He is a mysterious figure within the TV industry, only ever talked about in hushed tones, and his predictions are legendary for always being right (well, he never admits if they are wrong)…
Rumours have spread about the accuracy of his predictions for years but no-one has ever unmasked the ‘TV Nostradamus’. Now, for the first time, he shares his predictions on the new shows for the upcoming year in a public forum*.
SEVEN NETWORK – PLATE OF ORIGIN
THE SELL: In 2020, food superstars Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan join Manu Feildel for PLATE OF ORIGIN. Launching with the power of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, this international cooking competition will be on a scale that Australia has never seen before
THE VERDICT: Moderate success
The codename POO could very well describe its ratings. Seven are about to find out that Matt and Gary can’t pull big crowds without a good show behind them. This production has been plagued by problems behind the scenes (including copyright issues) and the shine has come off the former MasterChef judges after their very public pay negotiations with Channel 10.
However, a big push in the Olympics will give the show some momentum and push this one to a moderate success – but I’m not sold.
BIG BROTHER
THE SELL: If you think you know BIG BROTHER, then think again. This time, everything has changed. The thrilling new era of BIG BROTHER begins with a dynamic new house full of incredible surprises, new rules designed to create show stopping twists and a new generation of unique and ambitious housemates determined to outstay each other no matter what Big Brother throws at them. The only question is, when BIG BROTHER returns… are you ready to play?
THE VERDICT: Strong start.
Judging by the number of articles that have flowed since the team at TV Blackbox broke the news the iconic reality TV show was coming back, there is a strong appetite for this one.
BUT fans are nervous about the rumoured changes to the show which has been described as Survivor in a warehouse.
This one will start strong but its ultimate success will depend on what is delivered on opening night. There will be no second chances.
MEGA MINI GOLF (working title)
THE SELL: An extreme miniature golf competition set on a larger-than-life obstacle golf course. Aussie mini-golf lovers of all ages and backgrounds will have the chance to tee off on the most epic course ever devised in this country, competing head-to-head on supersized holes.
THE VERDICT: Flop
These days Ninja Warrior on Nine doesn’t pull the numbers it did upon launch and this one just doesn’t have the same charm.
RFDS (working title)
THE SELL: A gripping new action-drama on a grand scale, based in Australia’s red heart, where the modern-day heroes of the Royal Flying Doctor Service navigate private lives as turbulent and profound as the heart stopping emergencies they attend. Based on remarkable real-life stories and filmed on location in and around Broken Hill, this series will capture the beauty and brutality of Australia’s vast centre where the doctors, nurses, pilots and support staff of the RFDS negotiate the unique challenges of emergency retrievals across some of the most inhospitable places in the country.
THE VERDICT: A grower not a shower
Australian viewers just aren’t getting behind local dramas and while this one will appeal to an older audience who loved The Flying Doctors it will struggle to stand out from the crowd. If it’s good enough it might grow over time.
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
THE SELL: From master creator Bevan Lee (A Place to Call Home, Packed to the Rafters, All Saints, Winners & Losers) comes this bold, seductive, glamorous new thriller featuring a world class ensemble cast led by British actress Hermione Norris (Cold Feet, Spooks, Luther). Norris stars as Cate Walford, whose harsh, vicious, business tycoon husband, Phillip (Philip Quast, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Hacksaw Ridge) fights to dominate his family as he faces his mortality. Through a shocking twist of fate, their dark and murky world collides with the seemingly disparate and disconnected, warm and loving world of widow Sophia Grey (Sara Wiseman, A Place to Call Home) and her footy star son and musical daughter. Destructive secrets are soon unearthed proving nothing is quite as it first might appear.
THE VERDICT: If this doesn’t work Australian drama is dead
Seven are betting the farm on this one. They believe in it so much they held it over from its planned launch in 2019 to give it the best possible chance of success. Those who have seen it say it is very different to anything we’ve seen in this country.
SAS: WHO DARES WINS
THE SELL: Cut off from the outside world at a secret base in a foreign country, they will eat, sleep and train together in spectacular and punishing terrain with no allowances made for their celebrity status. As they progress through the gruelling course, they’ll be forced to confront surprising truths about themselves to discover their real character. Some will reach breaking point and withdraw. Which recruits will tough it out to the end? Fourteen brave Aussie celebrities are about to embark on the toughest test of their lives – attempting to overcome the intensive SAS selection process. Over two weeks, an elite group of ex-Special Forces soldiers, led by Chief Instructor Ant Middleton, will put these stars through an extraordinary series of physical and psychological tests, each from the real SAS selection process.
THE VERDICT: Meh
Another show where ‘celebrities’ do it tough. This one isn’t going to do Seven any favours.
FARMER WANTS A WIFE
THE SELL: It’s created more happily-ever-afters than any other dating show, with nine marriages and 19 babies in Australia (with another on the way) and 147 marriages and 280 babies worldwide. Now, Australia’s most successful love show is back with a new crop of single farmers who are ready to find their soulmate.
