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Why I heart Network TEN

It's easy to kick someone when they're down. So here's a shout-out to the things I love about Network TEN.

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Let’s be honest. It’s easy to kick someone when they’re down.

And it’s hard to think of a time when TEN has been lower than now. We all know the shows that are tanking, the decisions that are inane and the brand that we once viewed as bold. We’d all run it better than the mob that’s trying to do it now.

I’ve written plenty on what’s wrong, so today I’m turning the tables and giving a little bit back.

We’re a small nation and if we don’t have three commercial networks all firing on four cylinders then we all lose out.

So here’s a shout-out to the things I love about Network TEN. The things I probably take for granted and would miss if they weren’t there anymore. It’s little moments that make up the bigger picture -literally- and here are just a few…

Neighbours. Jacki Woodburne -dammit why doesn’t this woman have a Logie yet please?

An Idiot Abroad. I don’t care if Karl Pilkington is putting it on for the cameras, it’s bonkers.

Bondi Vet. Is there a more perfect nice guy on the telly than Dr Chris Brown? I just want my cat to get sick so I can take it to him. And I don’t even own a cat.

American Horror Story. Jessica Lange, Jessica Lange and Jessica Lange.

Can of Worms. Chrissie Swan won me over when she stood up to bully Ben all those years ago on Big Brother and has been defiant ever since. Smart, self-deprecating, pitch perfect as this show’s new host.

Class Of. Ok it really doesn’t belong on TEN because it’s far too ABC2, but this is quite the surprise package.

Glee. Any musical number from Darren Criss. What a little star.

Homeland. Straight up, the best new US drama of 2012. Played with my head trying to work out if Brody was lying or not. Can’t wait for S2.

Judge Judy. Just to hear her say the word “Baloney.”

MasterChef Australia. Croquembouches, macarons, and Matt’s cravat. Amina was a sheer joy this year and Andy was a popular win. Shine did a great job of restoring the brand. Oh and Gary Mehigan has totally stepped up as the show’s key storyteller.

MasterChef: All Stars. An inspired idea to compete with the Olympics and there was such a feeling of camraderie between the teams. Effortless telly.

Modern Family. A rolled gold cast. Twice as funny when you watch it with a group of friends.

Offspring. Where do I start? Asher Keddie’s timing, Kat Stewart’s cyclonic character, Eddie Perfect’s songs, Matthew Le Nevez’s longing looks and the gorgeous Deb Mailman…. the show is the epitome of a.w.k.w.a.r.d.

The Good Wife. Yes we can talk about Julianna Margulies, but what about Archie Panjabi as Kalinda?

Puberty Blues. For bringing back ’70s, language ya moll. Brenna Harding and Ashleigh Cummings are so natural as two partners in crime. A sparkling ensemble. And I’m keeping my eye on Susan Prior.

TEN News. Mal Walden’s little asides and editorials. Sandra Sully’s dulcet tones and sheer staying power. Angela Bishop’s camp passion for showbiz. Hamish MacDonald, dashing, smart, a nose for news, loves an interview and wears red pants.

Nurse Jackie. L-i-a-r!!!

The Project. Hughesy’s segues, Carrie’s capacity for emotion, and Charlie’s ability to balance it all. Often a deft balance of humour and news which is a bit of a tall order. Plus the poor buggers are made to work on a Sunday and I still haven’t worked out why.

Totally Wild. 20 years and totally committed to kids. Ranger Stacey has seen it all.

The Living Room. Quietly emerging as an engaging mix. Amanda Keller is always wry and personable. Miguel Maestre is a fresh find from the LifeStyle channel.

Planet of the Apes marathon. For having the balls to schedule it.

Meet the Press. Paul Biongiorno.

H20, Lightning Point and a network commitment to Children’s Drama.

And there we have it. Any others you care to add?

Of course this doesn’t mean I don’t heart Seven, Nine, ABC, SBS and Foxtel too …….News flash: I heart Television.

85 Responses

  1. For most of the reasons and shows already said. But I also want to say for Bondi Rescue – for making reality tv that makes us laugh and cry instead of making us cringe.

  2. I havent read all the comments on this thread but i feel that there are so many people on here who love taking pot shots at TEN and im glad that this piece has been written.

    I look at recent ratings and im sure shows like IWS and Puberty Blues would rate through the roof on Nine or 7. TEN have nothing that draws viewers to it to help it flog other shows. Think about 7. 2 weeks every year outside of ratings they have the Aust Open and bombard us with MKR, PMMB and every other show they want us to watch and, low and behold we do. Nine used the Olympics the same way.

