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Renewed: Tonightly with Tom Ballard

The numbers may be (very) low but ABC hearts its new Comedy series.

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New ABC Comedy series Tonightly with Tom Ballard has been renewed for a second season.

An ABC spokeswoman confirmed Tonightly‘s current run will wrap on Friday May 4 and return on Monday, June 18.

The series has attracted good viewer feedback and management support despite its small audience, last night at 36,000 viewers. As a vehicle for Ballard it is defiantly snarky and can hopefully find an audience through word of mouth.

However it has also copped some criticism from Communications Minister Mitch Fifield and a mention during Senate estimates, which fittingly prompted Ballard to cheer on air.

Comedian Dan Ilic, whose most recent work includes US based Fusion TV, is now executive producer for the show, which is reason enough for pollies to be even more nervous.

And probably Michelle Guthrie.

https://twitter.com/danilic/status/985761822434181120

Via: Fairfax

16 Responses

  1. I’ve watched from the start. They’ve made a few changes and they’ve paid off. The introduction of music, stand up and most of all the interviews are excellent additions. Tom’s a great interviewer… but the opening monologues bore me to tears. The shark sketches have improved. The ‘Are Melbourne coffee snobs’ was out right laugh out loud. The night the girls hosted was one of the best shows. If they can fix the monologues and the fake audience participation (I agree with the 5 audience member comment above) it will grow into a neat little show. Charlie’s show was just as awkward when it started. The challenge is that Tonightly is daily and the writers don’t have as much space to fix it. They made changes across the Christmas break… let’s hope they can make these much needed fixes in the next break.

  3. The ABC made Tonightly to anchor their new comedy channel and bring in a younger demographics, to solve the ABC problem that no one between 12 and 60 watches ABC TV anymore. It is a lot to ask to do a show every night and it largely just emotive left wing rants every night. It’s neither perceptive or funny. mostly just abusive and repetitive. A 2nd rate copy of Sandra Bee and every other left wing comic who’s been give a show to do the same thing. It’s totally failed to find its target audience — “Into the bin!”.

  4. I hope the ABC gives this show a chance to develop, it definitely has potential. Only a few years ago a show called Have You Been Paying Attention was widely criticised during it’s first season (e.g. https://tvtonight.com.au/2013/11/risk-applauded-on-new-ten-quiz.html ) but thankfully TEN stuck with it to let it’s format develop and found it an appropriate timeslot. Look at it now! Crossing my fingers that Tonightly Season 2 is an improvement.

  5. I find it mildly amusing, but I wish he’d learn how to pronounce “nuclear”. My nitpickery aside, why does the ABC need another male-hosted current affairs show anyway? Aren’t Pickering and Micallef enough for them?

  6. It’s rather sad that modern ABC satire takes this form, knowing 10 years ago we had the unmatched Chaser’s War on Everything.

    Even the recent Chaser projects became neutered and far less biting. I hate to complain about left wing slants, as I identify as left wing myself, but shows like Tonightly really do make me roll my eyes at times. Chaser was the benchmark because, while obviously progressive at heart, they knew where the best parts of both sides were to make fun of

  7. It has been a major disappointment for me. Far too much of show is unfunny leftie preaching and rather than genuine humour (regardless of political angle). I see some sketches on Facebook and it seems me the thought process is something like “chuck a couple of f***s in there and we’ll be so funny”

  8. At what point does the ABC go “the data indicates it isn’t liked by a large portion of the potential audience so we need to invest in something that is or something new that may be”? Or intervene and force the content to change? It is left wing, elitist, inner city hipster rubbish and that comes from someone who loves the ABC and doesn’t think it’s biased at all.

  9. The ABC cant find the money to produce good drama but can find money for this garbage. Personally,I find nothing on ABC Comedy channel worth watching. What drugs are the management on?

  11. It certainly needs some work.
    It’s patently obvious that there might be five people in the audience, who laugh and cheer along with floor crew.
    Creasey probably shouldn’t collapse into fits of laughter at his own jokes, and some of the material is very low quality.
    They should throw some money at the people behind Mad As Hell, give them a brief about being for a young audience and see what they can come up with.

      1. McDermott chat show did not rate on SBS, which has a bigger audience than ABC Comedy. Micallef does what Micallef wants. It takes a week to churn out the production of MAH. Frankly it’s amazing Tonightly has been able to deliver on its turn around / budget.

  12. I’m happy that young Aussie comedians have a place on television, but not at numbers around 30-40k. Sky News gets about that with far less reach. It either needs a big refresh or should not continue.

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