And lastly, Shoopie, how about "the list that Les listed"?
Elegant? No? Oh well, it avoids the punctuation problem.

by Sal on September 19, 2008 at 07:30 PM

Ha ha TM! Loosely plagarised from Wikipedia, the Stonecutters are a fictional secret society which is a parody of the Freemasons. The sing a song at their meetings:
Who controls the British crown? Who keeps the metric system down? We do! We do!
Who leaves Atlantis off the maps? Who keeps the Martians under wraps? We do! We do!
Who holds back the electric car? Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star? We do! We do!
Who robs cavefish of their sight?
Who rigs every Oscar night? We do! We do!

Tribal Mind replies: Thanks for that. I have seen that Simpsons episode, but I lost track of how the Stonecutters came up on this blog. Can you remind me of their relevance to currrent discussions?

by Bereft Skerrick on September 19, 2008 at 07:49 PM

Cathy - Nein will probably go with "I heart fasttracking" . Pathetic but it's late...

by Shoopie on September 19, 2008 at 09:48 PM

Tribal Mind asks Can you please explain the Stonecutters reference?
Teehee, knew that one was coming :)
A little while ago TM prefaced an week's rating with the words, who'd be a TV programmer? Well, an interesting situation in the US, a show about a vampire, Moonlighting, completely tanked, but now a year later, another show about a vampire is doing well early on & possibly to have a second season.
Watched 5th Grader and really wasn't sure if the woman in the beginning was playing dumb as they wanted her to finish early so they could fit Hamish & Andy in same episode. I mean she didn't know the answers to some really simple questions. The episode reconfirmed yet again that Hamish is not only the funnier of the two, he is the smarter of the two. He answered nearly all the questions and knew the answer to the last question they answered but Andy persuaded him not to lock it in... When Hamish is on Spicks & Specks, he always makes the panel laugh, especially Al who completely cracks up but when Andy is on, it is very ho-hum. They are polite & smile at his humour but it is ho-hum

by kate on September 20, 2008 at 12:04 AM

The Stonecutters made Steve Guttenberg a star. Steve Guttenberg was in "Three Men and a Baby". darren used that movie as the basis of his thesis "That Women are Dorks, not Nerds". There endeth the lesson.
kate: I'm sure that if someone as witty and intelligent as regular contributors to this blog would ever get chosen to compete on 5th Grader. The first contestant last week was an anomaly. Either that, or the syllabus since we were at school has changed markedly (if you saw the 2nd grade homework Master 7.23 brings home the latter is most certainly the case).
Hamish is the Lewis to Andy's Martin. A standard Double act. Hamish is Ernie, Andy is Bert. Funny man/Straight Man. I looked up "Double Act" in Wikipedia. Hamish and Andy aren't listed.

by Bereft Skerrick on September 20, 2008 at 10:24 AM

TM, you mentioned about Spicks and Specks aring 3 nights in a row. Yesterday's show was actually shown during the day time (1.30pm) and was a repeat from a year or two ago.
Thursday night's show on ABC2 was a repeat on Wednesday's show.
ABC doing an overkill. Maybe

by Jim on September 20, 2008 at 10:34 AM

Bereft said Hamish is the Lewis to Andy's Martin. Agree to a certain point, but their roles were more defined, Lewis particularly was so deliberately outrageously over the top. This was balanced out when Martin would get his solo spotlight when he sang. Trouble is Andy tries to be funny as well and on TV, he comes up less so than Hamish. To be fair, small adlibs between questions doesn't give a huge amount of time or scope but Hamish managed it, Andy didn't. I really like the group of kids this year, and I am continually surprised by Rove, he is much better in this show than in his namesake program.
TM: how many more "official" weeks of ratings to go, eight?

Tribal Mind replies: Nine, I believe.

by kate on September 20, 2008 at 01:04 PM

How about this definition for nerd, geek and dork: shoopie, bereft skerrick, darren, beckala, cathy, kate, les, em. This is supposed to be a blog about television programmes and ratings, right?

Tribal Mind replies: It's supposed to be a blog about popular culture, which means mostly television but can also include occasional discussion of language, social trends, attitudes and general silliness.

by Jules on September 20, 2008 at 08:33 PM

Looking at the ratings for the two major football codes and having sort of kept an eye on them throughout the year, it amazes me that the TV networks fork out as much money for those rights as they appear to.
If either of the games were any other form of entertainment they would be canned and forgotten on the back shelves due to the massive expense and lack of correspondingly high viewer interest, so my question is, why do the networks even bother for something which usually provides at best mediocre interest from viewers?

Tribal MInd replies: Because they have nothing else that would consistelty get such solid audiences every Friday and Saturday night

by Zjonn on September 21, 2008 at 10:51 AM

Jules, I am honoured, humbled and just a little bit excited at being at the top of your list of nerds, geeks and dorks. You have inspired me to try for this year's prestigious Brown Anorak Award.
Watched Rear Window last night on ABC2 - just loved Grace Kelly's outfits.
What happened on ACA on Friday night? It outrated TT.

by Shoopie on September 21, 2008 at 11:32 AM

The viewing audience for AFL & NRL would be greater than the official figure as that count does not tally up regional viewers nor group audiences in Hotels/Clubs. In my small local suburban pub there are 100 watching any current game.

by doug on September 21, 2008 at 01:39 PM

Ten aren't showing DOMINO this Friday night as I previously posted. They're showing THE WEATHER MAN.
GOOD NEWS WEEK is returning Monday, October 13 @ 9.30 on Ten.
OUT OF THE QUESTION returns Monday, September 29 @ 10.30 followed by BOSTON LEGAL.

Tribal Mind asks: Is it a good thing that Ten replaced Domino with The Weather Man? Why the change of mind, do you think?

by cpandilo on September 22, 2008 at 04:19 PM

Wow, Ten's Fridays are looking very dire. How badly did America's Next Top Model do, TM?

Tribal Mind replies: Last week's files are packed away. Can you ask me again when it's on this week?

by Samuel on September 22, 2008 at 09:36 PM

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