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Seven reveals 2012 highlights

Updated: Jane Turner and Gina Riley, Working Dog and yet another new Australian drama are just some of the highlights revealed by Seven for 2012.

A new Australian drama. A new project from Jane Turner and Gina Riley. Two new series from Working Dog (The Panel, Thank God You’re Here, Frontline). A new dating series from Granada and a local version of Coastwatch.

They are some of the highlights of Seven’s 2012 programming slate, announced to advertisers last night at Technology Park in Sydney.

Performing at the event was Australia’s Got Talent graduate Timomatic, while Seven stars were in attendance along with Seven execs including CEO David Leckie and Director of Programming and Production, Tim Worner.

After its dominant year, the Seven Network revealed new and returning programmes, although it still kept some of the finer detail under wraps.

Amongst the key announcements are four Australian drama series and four major “tent pole” events:

AUSTRALIAN:
A Place to Call Home: new Australian drama series from Bevan Lee (Packed to the Rafters, Winners and Losers).

Untitled project from the creators of Kath and Kim. Billed as ‘Event’ television.

Updated: Pictures of You: A relaxed, interview style show in which well-known guests are asked about their formative years, hosted by Brian Nankervis (Working Dog Productions).

Updated: Sports Fever!: weekly comedy program, celebrating sport from here and around the world hosted by Santo Cilauro (Working Dog Productions).

Please Marry My Boy: A series in which eligible guys look for love. The twist? They can only date girls who have their mum‟s seal of approval (Granada Australia).

Coastwatch: Australia: local version of NZ factual series.

INTERNATIONAL:
Updated: Titanic: UK mini series written by Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey). The re-telling of that doomed voyage, focusing on different characters ranging from steerage passengers to upper class guests. Each point of view will culminate in a cliff hanger as the ship begins to founder, building to an explosive conclusion which draws together each of the stories. To be progammed across one week in April to mark the 100th anniversary, together with some docos.
Strike Back: HBO’s high-octane, globe-spanning thriller with storylines ripped from today’s headlines, this focuses on two members of a top-secret intelligence agency known as Section 20: a British sergeant on the elite counter-terrorism team and a former U.S. Delta Force operative who was discharged on the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Revenge: Directed by Australian Phillip Noyce and executive produced by Twilight‘s Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, this tells the story one woman who returns to her old neighbourhood, willing to destroy everyone for the sake of revenge.
Good Christian Bitches: A recently divorced single mother of two children returns to Dallas, where she grew up. Stars Leslie Bibb and Kristin Chenoweth, renamed as GCB in the US.
Wild Planet
Billy Connolly’s Route 66

RETURNING:
AUSTRALIAN:
Home and Away
Packed to the Rafters
Winners & Losers
Wild Boys
Dancing with the Stars
Australia’s Got Talent
The X Factor
Updated: My Kitchen Rules: includes a NZ couple.
The Amazing Race Australia
Beauty and the Geek
Dinner Date
Border Security
The Force
Highway Patrol
RSPCA Animal Rescue
Better Homes and Gardens: to move to Thursdays due to AFL commitments.
Seven News
Today Tonight
Sunday Night
Sunrise
The Morning Show
AFL: Friday Night Football, Saturday Afternoon Football, Saturday Night Football and Sunday Afternoon Football, The Brownlow Medal, the AFL Finals Series, AFL Grand Final.
Australian Open
V8s
Melbourne Cup

INTERNATIONAL:
Downton Abbey
The Amazing Race
Criminal Minds
Bones
Castle
Grey’s Anatomy
Desperate Housewives
Parenthood
Body of Proof
Mighty Planes
Wimbledon

Seven looks like it will resist much of the fast-tracking taking place at Nine and TEN.

Seven has been all but unstoppable this year, leading in total viewers and key demographics 16-39s, 18-49s and 25-54s. It is also up 13.8% in total viewers from last year.  7TWO is the most-watched digital channel for total viewers while 7mate is number one in men 16-54.

Tim Worner said: “We are proud of what has been achieved in 2011 but the very hard work to make 2012 a success is well under way.

“There are a number of new Australian productions we announce today. This is only the first step. Much more is in development and we’re actually really looking forward to 2012 and revealing more new shows for Seven that build on our impressive portfolio.”

No progamming for 7TWO or 7mate has yet been revealed.

Seven presents its highlights to advertisers in Melbourne tonight.

50 Responses

  1. Titanic sank at 2:20 on the morning of April 15th 1912.. the 100th anniversary of the sinking will be on Sunday April 15th 2012. Titanic will be a 4 episode series which will begin on April 12th and finish on April 15th. Episodes 1 and 4 will be 90 minutes each and Episodes 2 and 3 will be 60 minutes each. I’ve seen the promotional trailer and it indeed has lived up to its hype. It’s still being filmed and is in production and you will enjoy the list of characters introduced in this series.

