Easter non-ratings Guide
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
On Sunday March 16 we are heading into two weeks of non-ratings television, this year placed earlier on our calendar than usual.
After only 5 weeks of surveys, the commercial networks will have opportunity to tweak their schedules. You should anticipate some, but not all, of your favourite programmes to be rested for two weeks, as well as permanent changes to line-ups as we move back into ratings on March 30. Clearly shows that are under-performing and providing poor lead-ins will be ripe for the axe or a new timeshift (no names, no names!).
The writers’ strike has only complicated matters with the end of new House and Supernatural episodes. Seven has held off many of its strike-affected shows, so it may unveil some of them after Easter. Lost will be running out of fresh episodes soon. Heroes is off the calendar for the first half of the year. Seven’s David Leckie has stated they are waiting until after March 21 for some new shows. Could some debut in the week of March 23?
Nine has teased us with Power of Ten and Pushing Daisies (also strike-affected), but Underbelly problems have put national schedules in turmoil, and there is still no clarity.
TEN is the first commercial free to air network to announce its Easter line-up for the week of March 16. Shows including Biggest Loser, SYTYCD, Good News Week, Bondi Rescue, Rules of Engagement, Back to You will continue. Although unconfirmed, Rove is likely to return after the non-ratings period, if not on March 24.
As each network unveils its line-up this post will provide you with a guide to prime time changes from normal viewing. Please note the following pertains to Melbourne viewing, which includes some adjustments for AFL.
Prime Time Programming
TEN: (variations from normal programming)
Mon 17th Mar 9:30pm TBA
Tue 18th Mar 8:00pm Bondi Rescue rpt
Wed 19th Mar 8:30pm House rpt
Wed 19th Mar 9:30pm Numb3rs rpt
Thu 20th Mar 6pm AFL (except NSW / Qld)
Thu 20th Mar 9pm Biggest Loser
Thu 20th Mar 9:30pm Medium rpt
Fri 21st Mar 6pm Neighbours (except NSW / Qld)
Fri 21st Mar 7:30pm Simpsons Hour rpt
Fri 21st Mar 8:30pm Movie The Triumph (The Ron Clarke Story)
Sat 22nd Mar 6:30pm Before the Game
Sat 22nd Mar 7:30pm AFL
Sun 22nd Mar 7:30pm SYTYCD special: Your Top Ten
Sun 23th Mar 9:00pm Movie: Emerald Falls
Mon 24th Mar 7:30pm Famous, Fabulous and Filthy Rich
Mon 24th Mar 8.30pm: Law & Order rpt
Mon 24th Mar 9:30pm Law & Order rpt
Tues 25th Mar 8:30pm NCIS season return
Tues 25th Mar 9:30pm Women’s Murder Club
Wed 26th Mar 8:30pm House rpt
Thu Mar 27 8:30pm Law and Order: SVU rpt
Thu Mar 27 9:30pm Medium rpt
Nine (variations from normal programming)
Sun Mar 16 6:30pm Animal Emergency
Sun Mar 16 7:00pm RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service
Sun Mar 16 8:30pm TBA
Mon Mar 17 7:30pm William and Kate: A Royal Romance
Mon Mar 17 8:30pm CSI rpt
Mon Mar 17 9:30pm CSI: NY rpt
Tue Mar 18 7:00pm Two and a Half Men rpt (cont to Friday 21st)
Wed Mar 19 8:30pm Footy Show (Vic, SA, WA)
Wed Mar 19 8:30pm Underbelly encore 4 eps (NSW)
Wed Mar 19 8:30pm 27th NRA Australian Fashion Design Awards (Qld)
Wed Mar 19 10:00pm Movie: Austen Powers Goldmember rpt (Vic, SA, WA, Qld)
Thu Mar 20 8:30pm Movie: I Am Sam rpt (Vic)
Fri 21st 8:30 Movie: Thirteen Days rpt (Vic)
Sat Mar 22 8:30pm Olympic Swimming Trials
Sat Mar 22 8:30pm Movie: The Time Machine rpt
Sat Mar 22 10:30pm Tropfest finalists
Sun Mar 23 8:30pm Movie: Tears if the Sun rpt
Sun Mar 23 11:00pm WWOS Olympic Swimming Trials highlights
Mon Mar 24 7:30pm WWOS Olympic Swimming Trials
Mon Mar 24 8:30pm CSI rpt
Mon Mar 24 9:30pm CSI: NY rpt
Tue Mar 25 10:30pm Amazing Medical Stories rpt
Wed Mar 26 7:30pm WWOS Olympic Swimming Trials
Thu Mar 27 7:30pm WWOS Olympic Swimming Trials
Thu Mar 27 8:30pm Deadly Surf
Fri Mar 28 7:30pm Motorway Patrol rpt (Vic)
