Usually in the last couple of months of the year we start to see all of the Coming Soon trailers and articles, teasers and rumour. All designed to get us excited for what will hit our screens in the next year.
I often try to ignore all of this because I don’t have the time to commit to new shows, if I don’t get captured by the trailers I won’t commit myself… sometimes this works better than others.
TV viewing is very subjective, and obviously there is a market for the shows they screen – even if I can’t understand it.
Some of the shows we were promised have come and gone, some have started and are still running while others we still eagerly await (or not).
The most exciting one for me coming in 2016 was Wanted on Channel 7, which finished screening last week – very sad face. Wanted starred Rebecca Gibney who is well known for a long list of Australian shows and movies but I always remember her as being one of the good guys. Stephen Peacocke, who is best known for his role as resident bad boy Brax on Home and Away, stars as a dedicated police officer. Most of what grabbed me was the role reversals for these actors in their roles and the show was fantastic. I am still kind of hoping for a second season even though it was slated as a six part series.
Here Come the Habibs! is a new series on Channel 9 which started a couple of weeks ago. It’s a Sydney based comedy that just isn’t my style, I’m sure I know many who would love it but it’s not my brand of humour.
There are also the glut of reality TV shows from My Kitchen Rules to Farmer Wants A Wife and the renovation shows will be back soon, not to mention the talent shows. But the reality shows are hitting new levels at the moment with first date shows, kissing shows to see if strangers click and the one that really sparks my personal outrage is The Seven Year Switch.
It seems there are a few movies being adapted for the small screen and becoming serialised, as well as books which is always exciting.
Wolf Creek is a popular Australian movie trilogy depicting terror for backpackers in Australia’s outback. There will now be a Wolf Creek series consisting of six one-hour episodes due to screen on STAN in mid-2016. John Jarratt will reprise his role of psychopathic Mick Taylor and writer and director of the original film Greg McLean is on board. Screentime are producing the series which also features Dustin Clare, Jessica Tovey, Miranda Tapsell, Richard Cawthorne and Jake Ryan.
The series sees Mick terrorise and massacre a family of American tourists, leaving one survivor to embark on a revenge mission.
Tomorrow When The War Began is being adapted by the ABC with younger viewers in mind. The series will consist of six one-hour episodes airing from April. The cast includes Alison Bell and Deborah Mailman and a host of relative newcomers. The John Marsden books were a fantastic read with appeal to a wide audience, as was the movie adaptation a few years ago. I think this ABC series will definitely be worth a look.
Also on the ABC is Cleverman, produced by Goalpost Pictures along with international co-producers. The series combines Sci-Fi action-adventure with stories from the indigenous dreamtime. Cleverman stars Hunter Page-Lochard, Rob Collins, Iain Glen (Game of Thrones), Frances O’Connor and Deborah Mailman and is directed by Wayne Blair and Leah Purcell.
Jessica Marais will be on Channel Ten in 2016 when The Wrong Girl hits our screens. Head writer on the series is Judi McCrossin who was one of the main writers on The Secret Life of Us. The series is a romantic comedy that sees Marais caught between two men, Mr so wrong he might be right and Mr Right. This will make a lovely change from the line-up heavily focused on international and reality content.
Channel Seven brings Australian its own musical TV series with The Secret Daughter starring Jessica Mauboy as a part-time indigenous country pub singer. Screentime is producing the 10-episode series and the story was developed specifically for Mauboy.
One last new show for this year that I will mention is The Lion Guard, which started with a tele-movie that screened late last year and the series began mid-January. I read today that it has been renewed for a second season.
This one is for lovers of the original The Lion King movie of the 1990s, and I did (actually I still do). My only issue is that all of the characters we came to love are back – Simba, Nala, Kiara, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Zazu and even Mufasa. Kiara is still quite young and Simba is still King of the Pridelands but I am just not quite sure where Kion came from, I don’t remember any mention of Kiara having a brother in the original Lion King movies. Aside from that this series is super cute, musical and it does teach some great lessons. My kids LOVE it. They love it beyond anything else at the moment and would watch it from when their eyes open to when they close. There are times it gets a little much but all kids movies do on that high a rotation. The Lion Guard screens on Disney Junior on Foxtel.
What are you most loving on the small screen this year, and what are you most looking forward to?
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
I loved Wanted. Looking forward to The Secret Daughter.
Coming on Foxtel, I am waiting for the next series of Wentworth – gosh am hooked on that show. A Place to Call Home also. Nashville is also a great series too.
On neftlix am hoping that Bloodline, Grace & Frankie and Heartland show more series, although you can watch Season 5 of Heartland on ABC3 now. Love the characters and the show.
I wish our free to view channels would put on The Fosters. Another show I liked but I saw it at somebody else’s place.
The Doctor Blake Mysteries on ABC is my “Don’t Miss” show at the moment. It is set in Ballarat in the 1950’s and stars Craig McLachlan and Nadine Garner in the main roles. Great show.