Gone: Ugly Betty. Returning: RSPCA Animal Rescue. Bumped: Medical Emergency.
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Channel Seven’s bright hope of 2007, Ugly Betty, is being taken off screen only eighteen months after being launched with fanfare.
Next week will be the last episode for the time being, with the network indicating its remaining episodes will return later in the year.
The series has struggled on Wednesday nights against Nine’s Fire 000 (1.24m) and Search and Rescue (1.24m). Last night it was third (944,000) behind the 7:30 Report (1.07m) and New Inventors (997,000).
Seven will return RSPCA Animal Rescue from 7:30pm Wednesday July 9 and move Medical Emergency to 8pm. Previously airing 9:30pm Tuesdays it is replaced with Border Patrol NZ.
Press Release:
Channel 7’s emotional observational series RSPCA Animal Rescue returns with all-new episodes from July 9.
The documentary series follows the tough daily assignments and high-pressure work faced by the RSPCA’s inspectorate and veterinary staff – the men and women who work tirelessly to fight animal cruelty across Australia.
In these all-new episodes, again presented and narrated by Anthony Field, aka “the blue Wiggle”, the cameras capture some amazing stories in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, including a mass animal rescue in a flooded town, a cat caught in a fan belt and the first time inspectors have heard a koala yell.
It’s a fierce and sometimes emotional journey for the inspectors as they confront cases of horror and heartbreak during their job to rescue the lost, neglected, abandoned and abused animals of Australia – a country with one of the greatest pet populations per capita in the world.
The first series of RSPCA Animal Rescue premiered on Channel Seven last year and went on to become the top rating new program of 2007 and the seventh most watched series of the year, with an average national audience of 1.709 million viewers. The second season, which aired 10 episodes from February, continued to be a favourite with viewers, averaging 1.52 million viewers to be the No 4 regular program while on air.
Each year more than 130,000 animals are given shelter at one of the many branches of the RSPCA across Australia. Many are rescued by the inspectors, some surrendered, and others are brought to their clinics by one of the many Animal Ambulances that support the main branch offices.
RSPCA Animal Rescue gives the viewer a close-up look at the work and care the RSPCA give to animals. It’s a sometimes high drama environment where frontline staff make life and death decisions, occasionally risking their own safety for the life of an animal.
RSPCA Animal Rescue airs Wednesdays at 7.30pm on Channel 7 from July 9.
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13 Responses
Bumped = moves timeslots. It’s shifting to 8pm Wednesdays.
What I have amended is another story that had Bumped for Balls of Steel, Playboy Mansion which should have read Gone.
Just a tad confused here. You’ve put Bumped for Medical Emergency but then stated that it’ll air at 8pm on Wednesday so technically shouldn’t that be moved?
I hope it is on at 8pm – I was looking forward to seeing the installments at St George Hospital.
yeah i thought it was doing pretty well but then i wasn’t comparing it to the other stations in that timeslot, i was just seeing that it was getting close to 1m and usually such shows are safe. is the rspca going to be new episodes? if it is repeats no thanks.
Not that I watched the show, but I reckon in a few years, a show in that timeslot getting what UB gets in the ratings will be seen as doing extremely well.
Thank God for torrent. My friend got the episode the day after it screen in US. Betty is still great fun as ever.
I hate most reality shows, Apart from things like Mythbuster, Scrapheap and those Air Crash shows.
Plus I’m almost done with this season of UB anyway as ch7 was not “Fast Tracking” it in September.
Shame – I was enjoying Ugly Betty. RSPCA Animal Rescue? I’ll pass.
awesome I love the shows that are replacing stupid betty I watch fire 000 and search and rescue so and I won’t stop watching those so it looks like my foxtel iq will be getting more of a workout although I would have thought that seven would have been satisfied with 947,000 for a stupid American sitcom
As a fan of the show I am very disappointed. I just don’t understand why people prefer to watch Fire 000 and Search & Rescue over UB.
Of the Beautiful Sunday lineup that was launched with fanfare last year, What About Brian was cancelled after one season, Grey’s Anatomy is struggling against CSI, Australia’s Got Talent has moved to another day (Tuesday) and is rating well after a slow start. As for Ugly Betty? Well, we can blame the launch of Robin Hood and Big Brother 14 months ago for the audience decline. Airing at the Sunday 7.30pm timeslot, UB buckled under pressure.
Shame about Ugly Betty. Oh well, looks like its time to turn to the internet again.
Ugly ratings!
Oh come on someone was going to say it LOL
That’s a shame. It was good to have Ugly Betty, while most of the other US series have finished up their seasons. Having said that I’m the only one I know that still watches Betty.
Funny the way TV is going with Nine doing so well with their observational shows, that I never watch.
THIS is exactly why I got Foxtel.If a show isn’t doing well they pull it off the air or change it around till no-one can fins when it’s playing…it’s not fair!
gee let me think are they going to put on repeats of old british shows?
No wonder free to air stations are struggling…I will stick to Foxtel and my dvd’s from America…at least I will get to see the whole series.