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TEN cancels Don’t Stop Believing

EXCLUSIVE: TEN stops believin' in the musical genre and pulls the pin on its all-singing, all-dancing series planned for 2011.

EXCLUSIVE: Network TEN has pulled the pin on Don’t Stop Believing, its all-singing, all-dancing spectacular that was due to launch in 2011.

The Glee-inspired production was originally planned to kick off the ratings year for TEN, but was recently pushed back by several months amid network uncertainty.

TEN has since decided not to proceed at all, despite a lavish production number staged before sponsors at its 2011 launch in Sydney and Melbourne.

The cancellation of the Shine-produced series follows its failure in the UK, hosted by Emma Bunton.

TEN has also been watching the performance of The X Factor, which is belatedly beginning to pick up steam. But the money paid for the show has not met market expectations. While TEN is working in a changing environment under shareholders Jamie Packer and Lachlan Murdoch, it is determined to start the year off from a strong position.

Don’t Stop Believing brought together vocal groups of varying sizes and ages in a live performance designed to capitalise on the success of shows such as Glee, High School Musical and Hairspray. It was also including a resident troupe of singers and dancers. Without Australian Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and Don’t Stop Believing, TEN is now without a local performance show in the musical genre.

TEN commissioned the production before the UK series began, where it fell victim to falling ratings after being moved from its timeslot due to sporting commitments by Five.

David Mott, Chief Programming Officer had previously said of the show, “Don’t Stop Believing is a joyous format and a perfect fit for the big entertainment, feel good direction TEN has been heading for the last few years.

“We have had incredible success in identifying and airing excellent high impact performance shows and this is bigger and better than any we have ever undertaken.”

TV Tonight, which broke the news on the series being commissioned in July, understands auditions for vocal acts was advanced but no performers had yet been attached to the series.

62 Responses

  1. Ten has been playing musical chairs with 7:30pm Sundays since the Comedy Company ended late 1990 start of 1991.It is time for something new other than a Cooking Show with a Certain Ralph Magazine W*nker of the Year who most of us find repulsive

  2. channel 10 should invest in a new australian sitcom.

    we can do it. look at Mother and Son, Kingswood Country, Kath and Kim, The Hollowemen.

    Come on!! We have some of the greatest comedic minds in this country yet we can’t come up with a comedy sitcom.

    We are left we lame pannel game shows and reality shows about building or finding love.

    Come on 10. This is the right time to do it. But no one from ch 10 will read my comment or do anything about it.

  3. @Automated script…or disgruntled auditionee are my best guesses

    see i know i can’t sing and i am not a bogan trying to get on tv like most of those people were. i just like pointing out how much of a joke this show is. the end of idol proved these shows are dead and burried

  4. More than anything else, I’d just love to see Ten do a reality show where contestants don’t burst into tears at the drop of a hat. Lord, even the American reality shows don’t lay on the syrup like Ten’s do!

  5. Mr chandler: I’m not debating that X Factor hasn’t performed to a level the network probably hoped.
    I’m debating your need to post about it every time the show mentioned in a thread.

    Automated script…or disgruntled auditionee are my best guesses 😉

  6. @rob. the ratings every week will tell you x factor has been well and truely below par. thank you please come again. 7 would have been expect 1.5 million for every show. that’s the truth of the matter

  7. I have come suspect that Mr chandler is actually an automated Javascript designed to reply to any thread featuring the term “X Factor” with a random combination of words like flop, disaster, ratings, bomb dismal, talent etc

  8. i dont think xfactor has been that much of a flop. its definetly just been affected by going up against JMC. Weeks where there was no JMC it did alright, and it started off ok in the audition episodes. I think maybe bring it back next year with different competition (a different night/time of year) and it will do quite well

  9. Hey Channel 10, now that you have a few spare $’s up the sleeve why not invest in a new sitcom or *good* skit show? Im sure the likes of Tony Martin and Shaun Micallef would have something to push. Mouse Patrol perhaps?

  10. looks like they stopped beliving i feel a bit sorry for the people who tried out for it

    this would be my dream reality schedule for ten in 2011

    january to april
    the biggest looser

    may to august
    masterchef

    september to decomber
    big brother

    ok i will stop dreaming now

  11. Yeah, I was really wondering if 10 was going to continue with this after it got cancelled in the UK. It really didn’t look all that appealing from the small bits I had seen of the UK show, although they could have changed it somewhat for Australia. That and I had wondered how they would get all the groups required just to turn up for auditions?

    Oh well.. if groups still want to audition for something they can try for X Factor (assuming it is returning), as they have a groups category.

    Although if it was a choice of this or The Biggest Loser, I’d much prefer this! At least it is an entertainment show.

  12. @alex I think you’re right. I remember keep seeing ads for people to audition and then they said they had extended the date you can apply.

    I’m not really fussed about this. I kind of think that these shows have been exhausted.

    I don’t think TEN needs to worry. They have Masterchef and guessing by how popular Junior Masterchef is they’ll probably bring that back for the second half of 2011.

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