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April viewing battle: Your guide

It’s a fight worthy of the Colosseum. Once the Easter non-ratings break finishes, the networks are hoping to rejuvenate their schedules, launching new shows to fix programming pot holes.

In the week starting Sunday March 30 will see the launch of Gladiators, East of Everything and Power of Ten. Get set for the return of Rove, Enough Rope with Andrew Denton, Sea Patrol, Without a Trace, My Name is Earl, Police Files Unlocked, Ghost Whisperer, The Great Outdoors, Blue Water High and a special Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala.

Several shows will have finales including The Chopping Block, Saving Kids with Damien Leith, Stuff and Life on Mars.

Looking over the plans, however, there are still some unusual choices. Nine hasn’t yet removed Moment of Truth from Tuesdays. It doesn’t have a hope against It Takes Two and Bondi Rescue -the audience has already voted ‘FALSE’ on this premise. It has to go. Seven has made an unusual decision to put Police Files Unlocked in between Gladiators and My Name is Earl on Sundays -aside from being male-skewed all very different audiences. It also seems to have given up the fight against Underbelly with repeat movies. TEN hasn’t made any attempt to sort out its underwhelming Friday nights.

And standby soon for The Rich List and Temptation to return, both back in the studio, plus new observational series from Nine. Here’s a look at how the schedules have shaped up (Melbourne-based):

SEVEN
Sun Mar 30
6.00 Seven News
6.30 Gladiators
7.30 Police Files Unlocked
8.00 My Name is Earl
8.30 Grey’s Anatomy
9.30 Brothers and Sisters
10.30 Suburban Secrets

Mon Mar 31
6.00 Seven News
6.30 Today Tonight
7.00 Home and Away
7.30 Border Security rpt
8.00 SCU: Serious Crash Unit
8.30 Desperate Housewives
9.30 Dirty Sexy Money
10.30 Boston Legal rpt
11.30 30 Rock

Tue Apr 1
6.00 Seven News
6.30 Today Tonight
7.00 Home and Away
7.30 It Takes Two
9.00 All Saints
10.00 My Shocking Story
11.00 Cheaters rpt

Wed Apr 2
6.00 Seven News
6.30 Today Tonight
7.00 Home and Away
7.30 RSPCA Animal Rescue
8.00 The Real Seachange
8.30 Movie: Goldeneye rpt
11.10 Seconds from Disaster

Thu Apr 3
6.00 Seven News
6.30 Today Tonight
7.00 Home and Away
7.30 Samantha Who?
8.00 How I Met Your Mother
8.30 Ghost Whisperer dbl
10.20 Family Guy rpt
10.50 American Dad
11.20 Stargate Atlantis

Fri Apr 4
6.00 Seven News
6.30 Today Tonight
7.00 Home and Away
7.30 Better Homes and Gardens
8.30 AFL (Vic)

Sat Apr 5
6.00 Seven News
6.30 The Great Outdoors
7.30 Michael Palin’s New Europe
8.45 Lewis
9.45 Forensic Investigators rpt

NINE
Sun Mar 30
6.00 National Nine News
6.30 Animal Emergency
7.00 RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service
7.30 60 Minutes
8.30 CSI
9.30 Without a Trace
10.30 Crime Investigation Australia rpt

Mon Mar 31
6.00 National Nine News
6.30 A Current Affair
7.00 Two and a Half Men
7.30 Power of Ten
8.30 Sea Patrol
9.30 CSI: NY
10.30 Footy Classified (Vic)

Tue Apr 1
6.00 National Nine News
6.30 A Current Affair
7.00 Two and a Half Men
7.30 The Moment of Truth
8.30 Kitchen Nightmares USA
9.30 Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles
10.30 Amazing Medical Stories

Wed Apr 2
6.00 National Nine News
6.30 A Current Affair
7.00 Two and a Half Men
7.30 The Chopping Block
8.30 CSI: Miami (Vic) / Underbelly
9.30 Cashmere Mafia
10.35 Sensing Murder

Thu Apr 3
6.00 National Nine News
6.30 A Current Affair
7.00 Two and a Half Men
7.30 Getaway
8.30 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (UK)
9.30 The Footy Show
11.15 Nightline

Fri Apr 4
6.00 National Nine News
6.30 A Current Affair
7.00 Two and a Half Men
7.30 Police Ten 7 (Vic)
8.00 Airline (Vic)
8.30 Movie: Something’s Gotta Give rpt

Sat Apr 5
6.00 National Nine News
6.30 Australia’s Funniest Home Videos
7.30 Movie: Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone rpt

TEN
Sun Mar 30
6.00 The Simpsons
6.30 The Biggest Loser
7.30 So You Think You Can Dance Australia
9.00 Rove
10.10 Movie: Ali G Indahouse rpt

