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Axed in 2017

2017 was not a good one for local dramas. Here are the shows we said goodbye to.

2017 did not begin well with the surprise announcement that long-running ABC series Good Game was folding, just months after celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Many more would follow, although most are US titles where the trend is to clarify a show’s future. Australia tends to say “no decision” as to production and the indecisive months stretch into years….

With that in mind where a show has not appeared in 12 months and isn’t on an Upfronts list I’m including it here.

Whether at the hands of the network, or a creative decision on their own part, here are the shows that 2017 has farewelled, or confirmed a final season. This year the number of local dramas is inordinately high.

* denotes final episode yet to air in Australia.
# announced in 2016

ABC
Good Game
Please Like Me
The Book Club
Lateline
The Link
Australia Wide
Last Tango in Halifax
Class
Inspector George Gently
The Halcyon
The Coroner
The Tunnel
Portlandia *
The Doctor Blake Mysteries (renewed by Seven)

SEVEN
Murder Uncovered
The X Factor
The Secret Daughter
The Big Music Quiz
Behave Yourself
Zumbo’s Just Desserts
SA Life
Training Day
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders
Cannonball
Dr. Ken *
The Real O’Neals *
Bones #

NINE
Love Child
Major Crimes *
The Middle
2 Broke Girls
The Embassy
The Last Resort
Hyde & Seek
Murder Calls

TEN
The Biggest Loser
Common Sense
Couch Time
Zoo *
24: Legacy
Doubt *
The Odd Couple
Scream Queens
The Great Indoors
Son of Zorn
Sleepy Hollow *
Last Man Standing
Rosewood
You’re the Worst *

SBS
RocKwiz
League Nation Live
The Mindy Project
The Chefs Line
The Bridge *

FOXTEL
River Cottage Australia
Common Sense
Open Slather
Whose Line is it Anyway? Australia
Fashion Police
The B Team with Peter Berner
The Recruit
The Night Shift
Odd Mom Out
Mariah’s World
Stitchers
Casual *
Killjoys *
Blood Drive
Veep *
Quarry
APB
12 Monkeys *
American Crime
Kingdom
The Knick
Girl Meets World
The Leftovers #
Pretty Little Liars #
Girls #
The Vampire Diaries #

NETFLIX / AMAZON / STAN
House of Cards *
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency *
Love *
Haters Back Off
Chelsea
The Mist
The Last Tycoon
Z: The Beginning Of Everything
Gypsy
Dark Matter
Girlboss
Sense8 *
The Get Down
Underground
White Famous

To be determined
Here Come the Habibs
House Husbands
The Wrong Girl
Sisters
Offspring
The Other Guy
No Activity
Australia’s Next Top Model
Kitchen Cabinet
Newton’s Law
Pulse
Janet King
Ronny Chieng: International Student
Rosehaven
Utopia
Glitch
Cleverman
The Warriors
Dream Gardens
Shortcuts to Glory
Seven Year Switch
Bride & Prejudice
Million Dollar Cold Case
The Aussie Property Flippers
Look Me in the Eye
Undressed
Pacific Heat
Growing Up Gracefully
Get Krack!n
Gone *
Wisdom of the Crowd *
Top of the Lake
Valor*

This post updates.

28 Responses

  1. Gee Seven have produced plenty of turkeys haven’t they.

    I can name 5 and quite possibly a 6th one within the Seven section and the to be determined section. (Points to anyone who can work out all the turkeys)
    With arguably more than 10 turkeys produced since 2012 (5 or 6 produced in 2016-2017 alone), Seven might need to change their logo to an actual turkey.

    Has Seven got out of touch with its viewers? Are they complacent at arguably No 1?

    Don’t get me wrong, Nine and Ten have produced turkeys too (Last Resort and TBL as note worthy flops) but Seven have become almost proud of the fact that they produce so many turkeys.

      1. I have to agree with you David there. Risks do need to be taken, just better educated risks.

        Better engaging with audiences is also what is needed. Maybe even a straight out thing like “We know we can do better, tell us how you want us to do it at (insert relevant TV network’s email address)”

  2. Here’s the problem with Australian drama (if you can call it that)
    1. The scripts are written by 4 year old’s. They’re embarrassing. Compare The Wrong Girl to Narcos or El Chappo or Stranger Things. If they spent more time on the scripts, got real writers in and worked on the plot and characters, maybe people would watch but the same writers write the same old crap. Have they ever worked in the real world or did they just go to Uni to get a masters degree in writing?
    2. Can we please use some unknown actors instead of Kenny, Curry, Sweetie or Rhonda? Surely in the whole of Australia we could find some new actors and that will help make the dramas more real.
    3. No more Hoges mini series, Molly was good for the first 2 hours but the next 2 hours were rubbish, and as for the wig in Hoges, well…

  3. It’s actually embarrassing and more than a little disrespectful to both production crew and viewers at how many Australian shows get “City Homicided”…

  4. I genuinely cried when Good Game was axed – it did not deserve such an indignant end (and I don’t begrudge Hex and Nich for moving on to Seven at all).
    Didn’t realise RocKwiz had been chopped / not renewed.

  5. Both Rake and Jack Irish have had lengthy breaks between seasons so it’s my guess is that Janet King will be rested in 2018 but we will see it again in the future.

  6. Karvelas (she’s moving to ABC News) and To The Point (Kristina Keneally ran in Bennelong and never came back, PVO is no longer full time according to his Twitter post) were axed from Sky News this year.

    A few of Seven’s factuals are on the maybe/maybe not list. Neither Gold Coast Medical or Beach Cops, for example, aired a season this year.

  7. Shame that ABC axed Dr. Blake, even though it was rating well. Might as well hand the show over to a commercial network where the show would get treated with respect.

  8. The Bridge (Bron/Broen) has a 4th and final season airing in Scandinavia next month. It picks up 2 years after Saga attempted suicide when she was suspended because she was suspected of killing her mother.

    The Mindy Project was renewed for a final season (early in 2017).

      1. Yes. But saying that The Bridge is yet to air in Australia implies that it has aired elsewhere. And you are implying that The Mindy Project was cancelled after the final season was made, when it was cancelled before it, like the shows with a # which were commissioned in 2016.

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