Watching the new season’s fare

Watching the new season’s fare

This week it’s all about the battle of the egos, from television network warfare to the new season shows the networks want you to get your eyes on.

With Easter behind us, the networks are vying for your viewership. It’s the battle of the network ratings. Only 5000 households have set top boxes for ratings measurements in mainland Australia, mostly in capital cities (free-to-air). So when they say 1.5 million people have watched a certain show, it may actually be a lot less.

But for many decades, television ratings have often contributed to the rise and fall of TV shows. Nowadays if a show has fewer than a million viewers, it‘s seen as a flop. It’s then moved to another timeslot — normally later — or to the digital channel. But this week will be a testament to it all.

It started on Sunday, where Channel Seven premiered the new season of Dancing with the Stars. I’m still trying to figure out what constitutes a ‘star’. This season Kerri-anne Kennerley graces the stage. So it will be fascinating to see if she can be the new Queen of Channel Seven, as she is no longer the Queen over at Channel Nine.

Speaking of Channel Nine, they are trying hard to accomplish ‘many a ratings spectacular’ as The Voice also premiered. It’s a $22 million feat. I’m not sure why they put Delta into the spot.

She is talented, pretty and innocent, but she is a bit boring. I watched the show mainly for Seal.

However, I was surprised at the singing talents vying for the attention of the celebrity judges, especially Central Coast teen Karise Eden who left the judges “gobsmacked” with her beautiful voice.

Channel Nine won the night in this post-Easter ratings war. Could it be a one-off? Channel Nine doesn’t need to worry as they have more artillery up their sleeve this week. The Block is back and so is Celebrity Apprentice with another offering of egos against egos. With the excessive advertising ‘at all costs’, it’s a battle that their planning to win.

Back over at Channel Seven, they have Australia’s Got Talent, Titanic: The Mini Series (which they moved from last Sunday to this Wednesday) and Revenge.

Channel Ten has the new season of Offspring and MasterChef. With MasterChef, we are going to see how Coles spent their half-yearly marketing budget.

All this TV needs celebrating. Last Sunday it was — the 54th Annual TV Week Logie Awards. ABC TV’s critically acclaimed mini-series Paper Giants, about the birth of Cleo, was nominated (which Asher Keddie and Rob Carlton won their Silver Logies for). It’s confirmed a sequel will be produced, but it doesn’t contain a lisp. The sequel will be based on the legendary rivalry between Dulcie Boling of New Idea and Nene King of Woman’s Day.

A year and a half later, Mad Men is back. It had a very successful debut in the US. Maybe other shows should follow with a hiatus for a year or so and see if they are missed. Mad Men was definitely missed.

Thank whomever for my Mad Men DVD collection. I am now up-to-date again, and I’m ready for season five. It didn’t disappoint.

The year is now 1966, and the sexy advertising guru Don Draper is now 40. Being 40 years old has not stopped him from pursuing the pleasures of drinking, smoking and women. Well, only one, his wife. Don is now married. We left the previous season in 1965 where he was engaged to his secretary (how clichéd). Now that Mad Men is going towards the swinging ’60s, who knows what will happen.

Joan (Christina Hendricks) is now with child. So the plot will very much thicken, wondering who the father is.

Speaking of wild and sensual plots, I have been watching Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Phryne Fisher is a woman of the 1920s. According to a media release, “Phryne (pronounced Fry–Nee), is a sleuth who sashays through the back lanes and jazz clubs of Melbourne, fighting injustice with her pearl-handled pistol and her dagger-sharp wit”.

The episodic stories have been fantastic and the fashions worn are very ‘now’. This is a more stylised version of what Underbelly Razor would have been like if Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh were crime sleuths and not murderesses or head of drug/prostitution rings.

The Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries episodes I have watched have taken me from the worlds of Jewish politics and alchemy to the worlds of theatre, art and magazine publishing. The illustrious Essie Davis (The Slap) and the handsome Nathan Page (Underbelly) have excellent chemistry. My favourite has to be Davis — she portrays Phryne really well.

The fashions worn in the series are another separate character altogether. No wonder the ’20s are so hot right now.

With a show like this, there is so much to like. I hope ABC TV will commission more seasons.

INFO:
Dancing with the Stars – Channel Seven, Sunday 6.30pm
The Voice – Channel Nine, Sunday 6.30pm
The Block – Channel Nine, Monday to Friday 7pm
Celebrity Apprentice – Channel Nine, Wednesday/Thursday 8pm
Australia’s Got Talent – Channel Seven, Monday 7.30pm
Revenge – Channel Seven, Monday 9pm
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries – ABC1, Friday 8.35pm
Offspring – Channel Ten, Wednesday 8.30pm
Mad Men – Movie Extra, Thursday 8.30pm
Titanic – Mini-Series Channel Seven, Wednesday 8.30pm

By TIMOTHY CONNELL

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