Mon Mar 31
6.00 Friends
6.30 Neighbours
7.00 The Biggest Loser
7.30 So You Think You Can Dance Australia
8.30 Melbourne International Festival Comedy Gala
10.30 TEN Late Night News with Sports Tonight

Tue Apr 1
6.00 Friends
6.30 Neighbours
7.00 The Biggest Loser
8.00 Bondi Rescue
8.30 NCIS
9.30 Women’s Murder Club
10.30 TEN Late Night News with Sports Tonight

Wed Apr 2
6.00 Friends
6.30 Neighbours
7.00 The Biggest Loser
7.30 Rules of Engagement
8.00 Back to You
8.30 House rpt
9.30 Numb3rs
10.30 TEN Late Night News with Sports Tonight

Thu Apr 3
6.00 Friends
6.30 Neighbours
7.00 The Biggest Loser
8.00 Saving Kids with Damien Leith
8.30 Law and Order: SVU
9.30 Medium
10.30 TEN Late Night News with Sports Tonight

Fri Apr 4
6.00 Friends
6.30 Neighbours
7.00 The Biggest Loser
7.30 The Simpsons Hour rpt
8.30 Movie: Mean Girls rpt
10.25 TEN Late News

Sat Apr 5
6.00 TEN News
6.30 Before the Game
7.30 TEN’s Saturday Night AFL (Vic)
11.00 Movie: The Godfather Pt 2 rpt

ABC
Sun Mar 30
6.00 At The Movies rpt
6.30 Einstein Factor
7.00 ABC News
7.30 Robin Hood
8.15 Creature Comforts rpt
8.30 East of Everything
9.25 Compass
10.00 Paradise Found: Part 1
10.50 4 Better 4 Worse

Mon Mar 31
6.00 Landline Extra
6.30 Talking Heads
7.00 ABC News
7.30 The 7:30 Report
8.00 Australian Story
8.30 Four Corners
9.15 Media Watch
9.30 Enough Rope with Andrew Denton
10.35 Lateline
11.10 Lateline Business

Tue Apr 1
6.05 Time Team: Northborough
7.00 ABC News
7.30 The 7:30 Report
8.00 Stuff
8.30 How Art Made the World
9.30 Foreign Correspondent
10.00 First Tuesday Book Club with Jennifer Byrne
10.30 Lateline
11.05 Lateline Business

Wed Apr 2
6.00 Rick Stein’s French Odyssey rpt
6.30 The Cook and the Chef
7.00 ABC News
7.30 The 7:30 Report
8.00 The New Inventors
8.30 Spicks and Specks
9.00 Stupid Stupid Man
9.30 The Armstrong and Miller Show
10.00 At The Movies
10.30 Lateline
11.05 Lateline Business

Thu Apr 3
6.05 Grand Designs
7.00 ABC News
7.30 The 7:30 Report
8.00 Catalyst
8.30 Life on Mars
9:35 Let the Music Play: The Barry White Story
10.30 Lateline
11.05 Lateline Business

Fri Apr 4
6.00 Message Stick
6.30 Can We Help?
7.00 ABC News
7.30 Stateline
8.00 Collectors
8.30 Midsomer Murders rpt
10.00 Grumpy Old Women rpt
10.35 Lateline

Sat Apr 5
6.00 My Family rpt
6.30 Gardening Australia
7.00 ABC News
7.30 Doc Martin
8.30 The Bill
10.10 Spooks rpt

SBS
Sun Mar 30
6.00 Thalassa
6.30 World News Australia
7.30 Who Do You Think You Are? (UK)
8.30 Men in Danger
9.35 Kurt Wallander: The African
11.15 The Bunker rpt

Mon Mar 31
6.00 Global Village
6.30 World News Australia
7.30 Mythbusters
8.27 The Movie Show rpt
8.35 South Park
9.00 Drawn Together rpt
9.30 World News Australia Late
10.00 Sinchronicity
10.55 The Insider’s Guide to Happiness

Tue Apr 1
6.00 Global Village
6.30 World News Australia
7.30 Insight
8.30 Growing Up Online
9.30 World News Australia Late
10.00 On a Tightrope

Wed Apr 2
6.00 Global Village
6.30 World News Australia
7.30 Food Safari rpt
8.00 Love’s Harvest
8.30 Dateline
9.30 World News Australia Late
10.00 Newstopia
10.30 Movie: One Missed Call

Thu Apr 3
6.00 Global Village
6.30 World News Australia
7.30 Stockinger
8.30 Unit One rpt
9.30 World News Australia Late
10.05 The Movie Show
10.15 UEFA Champions League Hour
11.15 Movie: Musa rpt

Fri Apr 4
6.00 Global Village
6.30 World News Australia
7.30 Voices of the World
8.35 The Long March
9.30 World News Australia Late
10.00 Plaster Caster rpt
11.40 Movie: Madame Sata

Sat Apr 5
6.30 World News Australia
7.30 Top Gear
8.30 Big Love rpt
9.35 RocKwiz rpt
10:05 Movie: The Spanish Apartment rpt

Subject to amendment, check guides closer to airdate.

