The Sun-Herald

WHO WE ARE: Can they fix it? Yes they can

To nominate the cleverest lines ever written for Australian television, go to The Tribal Mind.

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald 14/9/2008
This country is passing through a period of intense nationalism. We feel pretty good about ourselves, but not so good about the rest of the world, and that is reflected in our choice of entertainment. In the medium we consume the most, local creations dominate. And our preferred content reveals much about our hopes, fears and attitudes.

I've just come into possession of a chart, based on data from the ratings measurement agency OzTAM, which shows the 40 TV series that attracted the biggest audiences this year. It's apparent that we want to hear familiar accents and see familiar places on the screens that glow for three hours a night in two rooms of our home (70 per cent of Australian households have more than one TV set). Of the top 40 shows, 29 are Australian. An equivalent chart three years ago would have been half American. And we're giving unprecedented support to the national broadcaster. Four of this year's Top 40 are on the ABC (Doc Martin, Midsomer Murders, Spicks and Specks and The Gruen Transfer).

But it's the kind of material we're choosing that gives the greatest insight into the national mindset. If there's a common theme across this year's favourite entertainments, it is Reassurance. We embrace shows which convince us that, in less than an hour ...

1) families can be reunited,
2) crimes can be solved,
3) smugglers can be unmasked,
4) animals can be saved,
5) hard work can be rewarded,
6) chefs can be retrained,
7) homes can be renovated,
8) marriages can be arranged,
9) ills can be cured,
and 10) drowning people can be rescued.

In other words, the 40 most popular programs this year have included ...

1) Packed To The Rafters and Find My Family;
2) City Homicide, The Force, CSI, NCIS, Sea Patrol, Midsomer Murders, Underbelly, Crash Investigation Unit and Criminal Minds;
3) Border Security;
4) RSPCA Animal Rescue;
5) Australia's Got Talent, So You Think You Can Dance and Australian Idol;
6) Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares;
7) Domestic Blitz and Better Homes and Gardens;
8) The Farmer Wants A Wife;
9) RPA and House;
and 10) Bondi Rescue and Surf Patrol.

All those shows had more than 1.2 million viewers in the mainland capitals.
The top three shows in the chart (Packed To The Rafters, Find My Family, and City Homicide) had more than 1.6 million viewers. Why the current craving for reassurance? Why are we such a nervous nation? Could it be because the world outside looks dangerous and confusing, so we choose entertainment that promises there will always be an answer?

But I'd like your help in explaining a few shows that don't fit neatly within the 10 point theory I've outlined. The top 40 also includes The Gruen Transfer, David Attenborough's Life in Cold Blood, The One - Australia's Greatest Psychic, Desperate Housewives, Two and a Half Men, Wipeout, Hole in the Wall, Gladiators and Today Tonight.

What do they reveal about Australians? The quest for knowledge suggested by Life In Cold Blood is contradicted by the sheer silliness of Hole In The Wall. The healthy skepticism suggested by The Gruen Transfer contradicts the gullibility suggested by our interest in Today Tonight and The One - Australia's Greatest Psychic. We're a complex mob.

You can share your theories at Comments

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.
Photos, from top: Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, The Strip, Domestic Blitz, Packed to the Rafters

The 40 Most Watched Series of 2008:
1. Packed to the Rafters (7) 1.9 million
2. Find My Family (7) 1.8
3. Underbelly (9) 1.7m
4. City Homicide (7) 1.6m
5. Border Security (7) 1.6m
6. 60 Minutes (9) 1.5m
7. RSPCA Animal Rescue (7) 1.5m
8. The Force (7) 1.5m
9. Australia's Got Talent (7) 1.5m
10. Domestic Blitz (9) 1.5m
11. So You Think You Can Dance (10) 1.5m
12. The One - Australia's Greatest Psychic (7) 1.4m
13. CSI (9) 1.4m
14. NCIS (10) 1.4m
15. The Farmer Wants A Wife (9) 1.4m
16. Today Tonight (7) 1.40m
17. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (9) 1.4m
18. RPA (9) 1.4m
19. Bondi Rescue (10) 1.4m
20. Sea Patrol (9) 1.4m
21. Better Homes and Gardens (7) 1.4m
22. Surf Patrol (7) 1.4m
23. SCU: Serious Crash Unit (7) 1.4m
24. Gladiators (7) 1.3m
25. Two and a Half Men (9) 1.3m
26. Doc Martin (ABC) 1.3m
27. Midsomer Murders (ABC) 1.3m
28. Criminal Minds (7) 1.3m
29. Battle of the Choirs (7) 1.30m
30. Crash Investigation Unit (7) 1.3m
31. It Takes Two (7) 1.3m
32. David Attenborough Life In Cold Blood (9) 1.3m
33. Desperate Housewives (7) 1.3m
34. House (10) 1.3m
35. The Gruen Transfer (ABC) 1.3m
36. Spicks and Specks (ABC) 1.3m
37. Australian Idol (7) 1.2m
38. All Saints (7) 1.2m
39. Wipeout (9) 1.2m
40. Hole in the Wall (9) 1.1m
(OzTAM mainland capitals, to 27/9/2008)

Photos: Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares; Domestic Blitz; Packed To The Rafters; Today Tonight