Aussie TV plays it safe
So you wanna know why we could never make a series like True Blood or science fiction?
- Published by David Knox
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At the SPAA Conference last week, Packed to the Rafters‘ creator Bevan Lee addressed a long-running question about Australian drama genres.
He acknowleged the success of US dramas such as True Blood, but says such high-concept shows most likely couldn’t succeed here.
“Vampires in a country town in Australia is equally valid but … [the audience] would say, ‘What a lot of nonsense – vampires in Australia?’ he said.
“It would be laughed off screen.”
Likewise fantasy or science-fiction doesn’t work locally, he says.
“They go ‘if you’re going to come all the way across the universe to invade, are you really going to bother with Australia?'” Lee said.
“That’s America not us.”
Lee says Rafters is a drama about a family, rather than being a family drama. This year there was a bit of lesson-learning about audience reactions. He doesn’t regret including recent masturbation scenes, so much as the moral outrage from some viewers.
“I thought the reaction was absolutely stupid. I thought ‘what are these people doing? Do they live in the world that I live?'” he asked.
“It scared me slightly because I just felt if they really want this thing to be just a set of blinkers, I just don’t think I wanted to do it.”
Seven got a double lesson in viewer outrage this year with Home & Away‘s ‘gay kiss’ attracting headlines too. As a network drama exec, Lee had to deal first hand with both issues.
Meanwhile, Producer Jo Porter believes Australians only want to see “middle Australia.”
“I think it’s a case of tall poppy syndrome as well,” she said.
“Can you imagine a successful show where it’s a wealthy family in Australia? Australians like to see middle Australia.”
No wonder Taurus Rising never lasted….
Source: ABC, news.com.au
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- Tagged with Home & Away, Packed to the Rafters, Taurus Rising, True Blood
54 Responses
That’s why I don’t watch local drama. Suburbia bores me in real life, why would I want to see more of it on TV? And it’s not the shortage of creative talent — I know a lot of writers, and I know this country has a lot of imaginative people.
I understand that there are huge financial risks involved in making SF and fantasy shows but it’s just sad that if it weren’t for Americans and Brits, I wouldn’t be watching TV.
i’m moving to america just so i can watch tv show right when they screen for the first time and not have to put up with the aussie sadness i see on free to air tv, foxtel is deleying the journey a little bit though
Tangle is an exception. Tangle is brilliant 😀
Some very harsh comments here. Surprised that some are criticising artists who have made their way and forged success with such venom. Fair enough if Rafters isn’t your cuppa. Hopefully the debate inspires some to take up a pen and write the television they actually want to see. There is a lot of other drama that seems to have been overlooked. Saved, Tangle, East West 101, The Circuit, Bed of Roses, Wilfred etc. Not sci fi perhaps, but it’s not all about Rafters and Sea Patrol.
Wow I bet Bevan’s audience was inspired by his daring, forward thinking and groundbreaking vision for Australian television. His quest for mediocrity is a shining example for the industry.
the country is full of philistines, it cares about winning more gold medals, rather than thinking too much outside their peanut brains
What about an x-files/torchwood style sci-fi show set in a recently closed down US/Aust military installation in the dead centre. A new story every week as well as an ongoing sub-plot about the military installation. You could even adapt Mad Max to a TV series.
The Aussie entertainment industry has no balls! They are also the reason for the most part I dont watch Aussie TV, its so bland (apart from the rare show like The Hollowmen)
As for Sci Fi, Farscape failed here because CH9 never gave it a chance. Traditionaly they put Sci fi on late, thus never giving the public the chance to see it. Australia can make great sci fi, from the 1970’s series Andra to Farscape, it top shelf!
The fact that Bevan Lee and Jo Porter can’t imagine events happening here in Australia tells me that they have no imagination to begin with.
I think he is wrong. Surely we can create a high concept australian show or if not sci-fi/fantasy then what about a good drama like The Wire.
I think it’s more of an economic issue when it comes to Australian dramas. I also believe it’s unfair to say an Australian high concept show wouldn’t work here when they’ve never tried one. With a reasonable budget and a good cast and crew i believe a show like True Blood could work here, but the networks are so unwilling to give it a chance. So we’re stuck with factuals, reality trash & cop shows along with stupid American sitcoms and crime/medical procedurals 🙁
It’s an issue of population, not taste or culture. Australia just doesn’t have a population big enough to support niche shows.
When was the last time we saw a wealthy family on Australia TV? Like the 40 week model, they’re so quick to write it off despite the fact that no one has even tried anything like it lately.
Good lord if the industry is taking it’s cues from Bevan Lee it really is game over – talk about a resume filled with (Channel Seven approved) mediocrity.
You can take your family dramas and shove it – I’ll be watching some American TV thanks!
I understand,
no talent in Australia, i get it.
Aus versions of genre shows like CSI, Nip/Tuck, The Shield (about corrupt cops), Dexter, Sex and the City, Supernatural, Buffy, Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries, True Blood, X-Files, Californication (and an Aus version of no budget, overhyped crap films like Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity) could be done, but it’s correct Australia is hampered by a small population, lack of funds, bad writing and bad writers, plus Aus free to air networks unwilling to take a risk, while the advertising market is recessed.
On any such project, a free to air Aus network would probably need to partner up with either Foxtel and/or a UK network (or all 3), where a combo of Aus and some UK actors are in the cast.
The Daybreakers vampire film (that was filmed almost 3 years ago in Brisbane and the Gold Coast and is coming out in a couple months) was done mostly with US money.