  2. Off the topic, sort of, but Ilove the pic of Jane and Gina. It has been way too long since they were on screen, and it reminds me of the great work they have both done in sketch comedy and sitcom for more than 2 decades. They still look pretty young, and out of the Kath and Kim personas, still hot!

  3. @ryan and Gary: the US remake of Prime Suspect is a co-production of Universal Media Studios and ITV Studios in the UK. ITV Studios Global Entertainment (a subsidiary of ITV Studios) is the international distributor, not UMS, and Nine apparently bought the rights to the series from ISGE.

  4. @ryan

    Prime Suspect isn’t UMS. I was dumbfounded at the fact that one of the few UMS produced series is actually distributed by Sony of all things. Don’t get it but that’s what happened and that is why this show is on Nine.

    As for Smash i too am dumbfounded in why Seven has given this one to Fox. Or have i missed something here. The distributor will either be Dreamworks (which is now part of Disney) and UMS. Seven has both these output deals. So why does Foxtel have this one? @David do we know the full reason for this?

    Anyway i guess we will see how it all pans out later. Is there any news on the full list of US shows coming to Seven?

  5. “(Titanic mini-series will) be programmed across one week in April to mark the 100th anniversary, together with some docos.”
    The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is April 14, 2012, which is a Saturday. Easter Sunday 2012 is April 8, in the middle of the non-ratings period. So will the series (which has six episodes) be shown from April 9, culminating with the finale on April 14, or will it be shown on the week of April 15, when the ratings resume?

  6. Glad to see The X Factor back. It’s done a great job for Seven this year and it will only get stronger. On another note- I watched The X Factor USA and it’s brilliant. Maybe next year Fremantle should base our version more on the American one rather than the UK. The US version has a really cool, fresh edge.

  7. Really happy with Sevens 2012 lineup. There is obviously other new US shows not on the list shown above but Seven have always been loyal to their viewers and Australian productions. Can’t wait to see the Gina Riley and Co new project.

    I guess the only downside to 2012 is Seven has no Olympics. I hope they get them back because like others have said the home of the Olympics is Seven.

  8. i know this isnt the full schedule, but what is happening with sevens deal with ums? Ums most promising shows smash and prime suspect have been picked up by other networks, this can be just the usual onsell can it?

  9. @tvLUVA I know what you mean! There seemed to be a lot of whinging about Seven’s coverage of the Olympics during every Games (personally I think they had the best Olympic coverage in the world, and I’ve watched many others). Now that Nine has the Games, there will definitely be things to whinge about! As evident with their Vancouver 2010 coverage… Didn’t feel like a special event at all 🙁

    Seven will always be “Australia’s Olympic Network” to me, probably a testament to their marketing efforts in the lead up to Sydney 2000. Don’t get my wrong, they weren’t perfect at it, but there was always something special about their Olympic broadcasts, from the opening titles and music to the much simpler, “classier” commentary during the ceremonies (with a few exceptions over the years, Not looking at anyone, Sonya Kruger & Rebecca Wilson!!!).

    Nine better show the Games on GEM in HD, that’s all I can say!!

  10. Very happy to see 7 is using the title Good Christan Bitches. I think that looks like the best show of the whole US season. It would be a shame to see no more Conviction Kitchen. But the format probably only permitted for one shot. How many ex-cons can Ian Curley have in his restaraunt?

  11. woo hooooo go 7! the only negative is the olympics will be given the channel 9 treatment. i am going to specifically hook up foxtel for olympics next year so I dont have see to eddie and leilas faces. pls 7 get the next olympic rights back, olympics belong on 7, not gutter trash 9

  12. AFL: Saturday Afternoon Football and Saturday Night Football are listed as returning to Seven. However, they should be listed as “new to Seven” as these have previously aired on Ten…

  13. “… leading in total viewers and key demographics 16-39s, 18-49s …”
    Yep koverstreet, only oldies watching Seven. All those young people supposedly watching Nine and Ten must be under 16 as they don’t seem to show up in the ratings.

  14. I have absolutely no doubt that Seven will continue to dominate the ratings in 2012. Very keen on the Turner/Riley production, anything those girls touch turns to gold.

  15. I don’t suppose we’d see Sports Fever! showing during the 2012 olympics ( 27 July to 12 August 2012), 9/FOXTEL have the rights, but i’d like to see a stripped light-hearted look at the games ala Roy & HG.

    I’m trying to remember if there have been other off-beat Olympic programs in past, akin to Roy & HG but not by them.

  16. Surprised to see RSPCA Animal Rescue back on the schedule. What happened to that this year?

    I’m glad the Titanic mini series will be shown here, it sounds interesting.

  17. i dont think 7 caters to the oldies at all….. the only network i watch is channel 7…im only 22! is that old these days?

    also im pretty sure 7 have been killing it in the younger demos of late….

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