THE VERDICT: It will do reasonable business
While it will never go down as one of reality TV’s greatest formats, there’s a lot of love for this show and it will do well with older viewers — even though they’re not the viewers Seven is chasing.
POOCH PERFECT
THE SELL: “Edward Scissorhands meets Dance Moms meets Survivor” – that’s how host Rebel Wilson describes her new competition dog styling series POOCH PERFECT. Aussie dog lovers and fur-parents will go mutts over the epic transformations as 10 professional dog stylists take their clippers to beloved pooches of every shape, size and breed in this pawsome competition. A panel of the industry’s top judges will critique their work to determine the ultimate winner of the $100,000 grand prize.
THE VERDICT: Hit
While there were plenty of ‘production delays’ and issues behind the scenes on this one, viewers will flock to see what Rebel Wilson serves up. While scheduling could still be the killer, Seven are on a safe bet with this one.
MATES ON A MISSION
THE SELL: Mates Shane Jacobson, Todd McKenney, Kris Smith and Brian “BT” Taylor travel the world to take on insane challenges in this inspirational travel comedy series. This fearless, funny and unique band of brothers are no strangers to each other or to getting out of their comfort zones after taking it all off for THE REAL FULL MONTY. Now, they’ll go to any length, on any land, to shine a light on mental health issues and encourage blokes out there not to bottle up, but to open up.
THE VERDICT: Flop
It’s the real full monty without the nudity, which was always the highlight of the specials. There’s no jepordy here and viewers don’t want to be lectured about mental health.
NINE NETWORK – WIFE SWAP
THE SELL: In this dramatic and emotional series, two wives with opposing parenting styles swap lives in a bold, new social experiment. Morals and social behaviours are tested as the wives and their families are thrown into each other’s world. In one episode, a cashed-up mum of privately schooled children, swaps lives with a dole-receiving, hippy mum of eight un-schooled kids who live a nomadic lifestyle on a bus. In another, a clinical, vlogging mum who lives her entire life online and in front of the camera, swaps lives with a rural farmhand mum who lives off the land, completely off the grid.
THE VERDICT: Flop
A rebooted format that didn’t work the first time.
FALCONIO: AN OUTBACK MURDER
THE SELL: From the heart of the Australian outback comes the inside story of a terrifying murder that shocked the world. FALCONIO: AN OUTBACK MURDER (working title) is a blockbuster True Crime series that investigates the 2001 disappearance of British backpacker Peter Falconio in outback Australia. In one of the most detailed re-investigations of the Falconio case ever mounted, this four-part series dives into the details and the dramas that have surrounded this extraordinary case from day one. It will deliver the powerful first-hand accounts of many people impacted by this event and will use new and exclusive access to the original defence case documents to re-examine the evidence put forward at the trial of the man convicted of Falconio’s murder – Bradley John Murdoch.
THE VERDICT: This has hit written all over it
We all know true crime is loved in this country and this case is one that Australian’s still don’t fully understand. A fascinating story which, told well, will connect with audiences
HALIFAX: RETRIBUTION
THE SELL: In 2020, Australian television legend Rebecca Gibney returns to Nine to reprise her role as forensic psychiatrist Jane Halifax in Halifax: Retribution.
Hollywood-based Anthony LaPaglia joins the cast to play the head of Task Force Stingray, Inspector Tom Saracen, in the crime thriller mini-series.
Jane Halifax (Rebecca Gibney) is a rock star in the field of forensic psychiatry, and after years on the police frontline she has carved out a new career as a university professor.
Original creator and writer Roger Simpson (Stingers, Satisfaction, Good Guys, Bad Guys) returns as writer and producer, alongside executive producer Mikael Borglund.
THE VERDICT: Good one for the oldies but it will only have moderate success
Everyone loves Rebecca Gibney and it will be her star power that stops this from being a flop. These types of dramas don’t overly work any more but the brand is strong and it will do okay.
INFORMER 3838
THE SELL: Nine has announced a star-studded cast for Informer 3838, the new drama mini-series based on the events involving gangland lawyer turned police informer, Nicola Gobbo.
Ella Scott Lynch (Love Child, Doctor Doctor, Upright) will play the gangland lawyer known as Lawyer X, Nicola Gobbo.
The series will mark the return of some members of the Underbelly crew. Gyton Grantley (House Husbands, The Dressmaker, Balibo) will reprise his role as Carl Williams and Robert Mammone (Fat Tony & Co., Mystery Road, Water Diviner) will again play Tony Mokbel.
Rhys Muldoon (Les Norton, Rake, House Husbands) is police informant Terrence Hodson. Also starring in the mini-series are Stephen Peacocke (Five Bedrooms, Squinters 2, Home and Away), Richard Davies (Offspring, Tidelands, Oddball), Olympia Valance (Neighbours, Playing For Keeps), Jane Harber (Offspring, A Moody Christmas, INXS) and Hollie Andrew (Fat Tony & Co., Somersault, Supernova).
