TV’s Overkill
It's getting so you can't turn on the TV anymore without seeing yet another police file re-opened, regurgitated, re-enacted, rinsed and repeated.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
What’s happening to our TV landscape?
Call me crazy but I’m just a litle bit over all these crime docos, re-enactments and profiles of killers, drug runners and gangs every second night.
I thought we already had Underbelly? Who are all these other baddies? They’re really doing my head in….
It’s getting so that I can’t turn on my TV anymore without seeing yet another police file re-opened, regurgitated, re-enacted, rinsed and repeated.
In the last 12 months we’ve been bombarded with a parade of documentaries, factuals and hybrids in-between. Australian Families of Crime, Australian Druglords, Gangs of Oz, Crime Investigation Australia, Beyond the Darklands and next week something called Police Under Fire: Mad Max (it’s a case from 1986 for goodness sake). They come on top of other cop factuals including The Force, Recruits and assorted imports featuring cops with dogs.
I have no issue with drama being driven by the cop / crime genre. It’s a story generator, it puts our central characters into heroic roles, it even makes economic sense. They give our actors and writers jobs and when they get it right, they really deliver (Underbelly season 1, East West 101, Rush).
But ever since Underbelly we’re seeing not just a flood of copycat drama (Underbelly movies, Killing Time, Wicked Love: The Maria Korp Story and more on the way) but docos that showcase shock-and-awe cases. This notorious killer. That underworld family. Maybe we need a new law that says television networks shouldn’t profit from the proceeds of crime either.
Last night’s Australian Druglords narrated by Gary Sweet made the most of police footage of a sting of convicted drug trafficker Richard Buttrose. Yes the footage was too good not to utilise. Five years ago it probably would have made a meaty story on 60 Minutes. These days that kind of footage winds its way to an edit suite, and is linked together with a few re-enactments, a forensic psychologist and a celebrity actor.
On top of that these cases infiltrate our other shows. A Current Affair devoted a segment to the same show last night. Getaway recently profiled King’s Cross. Heaven forbid if turning on Two and a Half Men becomes the only crime-free safe zone left to us (hmm, so thats why it rates)….
Some argue that networks are even “glorifying” criminals. I don’t subscribe to that theory. Many of the principal characters in the Underbelly series wound up dead, behind bars, bereaved or as hollow shells of their former selves. Sure the production is sexy, but the moral lessons are considerable.
I’m guessing the answer from a Programmer will be “this stuff rates”. Sure. Gordon Ramsay used to rate too, before he flooded our schedules. A some point we will no doubt reach saturation point and the impact of all of these shows could see them implode. Personally, I’m at that point already.
Excuse me while I go and find my old DVDs of Dallas and have a bit of fun again.
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- Tagged with 60 Minutes, A Current Affair, Australian Druglords, Australian Families of Crime, Beyond the Darklands, Crime Investigation Australia, Dallas, East West 101, Gangs of Oz, Getaway, Killing Time, Police Under Fire: Mad Max, Recruits, Rush, The Force, Two and a Half Men, Underbelly, Wicked Love: The Maria Korp Story
40 Responses
Haha. i’m actually watching Dallas season 3 on dvd,
Yes indeed, David, point well made and you’ll get a lot of support for your attitude.
I watched it and found myself almost weeping with frustration at the ridiculously late start and the vitual avalanche of adverts. The actual content, once you cut out the Gary Sweet’s sermons, the lame re-enactments, the 5 minutes of recapping following every ad break and the commercials would leave about 5-7 minutes of mildly interesting stuff, just right for a 60 minutes story, as you say.
Which I would refuse to watch because I loathe 60 minutes.
I’m with you David. What’s next : ‘When Bad Guys Go Bad’?
I have to admit, I did think the same thing “yet another one of these shows” but actually Australian Druglords was good in that they showed and explained how they caught him. The crime solving shows, like this one and Crime Invetigations Australia, are a lot better than Gangs of Oz and Beyond the Darklands for example which just give you a mishmash of a criminal or crime gangs themselves and no real footage.
I agree David – we have reached saturation point and gone way beyond it. Seven have a whole season of City Homicide to screen and they’re even talking about another season – enough already!
