Nine hires Young Doctors
- Published by David Knox
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Despite talk that it was destined for Network TEN, Channel Nine has signed the remake of The Young Doctors.
Nine CEO David Gyngell is believed to have signed a deal with FremantleMedia, formerly Grundy Productions.
Fremantle’s Mark Fennessy told the Sunday Telegraph the show would be a primetime cross between Grey’s Anatomy and The Secret Life of Us set at the Royal Albert Memorial, and based on the original characters. It will not be a daily programme.
“We’re not making the same program – it’s a relationship-based drama that will be sophisticated, sexy and contemporary,” he said.
“We wouldn’t want to lose the essence of what made it popular the first time around. When you revisit something 20 years later you need to take into account what made it successful the first time around. People falling in and out of love, relationships, terribly good-looking doctors and nurses.”
The original Young Doctors also aired on Nine.
Source: Daily Telegraph
7 Responses
Channel 9 is making so much drama. They’ve got Sea Patrol, McLeod’s Daughters, Canal Road, now the Young Doctors and of course Underbelly which is already said to be the best drama ever produced in Australia. In response to everyone complaining about medical/legal/police shows, I think they’re great because you have a story engine in them and they never run out of ideas. You just need to find a new spin on them each time.
David, I agree 100% with your comment that any country in the world has these are their main staples. The problem here in Australia is this is the only staple provided by the commercial channels.
But then again, as it was pointed out at the recent MIP conference in Cannes, Australian TV networks are just followers and not leaders and rarely take any risks.
And people wonder why Pay TV subscription is rising and internet downloads are increasing. Whilst the rest of the world evolves, we just revisit the past or grab an overseas idea and make an Australian version of it.
Don’t we already have a “relationship” drama? I thought it was called “All Saints”.
I do understand that Police/Medical/Legal dramas are logical genres, but I wish there was some variety too. How about a drama set within australia’s spy agency? or an australian army drama, or even sticking with the genres but making them a little different? a police drama that is set within a team of crime scene cleaners who try to visualise what happened at the scene every week? I just want something different.
Police / Medical / Legal are very logical genres for adult, issue-based dramas.
It’s to do with bringing in weekly stories into regular, indoor sets. A plot and economic decision. Any country in the world has these as their main staples -melodrama / soap notwithstanding.
I wish there were more Australian drama shows that didn’t revolve around doctors and/or police.
Great. A show about “terribly good looking” people. Another Neighbours?
Is this going to be Nine’s attempt at Soap? They have NEVER done them well and I really don’t think this remake will be a good idea if they don’t adjust it for today’s times.