The year's best and worst of Australian TV

[welcomewiki]

INTERNATIONAL

TRUE BLOOD, Showtime, Foxtel and Austar
The show proved to be more than just a vampire series.
Set in the fictional southern town of Bon Temps the story follows the lives of telepathic waitress Sookie.

It has undertones about civil rights.
Aussie star Ryan Kwanten was a standout in this second series, with his accent faultless.

THE WIRE, ABC2 and GO!
The US series set in Baltimore has been embraced by Australians, and praised for being gritty and having a documentary-like realism.

The public broadcaster's digital station ABC2 screened the first episode in 2009, while Nine's digital station GO! is up to season five.

Each season focuses on a different area of the city and corruption including drugs, government, schools and the media.

[welcomewiki]

WORST:


THIS AFTERNOON, Nine Network
The light news program aired at 4.30pm on the Nine Network was meant to revolutionise the afternoon slot.

Intended as an informative light chat program, it featured hosts Andrew Daddo, Katrina Blowers and Mark Ferguson.

But the result was an awkward news program that struggled in the ratings from the start, and it was axed by executives after just three weeks.
Just a couple of weeks into the program it was hurt by news that Ferguson would leave the station to join Network Seven.

HOMEMADE, Nine Network
Hyped up by Nine to no end, the renovation program featured contestants competing against each other to renovate two homes.

From the creators of The Block and The Chopping Block, David Barbour and Julian Cress, it featured 10 interior designers, who had five days to renovate two suburban homes.

It was one of Nine's big ratings hopes for the year and had $1 million to spend for the design process and a $100,000 prize.
The show garnered 1.021 million viewers on its launch and was beaten decisively in its timeslot.

Its ratings continued to slide.

[welcomewiki]

AUSTRALIA'S PERFECT COUPLE, Nine Network

Another big ratings hope for Nine, the show featured eight couples performing a series of tasks in the hope of being crowned Australia's perfect couple and scoring $250,000.

Among the cliched duos were the virgins, high school sweethearts, a modern-day Brady Bunch couple and the token gay couple.
Hosted by Jules Lund, it suffered in the ratings and was eventually cut from an hour-long program to just 30 minutes.

DOUBLE TAKE, Seven Network
The sketch show featuring celebrities, politicians and television shows, in a Chaser-esque style, premiered in July.

Starring Paul McCarthy, Helen Dallimore and Guy Edmonds, the show got off to a good start with just over a million viewers, but was erratic and failed to pack the punch of The Chaser.

Viewers were confused by changes in scheduling, as the show flipped with another Seven offering, TV Burp.

Double Take hit the headlines over an episode about schoolyard bullying in which the presenter boasted the school had the best bullies money could buy.
Some argued it was in bad taste.

[welcomewiki]

TV BURP, Seven Network

Hosted by comedian Ed Kavalee, the show featured clips of TV programs and poked fun at them.

After a solid debut with just over a million viewers, the audience tuned off and slipped to about 850,000 by the second episode.

It was moved around in the schedule and continued to decline.

THE SPEARMEN EXPERIMENT, Network Ten
Hyped up by Network Ten, the pop culture show was sold as being unique and insightful.

What it proved to be was a rip-off of Nine Network's popular program 20 to 1.

It featured a countdown via an online poll ranking defining pop culture moments and people, with comments from celebrities.
Even talented host Magda Szubanski was not enough to bring in the big audiences.

It premiered with more than a million viewers, but about 400,000 dropped off by the second episode. It was bumped to Friday nights, where it also failed to perform.

[welcomewiki]

INTERNATIONAL:
DANCE YOUR ASS OFF, Nine Network

It took just one episode of this reality weight-loss dancing competition program for Nine bosses to give it the flick after it bombed in the ratings.
The US program featured obese people dancing around, in a Biggest Loser meets So You Think You Can Dance, or Dancing With the Stars-style program.

While it was a hit in the US, Australian audiences found it cringeworthy.
The rest of the series was played out on Nine's digital offering GO!

MIXED REACTION:
HEY HEY IT'S SATURDAY, Nine Network
Hundreds of thousands of fans called for the return of the iconic variety show through social networking site Facebook, and Nine responded by airing a couple of specials.

Both scored more than two million viewers.
But the show was criticised when a 'blackface' skit the Red Faces in the talent segment went to air.
American singer and guest judge Harry Connick Jr took offence, giving the act a score of zero.

Host Daryl Sommers was forced to apologise, and the show made international headlines, with many accusing Australia of being racist.

THE 7PM PROJECT, Network Ten

Launched in May to fill the MasterChef timeslot, the program tried to mix news and light entertainment.

The panel show - with Dave Hughes, Ruby Rose, Charlie Pickering, James Mathison and Carrie Bickmore - drew much criticism for struggling to get the tone right.

But it is now pulling in consistent audiences, and Ten is determined to give it a long run and will continue to air it throughout next year.