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TEN reveals second half slate

Channel TEN has today announced its slate for the second half of 2008 with four new local series including the scripted crime series, Rush in September.

It joins Bondi Rescue: Bali (observational), Kenny’s World (comedy) and Taken Out (reality).

TEN also confirms it will fasttrack Life, NCIS and House concurrently with the US. It also has Australian Idol, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? and So You Think You Can Dance US and a slew of Jamie Oliver shows yet to launch. In events it has the ARIA Awards and the Brownlow Medal. And there are finally some new movies including United 93 and X-Men The Last Stand.

But absent from the list are the following, previously promised for 2008: Unhitched (cancelled after 6 eps), Swingtown, Saving Babies, Californication, Pussycat Dolls and K-Ville.

Australian drama The Informant starring William McInnes is conspicuous by its absence. Significantly, David Mott said TEN would announce two further major new Australian projects in early 2009.

Torchwood and The Office are also nowhere to be seen. Aside from sport, none of the TEN HD programmes are included in this announcement.

Press Release:
Network TEN today unveiled its second half line-up for 2008 featuring four new locally produced programs, underpinned by a slate of proven performers.

New shows coming to TEN include the much-anticipated doco-comedy Kenny’s World, Bondi Rescue spin off series Bondi Rescue: Bali, dating show Taken Out and an original primetime drama Rush.

The new line-up will also see the return of perennial favourites Australian Idol, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? and So You Think You Can Dance US, to name a few.

In addition, TEN will premiere the new seasons of Life, NCIS and House concurrently with their US broadcasts.

TEN’s chief programming officer, David Mott, said: “We have a great second half line-up and we are especially proud of our new Australian slate.

“We are confident of making valuable strides in our target 18-49 demographic, despite the competition.

“Our schedule moving forward is bold, progressive and confident, something our audience has come to expect and we look forward to delivering.”

Mr Mott said TEN would announce two further major new Australian projects in early 2009 to add to its new US shows.

New Australian programs in September

RUSH
RUSH is a contemporary one-hour action drama series starring Rodger Corser (Last Man Standing, Underbelly), Callan Mulvey (Home and Away, Underbelly), Catherine McClements (The Secret Life of Us, Mary Bryant) and Samuel Johnson (The Secret Life of Us, After the Deluge). Set in a critical incident police unit, RUSH provides an insider’s view of police under pressure.

Bondi Rescue: Bali
Off the back of an exceptionally successful season of Bondi Rescue comes this eight-part spin off series, Bondi Rescue: Bali. The show follows a group of Bondi Lifeguards to Bali’s famous Kuta Beach, where they will join Indonesian lifeguards for the busy summer season. This new series examines the meeting of cultures and what life is like for lifeguards on Kuta Beach.

Taken Out
Taken Out is a studio-based entertainment show. Single men and women are introduced to more than 30 potential partners in the Taken Out arena. Through each twist and turn masterminded by the show’s dashing host, the eligible singles learn more about the contestants and decide if they are a potential love interest.

Kenny’s World
From the makers of the successful movie Kenny (the Jacobson brothers) comes this uniquely engaging, informative and entertaining doco-comedy series following Australia’s favourite portaloo plumber Kenny Smyth on a sightseeing tour that won’t be found in any travel guide. Kenny scours the globe for bizarre, intriguing and often downright ridiculous examples of toilet technology and the people who work with them.

Event specials
Jamie Oliver’s Fowl Dinners
This controversial but insightful documentary made headlines when it screened in the UK. Jamie Oliver hosts a gala dinner to demonstrate the reality of how chickens live and die to put food on our plates. He turns ringmaster to tackle an issue that raises difficult questions about animal welfare and what consumers are prepared to pay for quality food (July).

Jamie Oliver’s Eat to Save Your Life
Jamie Oliver brings the truth about junk food to a captive audience of fast food junkies in a graphic and uncompromising revelation of the food we eat and the effects it has on us. Jamie’s Eat to Save Your Life follows the life cycle of junk food as it churns its way through the body using extraordinary filming techniques and amazing stunts (July).

2008 ARIA Music Awards
The Australian music industry’s night of nights with the biggest stars performing live.

Sport
AFL
The 2008 AFL season continues with all the remaining home and away rounds, as well as the Finals Series and all the glitz and glamour of the AFL’s night of nights – the Brownlow Medal.

Formula 1 World Championship and MotoGP
TEN continues its exclusive coverage of all remaining rounds of the Formula 1 World Championship as one of the closest title races in recent history winds to its dramatic close. TEN will also follow world champion Casey Stoner as he defends his MotoGP title at all remaining races including two days of exclusive live coverage of the Australian MotoGP from Phillip Island in October.

The Ryder Cup
For the first time, the world’s most prestigious teams event, The Ryder Cup, will be shown on freeto-air television in Australia with TEN covering all three days. TEN will also air all four days of Australia’s oldest professional golf event, the Australian PGA Championship.

NFL
America’s most popular sport, NFL, debuts on TEN-HD from September with two live games perweek, as well as weekly reviews and highlights.

Returning programs
Australian Idol, Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?, Friday Night Download, So You Think You Can Dance US, Life, NCIS, House, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, America’s Next Top Model and Burn Notice.

Continuing programs
Dexter, Neighbours, The Simpsons, Mark Loves Sharon, Good News Week and Rove.

The network will also air a selection of first-run movies from its 20th Century Fox deal, including American Dreamz, The Break Up, Inside Man, Nanny McPhee, United 93, X-Men The Last Stand, and You Me and Dupree.

11 Responses

  1. Interesting they’re continuing with Friday Night Download when BB was axed. Ten should do the smart thing and fast-track some of the new shows like Life on Mars and 90210. As for the absent shows, Pussycat Dolls was axed and so was K-Ville, I don’t see them airing anytime before summer. The rest doesn’t sound very exciting, the only thing out of everything mentioned here that sounds remotely appealing is Australian Idol and Life, although I’ll probably end up downloading Life. We’ll see how it goes.

  2. Nice one, Ten. The only two shows I ever bother to watch – Supernatural and Californication – are not going to be fast-tracked or seen in the second half of 2008. I guess my DVD collection will be getting a workout.

  3. Ugh. All those movies sound awful. Fortunately though, Ten should definately have the rights to The Simpsons Movie by 2009, or 2010 at the latest. 🙂

  4. It’s a bit of a moving target. Only 7 uses the term “fasttrack” but the rest of us don’t. Life isn’t back til Oct in the US and I think TEN has a few from S1.

  5. Californication will be back mid September in the US

    David, won’t they have to start with Life soon to catch up before they can “fast track”

    Can’t wait for NCIS and House but when they say “fast track” what time frame do they mean, one week/month?

  6. True, although technically it was never promised for 2008.

    However given it said production would start in February it does seem a bit odd.

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