Fri Mar 28 8:30pm Movie: AI rpt
Sat Mar 29 7:30pm WWOS Olympic Swimming Trials
Sat Mar 29 8:30pm Movie: Snow Queen
Seven
Sun Mar 16 6:30pm World Around Us
Sun Mar 16 8pm Vicar of Dibley rpt
Sun Mar 16 8:45pm Movie: Face Off
Mon Mar 17: Border Security rpt
Mon Mar 17 8:00pm SCU: Serious Crash Unit
Mon Mar 17 8:30pm Movie: Someone Like You
Tue Mar 18 7:30pm It Takes Two: Countdown to the Finals special
Tue Mar 18 8:30pm All Saints (new)
Tue Mar 18 9:30pm Life Begins
Tue Mar 18 10:30pm My Shocking Story
Wed Mar 19 7:30pm Seven Wonders of the Industrial World
Wed Mar 19 8:40pm A Touch of Frost rpt
Thu Mar 20 7:30pm Samantha Who
Thu Mar 20 8:00pm How I Met Your Mother
Thu Mar 20 8:30pm AFL
Fri Mar 21 7:30pm Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal (Vic)
Sat Mar 22 6:30pm Movie: Ice Age rpt
Sat Mar 22 8:10pm Better Homes and Gardens
Sat Mar 22 9:10pm Movie: Galaxy Quest rpt
Sat Mar 22 11:15pm Movie: Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy rpt
Sun Mar 23 6:30pm World Around Us
Sun Mar 23 7:30pm Vicar of Dibley Easter special rpt
Sun Mar 23 8:45pm Movie: Pearl Harbor rpt
Mon Mar 24 7:30pm Border Security rpt
Mon Mar 24 8:00pm SCU: Serious Crash Unit rpt
Mon Mar 24 8:30pm Movie Insomnia rpt
Tue Mar 25 7:30pm It Takes Two (returns)
Tue Mar 25 9:15pm All Saints (new)
Tue Mar 25 10:15pm My Shocking Story
Wed Mar 26 7:30pm Seven Wonders of the Industrial World rpt
Wed Mar 26 8:40pm A Touch of Frost rpt
Wed Mar 26 11:00pm Air Crash Investigations rpt
Thu Mar 27 7:30pm How I Met Your Mother (dbl ep)
Thu Mar 27 8:30pm Movie: The Transporter rpt
Fri Mar 28 8:30pm AFL (select states)
Sat Mar 29 6:30pm Movie: Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Sat Mar 29 8:30pm Movie: Welcome to Mooseport
Of course neither the ABC nor SBS recognise non-ratings seasons….
This post is subject to change.
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8 Responses
I bet channel 7 are breathing a sigh of relief, with all the US shows back by mid-late april, here in Aus there won’t be any need for breaks mucking up a lot of strike-affected shows schedules.
Except for lost, of course, but then i don’t watch that on TV anyway.
Post strike eps are yet to air in the US, though many are back by late April.
No word on what TEN will do with Supernatural yet, in theory they could run with rpts until late April?
Is there any word yet on what is going to happen to the remaining post-strike episodes of US series’? I’m particularly interested in Supernatural, one of the best shows on TV. I really hope we aren’t going to be made to wait until the start of the next season to see this episodes.
Also what is going to air in its place? I’d love to see reruns from Season 1 as this show is garnering new viewers on almost a weekly basis.
Apparently Neighbours will be airing a double episode on Friday 21st due to the AFL on Thursday.
After seeing what both Ten and Nine have unveiled for the Easter non-ratings, it looks like I won’t be watching much TV during that time (apart from Dance and Back To You). LOST would count, but I watch it through other means as it seems like Seven run twice as many ads through that show than any other (which probably isn’t true, but it just seems that way for me). Something else of interest is LOST has been pulling figures of 14 million in the US and has consistently placed in the top 10 programs of the week, but here its barely achieving 700,000 viewers and doesn’t come close to being in the top 20. I used to like Rules of Engagement but that was before I realised it wasn’t funny.
Apparently not that week in that market.
Doesn’t TBL goes for one hour on Thursday?
It’ll be interesting to see what the networks unveil post-Easter. Shows like Supernatural, House and LOST will be pulled off air in only a couple of weeks, but they’ll have something like 4-5 new episodes each and all will return on US screens around April 24th.