Scifi is trickier. Farscape was US funded and used mostly Aus actors, but always struggled to find viewers on Nine (it would’ve fared much better if GO existed 9 years ago). Scifi is very expensive with sets, costumes, FX and the Aus accent doesn’t travel overseas. An Aus scifi show would need to be done as an Aus, UK, US co-production, or preferably between all 3.
Even UK shows like the current Dr. Who and Torchwood only have minimal popularity in the US. Batt Galactica (and now the Caprica prequel series) was done as a US – UK co-production and had some UK actors. One (James Callis) spoke in his own accent, while another (Jamie Bamber) spoke in a US accent in it.
Absolute mediocrity. Aussies may watch it but they will never sell it over sees much beyond Britain. True blood will sell everywhere and on DVD too.
Strange how many Aussies play important role overseas even heading drama series yet there is a real lack of true drama here.
Sorry, David, but I don’t understand the producers’ logic regarding fantasy and sci-fi programs. Why does have to everything need to happened in Australia? When using those genres it can happen anywhere. How many of those programs have been produced for kids in Australia. Have a look, quite a few. I think the problem is that some people thing that fantasy and sci-fi are too “childish” to be taken seriously? The only reason I think is why those shows are not made here for adults is because of much higher production costs, especially if they involve CGI, which some of those programs would definitely require. Doctor Who is a perfect example.
Sci-fi and fantasy are niche genres and we simply don’t have the population to get enough eyes on screens for them. We can lament the lack of local sci-fi, but even the high profile US stuff like Heroes and Lost didn’t rate well enough to stay on main channels after the novelty factor wore off.
That said, the networks are very narrow with what they do produce, and making another family, cop or hospital drama with “all new extra quirkiness!” is not really pushing the boundries at all. If it’s going to happen it will have to be on Foxtel – if a network had made Satisfaction, for instance, it no doubt would have ended up a campy Chances-style mess.
At the end of the day, though, local content is successful when it is a reflection (even if it usually is suspiciously middle class and Anglo-Celtic) of the population at large, and when there are so many imported vampire and alien shows on offer it is probably important that the few local dramas made supply that. Which is why we have local content rules in the first place.
Thats the way – whatever you do dont take a risk. Great philosophy that has worked so well for ch9 as well.
Australians just don’t like science fiction full stop. On the whole, the Australian viewing public are extremely small minded. They want nice, clean, neatly packaged storylines about people they can relate to. The moment a show becomes too out-there or complicated, they switch off in droves. Just look at what happened with Lost. In the US it’s ratings may have slipped, but it’s still a prime time show, whereas here it’s been relegated to late night slots (yes that’s right, our society is even dumber than the US).
Packed to the Rafters is a good drama, but it is admittedly very safe. Then again this is why it rates so well and to such a broad audience. An Anglo family drama with a light tone and narration to walk even the stupidest of people through the characters’ emotions. I’m not bagging the show (I love it!) but look at the ratings – this is what people want. Then again have the networks ever tried something else? The lack of Aussie shows that venture outside the crime/family/medical/legal genre is still very disappointing. On that note, can’t wait for Spirited (on DVD of course – no Pay TV here!)
Could Australia produce cutting edge sci-fi TV? Well it has in the awesome show that was Farscape. Yep the money and the lead guy were American. but the directors/music/effects/cast …mostly aussies filmed in Sydney. Shame it has not been properly screened here as it became space opera at it’s finest.
The film District 9 proves it doesn’t matter where the aliens land as long as the writing is good, in every invasion film of recent years there is almost always the shot of UFOs over Sydney Harbour. Like others have said these 7 network comments are just a cop-out to not take any risks. I don’t remember seeing any localy made sci-fi shows in the last 20 years other than US or UK paid productions so how do they know it wouldn’t work?
The article says “taste of viewer outrage about a gay kiss” and then talks about newspaper headlines. But the newspaper headlines came First, before and so called “viewer outrage”.
The newspaper headlines caused the non existent viewer outrage.
Without the newspaper headlines it would have been a non event. No one cares.
Which means in Australia newspapers can determine and dictate to television what they can show. And every time some newspaper with nothing better to do creates such a fuss the TV people go running for cover like good children.
Australian TV is so conservative because they are cowered by the newspapers. And newspapers are pitched at very conservative old people. Viewers don’t care about most of the things TV shows are scared about showing. TV is scared about the newspapers…not the viewers. They need to get a backbone and follow the ratings and get with the times.
That’s why young people are deserting old fashioned Australian TV shows.
David, your comment at 11.22 ” Would we buy The 4400 landing in Dubbo? Doubtful” is the mindset which is part of the problem. It is basically saying we can’t do the same so we won’t do anything remotely similar to it. Of course we wouldn’t buy it. It was written in US by US for US. Why do Aussies persist is saying ‘we can’t do what they do because it won’t work’? Don’t do what they do! They have the money to do big scale. Don’t try to compete.
Culture informs the writing.
Take America’s gun culture, as an extreme example. Australia can’t imitate many US shows simply because of this difference between us. How well could we do a resist an invasion show when most the population don’t have guns? To arm everyone would feel wrong.
The reverse is also true. There are hit Aussie shows that won’t necessarily work overseas.
It is so odd when you consider the fabulous, quirky and unique children’s genre shows Australia produces and sells overseas that we can’t produce adult ones. As many of the comments here point out, good writing with interesting characters will win out when given the chance.
If they spent more money developing (esp. writing and rewriting) shows that are different they might get somewhere.