Kindly link to this site when sourcing or posting in messageboards, thanks!

11 Responses

  1. Newsflash.. Wikipedia is wrong.

    I’ve previously noted the show still has another series, including eps with Shelley Craft who defected to Nine. great Outdoors Cast tripped up

    Press Release:

    THE GREAT OUTDOORS makes its 2008 return tonight with a beach special hosted by TOM WILLIAMS and JENNIFER HAWKINS.

    Away from our shores, Tom travels to Kauai, the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands, also known as The Garden Isle. Sure it’s got great surf, but the hidden Kauai can best be seen from kayaking on the tranquil backwaters, to a catamaran cruise past the spectacular Napali cliffs. You can also zipline over the jungle canopy, then head back to the beach for a taste of what Tom calls “the real Hawaii”.

    While closer to home, with 2008 the International Year Of The Reef, ERNIE DINGO takes a look at Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef from the sky, then explores different ways to see all the underwater action. From giant clams to Nemo, the Reef is the world’s biggest and a fragile wonderland for all to enjoy.

    Later in the show, Ernie sets out from Perth to travel the 90kms to York, Western Australia’s oldest inland town.

    Meanwhile, Jennifer checks out Melbourne’s Eco Islands, ANDREW DADDO heads to Beachport in South Australia and joins a 4WD tagalong tour and we meet Bruce Apps from Brooms Head in NSW, a town said to be named after a broom that washed up on the beach in 1870.

  2. I know what I’ll be watching. 7’s schedule is a bit week in some areas although I am looking forward to Gladiators. 9 will really be my network of choice after easter with Sea Patrol, Ramsay, Without A Trace and Underbelly.

  3. richotb, you REALLY love Gordon Ramsay don’t you??? Get a Grip, and stop continually paying out on his brillant show, he is not going nowhere from nine’s schedule. Here’s something you should do, don’t watch Kitchen Nightmares, and if you have Pay, don’t watch The F Word(this is another Ramsay show, full of the F word 😉 ).

  4. Richtob, the words opinion and demographic seemed to have eluded you. Ones persons trash is another persons treasure.
    Your certainly very err… sure of yourself.

  5. Suppose Ten’s not bothering moving around Friday nights, saving the 7:30-9:00 slot for Big Brother FNL. Blimey, showing Mean Girls again? What is it with Ten and their “signature movies”? Mean Girls, Matilda, Terminator, About a Boy etc. They need something new. Looking forward to the returns of all the great shows.

  6. I wonder how long it’ll take for Jeremy to come in here and shout his accusations of “boring, bland, roffle!1”.

    As for me, I’m looking forward to Gladiators returning. I loved that show when I was a kid. Looks like I’ll be taping that before SYTYCD on Sunday nights for the next month.

    Its great that HIMYM’s back, but I’ve already seen all the S3 episodes. By far the funniest show on non-cable TV, contrary to what people on this website say.

    Not too pleased with Ghost Whisperer. That show takes sappy to a whole new level. Nine’s pairing of CSI and WaT is likely to be a big ratings whopper and is one of the smartest timeslot match-ups existing currently. Everything else on their network is pretty awful though. That Terminator show and the Ramsay’s swear-a-thon both tie for the worst shows made in the past decade, and they’re both on the same network. Big surprise there.

    On the other hand, Ten is really the station to be watching right now. NCIS and Rove are coming back, which is needless to say good news for Australian television. Dance wraps in a month, so the finale will likely be a huge ratings grabber, and an entertainment extravaganza. That, combined with the Back To You/Rules of Engagement hour on Wednesdays is more than enough to keep me on their network whenever I watch TV. But really, there’s so many superb shows that aren’t being telecast right now. Kyle XY is the best show I’ve seen all year, but no one here would have heard of it. Hooray for blog sites.

    April will be a fantastic month for TV in the US. Finally, all the good shows are coming back, and there’ll be new eps of Supernatural, Moonlight, Reaper, LOST, Desperate Housewives and of course, HIMYM which came back last week. Too bad most of those shows only have 4-5 new episodes shot for the rest of the season until September.

  7. I’m assuming Before The Game is only at 6.30 in the southern states? We’re lucky if we get it after midnight in QLD. Also re The Moment Of Truth it’s probably beating ITT in the younger demos and even in TP it’s only a few 100k off. If ITT were doing 2007 numbers then I’d agree.

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