    Its going to be continue to be tough for TEN until they can find a siuite of shows that keep people from switching channels, one or two wont do it.

  3. I know that the re-born Young Talent Time got some bad reviews, but I actually thought it was a fair effort. Millsy warmed to the hosting role nicely, as the show tried to balance the tricky combination of being for/about kids, while not appearing too corny. The producers found a good contemporary look and format for an old idea.

    The team members were very talented, the judges were delightful, and many of the competition acts were amazing – especially some of the dancers.

    I would love to see it return!

  4. Star Trek before midnight especially Next Gen. plus Supernatural and Smallville as well as so much more. I hope Dollhouse will now be at the improved timeslot until it ends.

  5. And don’t forget 10 were smart enough to buy Seinfeld from 9, who seemed to have pigeon-holed it as a late night show. 10 ran with it in he early evening and it performed well for them for many years. Simpsons at 6pm and Seinfeld at 7pm seem like the glory days looking back now!

    And love that they stuck with the Office on 11 on Tuesday nights all year. If only 10 network had the rights to 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation – they would sure treat these shows better than 7.

    Good on you 10 – far more innovative than the other networks. The home of event television as we know it today. Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Now it’s time to re-invent yourselves again…..

    Good on

  6. I am with AnnMaree about the Bold and the Beautiful.It’s a great show but it’s the fact they put it on at what was this time twenty five years ago Kids Viewing Hour that otherwise kills it.They have to cut a lot of things out that back in the 1pm days of the eighties were allowed to be shown.Not all of us currently have a digital TV with an ABC 3 function or a pay TV Satellite with a Disney or Similar Offering Available.

  7. As someone that has been sinking the boot in quite a bit its a good list.

    Yes there are still positives but i couldnt help wandering down this list wondering “which one will they f*** up next” – theyve already moved the project, took late news off sandra Sully, glee they changed timeslots, Masterchef too much advertising and modern family is to ten what big bang is to nine.

    Its a good point though, there is alot to love about ten, I just hope Murdoch and co. take notice and take ten back to what its good at – risky, entertaing new shows that the other two networks wouldnt touch.

  8. I love Channel 10 and lots of my favourite shows come from that channel:
    The Biggest Loser, Bondi Beach, Bondi Vet, Masterchef, NCIS, Hawaii Five-0, Last Man Standing, The Living Room, Touch, Homeland, Law and Order: SVU, Class Of, Can of Worms, Offspring and many others.

  10. Gunnya, David! I’ve said it in comments a few times recently that I believe in Ten for their boldness and am sad they are where they are right now, but as Yazz once said, the only way is up (baby).

    I applaud them for delivering top notch production values on Aussie franchises. Masterchef and Biggest Loser are much better than their US or UK counterparts and have had me hooked.

    And as Unclepete said, they don’t get involved in that embarrassing imitation-of-current-affairs mud pit.

  12. You know what I really love about Ten?

    It is that they do not deem themselves so arrogant that they should bully and demean the efforts of other networks. While 7 and 9 trade barbs at each other (and often take delight in putting the boot in Ten as an aside) 10 is the little station who could….

    I just hope that it does 🙂

  13. Ahhh…as a retired Agency fellow I remember when the Network was run by professionals best in class. Viner, McAlpine, Blackley – they were passionate, driven and successful.

    If memory serves they created or commissioned the best programming with a simple plan – make good television that they can sell. Think – Big Brother, Australian Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Rove, Biggest Loser, Masterchef……Secret Life of Us, Rush, Thank God You’re Here, Talkin Bout Your Generation, Offspring….AFL, MotoGP, Formula 1…Ten News, Late Night News, 7pm Project…..

    In comparison the current management led by Messers Murdoch and Warburton have given us Breakfast, Young Talent Time, Everybody Dance Now, Don’t Tell the Bride, I Will Survive, The Bolt Report, The Shire. If I was still buying today they would not get many orders.

    Let’s get some Management that is committed, professional, motivated and talented back in the business.

  14. Rove and Rove Live were a must see..the show was really fun on a Tuesday night..Often unpredictable anRove helped put a “good” image to Channel 10..I love Before the Game because the show has a similar attitude to it’s viewers..not confrontational like the Footy Show on 9

  15. What I love about Ten…. Firstly the top quality local drama Offspring, Rush, Bikie Wars, Puberty Blues, Hawke, Secret Life and hopefully there’s much more to come! For years Ten have been the innovative, fresh and exciting network – going where the other two wouldn’t dare to go and giving us relevant shows that are ‘of the moment’. Not being afraid to have a go and try something new and sticking by their sometimes out there ideas.
    I’d like to say a giant thank you to David Mott and his team for a wonderful Network….now if the Three Stooges would just back off maybe we see things go back to the way they were.

