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TEN locks on Pilot Week

One of the year's most exciting TV propositions will air mid-August, with the power in your hands.

In one of the more exciting propositions in the TV year, TEN has confirmed its Pilot Week will take place from Sunday August 19.

There are 8 new projects to be screened in primetime across the week, all for audiences to pass judgement on.

Spanning a range of various genres they include the previously-teased Trial by Kyle, Disgrace with Sam Dastiyari, a local Drink History adaptation (as revealed by TV Tonight) and Taboo with Harley Breen.

Newly-confirmed titles are comedies Skit Happens from CJZ Productons, Kinne Tonight with Troy Kinne, Dave with Dave O’Neill and a Rove McManus-variety Bring Back… Saturday Night.

Each screening will by introduced by Grant Denyer and Angela Bishop while audience reaction, social buzz and ratings will help decide what shows will return in 2019.Viewers will be encouraged to participate and share their feedback via tenplay and social media.

Beverley McGarvey, Chief Content Officer, Network TEN said: “We are excited to be broadcasting such a fantastic array of unique and entertaining programs under the banner of Pilot Week.

“Involving Australian audiences in whether or not a program gets the green light via tenplay and other social initiatives provides a fantastic opportunity for Australian audiences to have their say in what they want to see on our screens in 2019.

“Pilot Week for us, represents a substantial investment in unique and local production, and further cements Network Ten’s role as the innovator of Australian commercial television,” she said.

Network TEN’s executive general manager, revenue & client partnerships Rod Prosser said: “We are the first commercial broadcaster to be doing anything like this. Pilot Week is an exciting initiative that propels TEN’s position as an innovator. With Pilot Week, we are actively taking audiences beyond broadcast, creating a path for them to continue their engagement with the programs across our digital and social channels.

“It continues our commitment to offering creative, multi-platform and innovative opportunities for advertisers and brands, and makes up part of our strongest schedule of programming over the coming months. It is a fantastic way for us to be supporting the local industry on and off screen.”

The Pilot Week event is a first for a commercial network, and like ABC’s recent Comedy Showcase, hopes to ignite new hit shows. Absent from the list are recent rumours of Dancing with the Stars (which hardly needs a Pilot) and a local version of Saturday Night Takeaway, whilst social media has noted the list is heavily-male dominated.

TEN is yet to confirm specific timeslots along with how programming will impact regular programming such as Australian Survivor.

Skit Happens
Nothing is safe from a Skit Happens parody, when the nations up-and-coming comedians join forces for Network Ten’s first sketch comedy in 12 years. Skit Happens is produced by CJZ.

Dave
Funny-man Dave O’Neil opens the doors to his crazy life in a half-hour narrative comedy. Expect laughter, tears and the appreciation of not being Dave. Dave is produced by Studio Bento.

Kinne Tonight
Comedian Troy Kinne ditches the stress of modern life, bringing hard-working Australians a fast-paced half-hour of laughter. Kinne Tonight is produced by Kinne Productions and Big Yellow Taxi Productions.

Drunk History
Rhys Darby and Stephen Curry pour themselves a drink in the international hit comedy format that takes Australia’s rich, and often surprising history and re-tells it through the words of our most loved comedians and entertainers. Drunk History is produced by Eureka Productions.

Taboo
Taboo has broken audience records in its country of origin, Belgium. The premise is as confronting as it is simple. The very funny Harley Breen spends five days and nights with members of a disadvantaged group in society and uses the experience to perform a stand-up routine about them – with the subjects sitting in the front row. Taboo is produced by Lune Media.

Trial By Kyle
The toughest cases, biggest celebrities and genuine disputes can only be settled by one man, radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands. As Kyle carefully unravels each case, former The Bachelor Australia star and criminal lawyer Anna Heinrich is on hand to assist in forensically analysing the evidence. Trial By Kyle is produced by Screentime Australia.

Disgrace!
The world is full of disgrace and outrae ge. Shunned politician Sam Dastyari and the team behind Gruen and The Chaser manage the latest outbreak of outrage in a half-hour of opinion, insight and laughs. Disgrace! Is produced by CJZ.

Bring Back…Saturday Night
Rove McManus is on a mission to bring back Saturday night entertainment. A chance to reflect on what Saturday night means to Australia – then and now. Young performers will bring back the best of the past and performers of the past are challenged with reinvention. Sketches, guests, music and nothing but feel good moments as Rove finds the comedy and laughs by breaking down the conventions of entertainment and variety television. Join his quest to reunite Australia’s greatest acts, bands, and television faces in a generation bending live television show. Bring Back…Saturday Night is produced by Roving Enterprises.

27 Responses

    1. Assuming that most of these productions come from third party companies, there’s probably not much that TEN can do to help along the current trend of misandry.

      1. You’re right, this list of 8 shows all featuring men demonstrates how men are being treated like second-class citizens and clearly the only reason females aren’t being featured is because Ten have had their hands tied from being able to discrimate against men because if they were able to you better believe that every show would only feature women with nary a man in sight. Because a network has no influence at all on casting Channel Ten were sadly unable to further the hatred of males propaganda as being advocated by all those terrible women who don’t want to be raped/murdered/abused. /MRA logic

  1. Skit Happens and Taboo sound interesting. I would probably check out those 2 for some comedy, and maybe the Kyle Sandilands one for some trash TV

  2. This is the exact problem with Australian TV.
    It’s all overseas formats being rehashed as Australian.

    Get creative and air some decent drama, don’t think Ten have had a decent drama since Offspring finished a year ago.

    1. I agree ….. so now we are going to replace reality with entertainment/skit shows. I think i will pass lets face it, if you rely on the people that watch this type of television to make the decision for you ……. you
      really end up with with a narrow audience. I will stick to drama preferably British!

  3. Sounds a lot like speed dating and the old consumer taste test. Sure give people an idea of the type of programs on offer but I’m quite sure they have their own priority list ready to go. Just a try hard grab at some sort of attention IMO.

  4. Many people bag Ten at various times but l see them as innovators at present. I know this must be an american concept but l think its a winner. Good on ya Ten.

  5. Probably a good idea in a context where audiences are tiring of current TV offerings to give them a say in what they want to see more of.

  6. A lot of these sounds great – and not a reality dating show amongst them – even better. Well done to Ten for trying something different. I hope it pays off for them.

  7. All of these look good. Skit Happens and Disgrace are the stand outs for me.

    But it’s great to have a revival of Australian comedy and variety tv. I know you’ve been calling for this for years, David! Hopefully the other networks can follow suit (probably unlikely given that they’re spending much more on reality shows and sport).

  8. I wonder if 7 & 9 will take note how it goes off & try something similar. It could become a thing for all networks like in the US.
    Didn’t that Kinne guy have a show on 7Mate a few years back? If it’s him he was quite funny.

  9. Rhys Darby is a huge get for TEN on Drunk History, love the US version so glad they’re doing it here. Taboo is a very interesting concept and if done right could be watchable. Will be interesting to see how the audience responds to Rove in a variety entertainment setting again.

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