THE VERDICT: Take my money now!
This is one of the most gripping stories to come out of Victoria in recent years and the repercussions are still being felt. Nine has shown how well it can do drama in the Underbelly mould and this is one that won’t disappoint. Expect Melbourne audiences to flock to it and the rest of Australia will be intrigued enough to find out what this case is all about.
THE PARENT JURY
THE SELL: Brave mums and dads who believe their parenting style is the best will be put to the ultimate test in The Parent Jury.
In this controversial new series, opinionated mums and dads will take turns judging each other’s parenting styles. Helicopter parents, tiger parents, free-range parents, designer parents and strict authoritarians will all show how they bring up their families with a view to convincing the group that their way is best.
THE VERDICT: This will be the most talked about new show of 2020.
Exhausted parents are going to love the opportunity to judge the way other people parent. The promos for this show how divisive parenting can be with every family living by their own rules.
STEP BACK IN TIME
THE SELL: Step Back in Time, a variety show coming to Nine in 2020, will offer viewers a blast from the past through a familiar lens.
The show will celebrate key moments in pop culture from TV, movies, music, news, sport, advertising and technology, with each episode focusing on a particular era.
The program that all comes together in front of a live studio audience.
THE VERDICT: Next!
A revised version of 20 to 1 just isn’t going to cut it when countdowns are available everywhere on the net.
EMERGENCY
THE SELL: Emergency is a new medical observational documentary series with unprecedented access to one of Australia’s busiest hospital emergency departments.
In the spirit of the best medical dramas, the doctors and nurses of the Royal Melbourne Hospital emergency department are the real stars.
The series reveals the extraordinary compassion and incredible skills of the doctors and nurses as they treat more than 250 patients who come through the doors of the emergency department every day.
Emergency tells the stories of the patients through the eyes of the doctors and nurses who are literally saving lives every day.
THE VERDICT: Filler
Same-old-same and trying to do what RPA did decades ago.
TARONGA: WHO’S WHO IN THE ZOO
THE SELL: Every year millions of visitors from around the world pass through Taronga Zoo’s gates to get a glimpse of some of the most amazing creatures on the planet. But what people don’t see is the incredible and groundbreaking work that goes on behind the animal exhibits – until now.
New to Nine in 2020 comes the exciting behind-the-scenes documentary series Taronga: Who’s Who In The Zoo. In this series viewers will get to see just what it takes to run one of the world’s most famous and magnificent zoos, with no area off limits.
THE VERDICT: Moderate success
Channel Seven did reasonable numbers with The Zoo, which was also filmed at Taronga Zoo. The biggest issue for the makers of this show will be running out of stories very quickly.
NETWORK TEN – DRUNK HISTORY
THE SELL: The passage of time often has a way of rewriting history. So does a few drinks. The half-hour series, which is based on the award-winning web series, shows how by re-enacting famous events in history as told by inebriated storytellers.
Each episode takes a tour of a U.S. city to explore stories and people from its rich past. Those stories are related in often-confusing ways by drunken narrators and performed by a famous line-up of stars
THE VERDICT: It will do okay by channel 10 standards but won’t set the world on fire
After debuting in the 2018 edition of Pilot Week the local remake of the US show was liked by those who saw it, but outside of mega formats like The Masked Singer the network struggles to find an audience.
THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS
THE SELL: Set in the striking Blue Mountains outside of Sydney, this screen adaption of Michael Robotham’s best-selling novel tells the story of two women from vastly different backgrounds, both hiding explosive secrets that could destroy everything they hold dear.
The leading ladies – Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey, The Spanish Princess) and Jessica De Gouw (Riot, Underground) are in fine company as they act alongside Michael Dorman (Patriot, Wonderland) Ryan Corr (Bloom, Holding The Man) and Michael Sheasby (The Nightingale, The Luminaries).
THE VERDICT: It’s an Aussie drama and it will struggle like most other Aussie dramas.
MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA – BACK TO WIN
THE SELL: Network 10’s MasterChef Australia, the iconic cooking program that rewrote the recipe for must-see TV, is delighted to announce the addition of three new judges in 2020.
Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen will take the helm of the show that celebrates food and the love of food.
Jock, Melissa and Andy will be joined in the MasterChef Australia kitchen by a delicious assortment of the world’s best chefs, including Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal and Curtis Stone, to serve up the 12th helping of MasterChef Australia.
And in 2020, the traditional MasterChef Australia recipe will boast some new ingredients when the best of the best from the past 11 seasons return to the kitchen in MasterChef Australia – Back To Win.
THE VERDICT: Too close to call
The format is strong but just how important were the original judges of Channel 10’s biggest shows? We’re going to find out in 2020 as three new judges replace the old favourites. While Channel 10 say it was time for a change, there’s no doubt they would have preferred to keep Matt, Gary and George. This is a big risk but the network are taking every precaution by bringing back old favourites.
*TV Blackbox cannot verify the actual existence of the ‘TV Nostradamus’ and claims made in this post might have been overstated.