  16. Eleven – yeah it’s not exactly crash hot with content right now (Snog, Marry, Avoid seems to be the channel’s favourite thing at the moment) but it really was the bright shining light for the network in 2011, and it still is to this day. It gave Neighbours a new lease on life, when Mott was close to axing it when it was a ratings failure on Ten, and it definitely helped the channel grow in popularity quickly.

    I also love that after almost two years it still has Wednesday night’s “Animation Fixation”, which is an easy pick to watch if there’s nothing better on.

    Agree with the article myself, even though I’m not a fan of some of those shows, it’s just good to see the network is clearly doing some things right.

  17. Great article Dave!

    Yeh there would be so much we can mention about TEN if this was discussion included the past.
    TEN was the original home of event television…Australian Idol, Big Brother, So You Think You Can Dance, and Masterchef….now the other networks have followed in all areas.
    So I thank TEN for being original and the first at everything we see on television…fresh and innovative.

    The challenge now is to do that all over again
    I love you TEN!!

  18. I’m sure Ten regret letting Nine get the rights to Big Brother now! I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a serious attempt at buying the show back next year. I hope they do, because so far Nine don’t seem to be able to grasp the show like Ten did. Ten knew that if you are going to the money to keep a television production set running 24 hours a day for three months, it makes sense to capitalise on that investment by having plenty of spin-off shows, and paid online streaming etc.

  19. I always enjoyed Ten in my youth due to Cheez TV in the mornings. Digimon, Pokemon and Dragonball Z were an epic combination.

    They also had all the programs which everyone at my school loved to watch, like Australian Idol, The OC and Rove. I’m talking about Rove Live back in the days of Tuesdays at 9:30pm, with Flick Your Switch, and that Hang Up Don’t Hang Up segment. Classic.

    Now they’re overrun with boring NCIS repeats (not everyone likes tired CBS procedurals, as evidenced by the ratings drops of CSI + CSI:Miami on Nein). There’s really nothing to watch on their network at all. Modern Family repeats have been done to death and that show really isn’t that funny either…it’s entertaining at times, but nowhere near close to laugh-out-loud funny

  20. I have no allegiance to any particular tv station, they all have shows I like. Ten has Glee, Modern Family and MasterChef and have repeated the whole of Ally McBeal late night over the last year and a half and I love them for that. I actually enjoyed Everybody Dance Now & am loving Puberty Blues. Pity when they changed their news format a number of years ago because they lost me on that one after so many years of enjoying the late night news with Sandra Sully and Natasha Belling and the 5pm news, but otherwise, go Ten!

  22. Thanks for leading by example, Mr Knox!

    Considering Ten the network rather than just the channel (which I hardly watch for reasons already covered) I would add the following…

    Sons of Anarchy – good, solid, gritty drama that blurs the lines between good and bad as The Shield did before it. It’s been on One at 9:30 on Wed for a while now and starts pretty much on time (I know, crazy!).

    Burn Notice – doesn’t take itself too seriously. Currently in repeats but, again, has had a home at Wed 8:30 for some time.

    Californication – half a point for this one as they pulled it off (hur hur) part way thru last season. Was good while it was paired with Nurse Jackie.

    Formula One and Moto GP – I’m in Perth so I get to see the non-American rounds in HD and, critically, live. Great that we also get to see qualy and the streaming option is nice. I really hope this continues when the respective licenses are up for renewal.

    Wilfred – probably shouldn’t find it as funny as I do. Was perfect for Tuesdays. Sundays, not so much.

    Craig Ferguson – when it’s on before 11:30.

  24. @ George – I feel for you buddy – I nearly bought shares when Murdock/Paker bought in… thinking – they must know what they are doing….phew!

    Just imagine the list if it was things we used to like about Ten – It would be huge.

    But in an effort to remain positive – It is great to see TEN giving it a go with fresh local programs. I remember the late 80s when they were so close to going broke and becoming a B grade movie network. They played mostly overseas material (90210, Melrose, Simpsons) and only got by with Australian content regs due to Bert going 3 hours mid mornings and survived due to advertorials. That was a sad time. We don’t want that again – But relying on a Hit OS product is likely to be the way if this local product fails in 2012. And It could be Homeland.

    Thanks to TEN for continuing with The Project and not allowing crap TV like ACA and TT to win the race.

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