Nine hearts 2008 pt 2
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
The Underbelly prequel will launch in February next year, David Gyngell told advertisers and media tonight in Sydney.
“I think it’s the most obvious decision in TV to bring back a prequel to Underbelly,” he said. “It was the most buzz program we’ve ever been associated with.”
The Nine boss revealed the network’s second-half slate which will include The Strip starring Aaron Jeffrey and Frankie J. Holden, Scorched with Georgie Parker, Battlefronts, Hole in the Wall following the Olympics, an Aussie version of Wipeout, and the return of Temptation (which has episodes already completed).
Nine will also fasttrack The Mentalist starring Australia’s Simon Baker, new Two and a Half Men and there is more Gordon Ramsay on the way.
Gyngell credited Ramsay with helping the network get back on track this year.
“Thank f***ing God,” he said of Ramsay. “I mightn’t be standing here if this bloke hadn’t turned up.”
He said there was a confident feeling around the Nine Network but there was still a long way to go.
“This is not about saying how smart we are and beating our chests.
“This is just in the essence of transparency that we believe we have come up with a smart strategy, we have delivered on that strategy (and) we’ve got a positive strategy for September.”
Gyngell will present Nine’s offerings to Melbourne media buyers on Wednesday night.
Source: Daily Telegraph
10 Responses
I doubt the people who started watching canal road will give any aussie drama show on channel 9 another go, apart from the underbelly prequel of course.
I actually watched Underbelly a couple of nights ago as I was bored and it was actually very well done. As far as Aussie scripted series go, they're mostly all for chicks (H&A, Neighbours, McLeod's Daughters) and Sea Patrol doesn't interest me. This show was very well done though. The acting was a bit wooden at first, but it really picked up in pace by episode 2 and since then its been a rollercoaster. I'm up to episode 10 at the moment and will look forward to the next season in February. Good to see them fast-tracking The Mentalist too. I usually hate cop shows unless they're quirky like Psych and Life but this show is unlike any other police procedural, its clever and its compelling. Nine's slate post-Olympics should be a lot better than their one so far this year IMO. I might actually turn their network on from time to time.
On another note, can anyone tell me what The Strip, Scorched and Battlefronts are about?
NK.. Nine have Kitchen Nightmares (not sure if it’s US or UK) as well as HK ready for the 2nd half.
I thought Scorched had be retitled to Strike Team?? Is this still the case?
God, what marketing spin and crap.
Where was any thought for viewers given when Gyngell pulled Kitchen Nightmares off late night Tuesdays after only showing two episodes back in 07.
What crap, that if Gordon hadn’t turned up, that Gyngell might not be standing there.
Gordon’s been around for years. Let’s wait for Nine to drip feed us series two and three of Hell’s Kitchen…. we heart tv? Yeah sure.
… and while I’m at it, when’s ER coming back.
Ha, banned?
Everyone in Melbourne has already seen it.
Dan, the Ramsay they’re talking about is almost certainly Hell’s Kitchen – they only aired season 1 of the US series, and there’s three more seasons where that came from.
Johnson, Underbelly could conceivably be banned in Victoria for years, not months.
Great to hear a brand new bit of TV terminology from Gyngell, by the way: “bring back a prequel”. Err… riiight.
Won’t affect nominations, but I suppose in theory it ‘could’ affect voting at an outside chance.
That said, AFI awards are first, later this year.
I wonder if the Underbelly prequel will be banned in Victoria as well? If Underbelly is not shown in the state by the end of the year, by February 2009 GTV (Channel Nine Melbourne) will have two Underbelly series on the shelf. Then it will have to decide which series to air first.
The ban on Underbelly in VIC could also affect nomination and voting for next year’s TV Week Logie Awards.
Great to hear of temptation coming back why they don’t try the 5:30pm timeslot it couldn’t do any worse than wheel of flop I hope temptation dose really well
Looking forward to Gordon f*****g Ramsey hope it is another kitchen nightmares that is his best show no doubt the family groups wont be happy to see gordon back