Seven not renewing Wild Boys
Seven's ambitious colonial drama has been shot at just 13 episodes, following disappointing ratings.
- Published by David Knox
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The Seven Network is not renewing its latest drama Wild Boys for 2012.
The ambitious colonial drama starring Daniel MacPherson, Zoe Ventoura, Michael Dorman, David Field, Nathaniel Dean and Jeremy Sims will end with 13 episodes.
The decision not to pursue a second season comes as ratings for the show hover around 900,000 despite a successful launch of 1.67m viewers.
A Seven spokesman said: “We are very proud to have been able to bring Wild Boys to the screen. The show premiered to strong audience figures, which stayed with the show for a number of weeks. However, those numbers didn’t hold with the show and regrettably have made the decision not to commission series 2.”
The period drama was full of promise with handsome production values, but reviews for the show were tepid.
The turnaround comes despite Seven promising the show would be part of its 2012 programming at its launch in September.
Julie McGauran,who produced the series with Sarah Smith, was recently announced as joining Seven’s drama department with John Holmes and Bevan Lee.
Seven’s drama slate for 2012 now includes Packed to the Rafters, Winners and Losers, Home and Away and a new series, A Place to Call Home.
Amended.
68 Responses
If you want a western themed show to watch then why not try ‘Hell on Wheels’ new from the US? Set in the US 1860s it follows the construction of the first transcontinental railroad.
So they get rid of the only good drama they have,
The ratings were good, 900000 is not low.
I am always willing to give Aussie dramas a go, and stuck with Wild Boys for the first four episodes, but found it all very formulaic. Knockabout ‘Good gur’ bushrangers fight against/bring to justice the main ‘bad guy(s)’ of the episode whilst staying one step ahead of ‘bad guy’ cops out to get them – with head bushranger and dodgy cop vying for the affections of the (excruciatingly insipid) leading lady as a side plot.
Boring.
I never watched it, but it looked to me like a fairly lame “Boys’ Own Adventure” that was borrowing from the Underbelly book of historical revision and glamorisation.
It was not perfect show but I enjoyed it every week
How sad! Pretty standard though…..to be replaced with some crappy American show I’m sure!!!
I found the whole thing pretty ‘Disney’ in it’s approach to Colonial Australia. Daniel McPherson Bushranger would’ve been shot within days of rolling into town, he was an idiot. The rest were like slapstick comedians, all we needed was a pianola. Hopefully ‘The D Generation’ might do a new ‘Olden Days’ with it.
Wild Boys was as dumb as a box of hammers. A lazy collection of Wild West (as in American) cliches, no character development whatsoever, and a “who gives a f***?” attitude to history. It’s odd that Seven is perceived as being successful at drama when what they produce is precisely what drives viewers away from free-to-air television.
On any other free to air network these ratings would ensure a renewal. Ten hasn’t had a series with a consistent over million audience for well over a decade. But great as Seven drama ratings are perhaps it needs to rethink using a soapie style across all its drama. It won’t always work. An occassional bit of “event” shortform drama might inject some excitement and some new blood. But in commercial TV you have to get it past the programmer. Let’s hope a bit of faith is given to this drama team which has delivered in spades over the years.
Interesting because in this weeks tv week Zoe says how she is coming back to Aus to film season 2. I enjoyed it but I recorded it and watched Junior MC.
I liked the show. Its different and I reckon Michael Dorman is the standout along with Jeremy Simms who just scares me.
But I guess 7 have high expectations and if it falls it falls.
I hope they end it well.
@Square Eyes – no matter how many time you explain total people vs key demographics the comment makers never seem to get their heads around it.
@Jono, you clearly have no idea
@Tricky – as a writer in this country one would think you would have known that Wild Boys was outsourced to Southern Star…..
That was therapeutic..
I Loved this show and am sad to see it go, hope they release it on dvd.
No wonder, bushrangers surely bever acted like this?, and have it a 7.30pm???, they were a bit more graf than what was protrayed
Jonno. The demographic profile of Offspring is far more desirable than wild boys which didn’t have an clear audience focus except seven loyal older audience.
If the 900k watching Wildbots was under 50 they would have renewed in a heartbeat.
It’s not about total people for TEN but desirable targeted audiences for advertisers.
@JB – Exactly. Ventoura – blech; McPherson – double-blech.
This was never going to be an Australian Deadwood, not with Seven and not with McGauran. However, it would have had more legs if it had been more like (dare I say it?) Underbelly. It should have been less cartoony and a little more gritty, and made for an 8:30 audience.
oh well at least they didn’t bother with too much spin or BS, they were honest enough to admit it didn’t retain its ratings so it was ditched……it had no appeal for me
@ Danny Wu you are right, just look at the way they advertised it, try hard all the way, audiences just don’t like that.
How many more times could they escape?
I too looked forward to Wild Boys and when it finally came on I didn’t make it through the first episode. It had a very unauthentic vibe. The costumes alone were not enough to make it a believable colonial story.
Try hard drama. Obvious modern influences.
Whats it say about me then I enjoyed the show so much. Chn7 please rethink, why does everything have to be based on ratings anyway as long as we the public enjoy it doesn’t that count for anything??
Bring back Headland!
A sign of things to come for McGauran.
Doesn’t surprise me. This show was woeful. Poor production values, second rate cast. This was one show I was looking forward to this year. But one episode was one too many. Seven you ruined a good premise for a show.
Can we arrange a trade off – would Seven please bring this back instead of the insufferable Winners and Losers, where the real losers are the people who watch it?