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“We’ve got to try and find new programs”

With an entertainment slate of long-running shows, ABC says they need to take a chance on new formats.

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Not every new 2021 show got a renewal last year from ABC, but one which did was Question Everything with Wil Anderson and Jan Fran.

Michael Carrington, ABC’s Director of Entertainment & Specialist, acknowledges while the show was finding its feet, he hopes a second season will solidify the show.

“I think it’s had a mixed reaction in season one, but you’ve got to give it a go,” he tells TV Tonight.

“We’ve got to try and find new programs to take us into the future …when we think about our great stalwarts, which are now 12 years in the making.

“There is something in Question Everything that I just found engaging and delightful. I just really wanted to give them another go.

“We also had to shut them down for 2 weeks because of COVID. There were no audiences in the studio. They found it very difficult.

“So there was something about it, that I really think has potential, so I want to give them another go.”

6 Responses

  1. The premise of question everything was a good one and needed to debunk the misinformation that is going around, but it was a lost opportunity when it devolved into comedians dredging up old stand up material. The only bit worth watching was Jan-plaining.

    1. I agree. Loved the premise but to me was the poor mans version of HYBPA. Applaud ABC trying something new. Gruen works for many reasons. One reason is the 4 other panelists are not trying to be funny (well mostly) rather offer useful insights and Will chimes in with a usually clever and funny comment but the bulk of the show is substance of advertising messaging which is what (presumably) those who are tuning in for are interested in. QE perhaps could move closer to the Gruen formula.

      1. Move closer? No, move away. It’s too close as is. A panel show with Wil & commentators is already on ABC. If you want to debunk fake news, why not go out in the field and investigate? Do something other than replicate the current.

        1. Understand your point David but Gruen is exclusively about advertisement; QE is about current affairs / fake news. Perhaps don’t 100% replicate Gruen format but having comedians not seriously talking about the item isn’t working (for me at least) and I would watch a more serious version of the premise. I would have thought the substance (advertising versus current news) is sufficiently different…..

          1. Agree the punchline approach is tricky when trying to debunk fake news. I felt some younger comedians didn’t carry the same gravitas as when, say, Wendy Harmer spoke on some topics. It just felt like she’d lived it more. I’m not convinced applying the Gruen model to another topic is best approach.

  2. I hope they get more industry experts for season two, because Question Everything felt too much like a format for comedians to spitball jokes rather than provide insights from “behind the scenes”.

    In this regard, it’s a bit surprising that they didn’t borrow more DNA from Gruen.

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