Well said David! It’s becoming overkill (pardon the pun). Personally, I think Australians have difficulty trying any other genre. Other than Packed to the Rafters and the occassional comedy, it seems that the Australian TV landscape is filled with crime, crime and more crime (and sometimes a medical drama).
How about we try something different!… Where’s Australia’s Lost or Flashforward? What about a quirky dramedy in the vein of Boston Legal. Is it too much to ask for something as fun as Glee? Or Australia’s answer to Gossip Girl? I know, it’s doubtful, but maybe one network exec will take a risk one day!
Im sick of crime factuals, not crime drama. Especially now that Underbelly is on a high (dont know why, apart from S1 its done nothing right) Im sick of all these specials being aired about real life crime..
This avalanche seemed to start with ‘Forensic Investigators’ from Seven (hosted by Lisa McCune). This was a good show, but as you said, I’m waiting for a one hour special on kids that were truant for a week.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, where is Australia’s Most Wanted? I used to love that show and with all of these crime shows you would think it would come back. Are you listening networks???
I agree it’s getting a bit much. It would be nice to look through the program and not have to choose between murder, drugs, rape, robbery et al. Foxtel have an entire bloody channel dedicated to crime factuals and the like – the CI network. But yeah, the public at large seem to have a kind of voyeuristic fascination with crime in general – unless it’s happening to them of course.
Hey here’s a radical idea. A show that celebrates the actions of law abiding citizens. Then again, I doubt many would watch it. Not enough murder and mayhem.
Channel padded this out to an hour when ACA covered the same detail in 3 minutes. Gary Sweets commentary was just odd.
Do what i do, don’t watch Channel Nine.
Never been interested in the crime factuals, but i’m over all factuals now, so i don’t know why Nine is bringing in all these new ones. All look pathetic.
the only show listed i’ve seen for more than a few seconds was underbelly season1. all the other highlighted shows i avoid like the plague.
David, you surely have to realise that there are thousands of people working in television but apparently only a handful capable of actually thinking up an idea of their own. The vast majority of decision makers in the tv industry just copy someone else’s idea and milk it for all its worth. Example: Two and half Men. That’s a terrific show but not every night, and not seeing the same episodes for the 15th time. Example: All those nasty vote-someone-off-in-humiliation shows. Example: all those camera-over-the-shoulder-of-the-customs officer/airline employee/police dog handler/etc shows. It’s no wonder viewers are leaving the tv channels for other forms of entertainment.
Australian druglords last nigt was exactly the same as Gangs of oz
Well, you should have watched some comedy instead last night and there was plenty of good stuff on with new epsiodes of Modern Family (Ten), Community (Go) and Better Off Ted (Comedy Channel).
Perfectly put David. I fully agree with you.
I thought the exact same thing when I saw the promos for Australian Druglords last night. Channel 9 have a penchant for running a franchise into the ground.
Australian Druglords last night was one of the most interesting shows i’ve seen on TV in a long time. It had great footage and gave incredible insights into the life of a drug dealer. I think the ratings will indicate that this show is something the public want to see. Not s**t like the recruits or the force
Time to get a life perhaps.
Completely agree with you. There are only so many times you can go to the well, and Aussie TV is coming dangerously close with this slew, no, make that tsunami, of crime series, docos, re-enactments, factuals, etc. Viewer fatigue will set in soon, I’m sure. And it’s not just Aussie crime shows that are overkilling our airwaves. We also have the US ones as well – NCIS franchise, CSI franchise, Cold Case, etc.
Crime novels used to be a big hit, it was chewing gum for the mind. All that has happened is it has moved to a new medium.
Beyond the Darklands was the worst
if not glorifying criminals do you conceed that perhaps they are celebri-fying them (if such a word existed). they are making them famous and giving them celebrity status, I should not know the names of these people but somehow I do. I don’t even watch these shows, yet because of all the ads and media obsession I know their names and have some idea about them. I don’t want to know this stuff and 10 years ago I wouldn’t have.
It’s not just the sheer number of these shows that exist that’s the big issue, it’s the fact that they’re so poorly made and add so little in terms of entertainment value. Old footage, voice-over, shoddy reenactments – it’s like we’re in the early 90’s and the height of television production is Australia’s Most Wanted.