In good new for drama fans, Channel 10 have confirmed upcoming second window airdates for 2 drama titles, including Season 2 of The Secret She Keeps and Season 3 of My Life Is Murder.
Viewers may recall that the first season of The Secret She Keeps, the psychological thriller based on the novel of the same name by Michael Robotham, first premiered in April of 2020 on Channel 10’s main channel to generally good reviews before an unexpected Season 2 was announced, and then later confirmed to be moving to streaming platform Paramount+ in Australia.
Season 2 premiered on Paramount+ as an Original Series in July 2022 over 2 years after the first season – likely due to production issues from the covid-19 pandemic, and is now coming to free-to-air viewers this November. The jury is still out on whether there will be a third season, but given the second season finished with a cliffhanger for viewers, there is certainly the potential for more.
In other news, My Life is Murder starring New Zealand born Lucy Lawless of Xena: Warrior Princess fame, which first premiered on Network 10 in July of 2019 as a 10 part murder mystery, crime comedy-drama series to generally favourable ratings and reviews, is coming back for a third installment on Channel 10 this November.
Though it wasn’t a straight up renewal of the drama series for the network, in October of 2020 it was announced that the show had been renewed for a surprise second season in a deal that again included New Zealand’s public broadcaster TVNZ, and this time AMC Networks’ owned streamer Acorn TV which secured first window rights in Australia with Network 10 on board as a partner.
This development also saw production and backdrop for the series shift from Melbourne to Auckland, along with production companies from Australia’s CJZ (Sydney-based Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder) to Greenstone TV, which is part of the CJZ Group.
Channel 10 aired Season 2 in early October last year to generally very low ratings, following a challenging Q4 for the network with a string of failed reality show premieres which included The Challenge Australia and The Real Love Boat Australia, both of which were bumped from their primetime 7:30pm timeslots.
What likely didn’t help was that it was also shown 3 years after the first season premiered in Australia, so viewers has more than likely forgotten about the series. As well it was shown on Australian FTA more than a year after it was shown on TVNZ/Acorn TV, so anyone following the series would or could have watched elsewhere.
It was also several months after the series had already been officially renewed for a third season in February 2022, and remains to be seen yet if the series will return for a fourth season with a renewal still pending for the show.
Things kick off with The Secret She Keeps S02 in it’s free-to-air premiere on Monday 13th November at 8:45pm following the second airing of the new MasterChef spin-off series Dessert Masters hosted by Melissa Leong and Amaury Guichon, with popular 10 staple Have You Been Paying Attention? wrapping up in that slot the week prior.
In The Secret She Keeps season two, right from the start, we sense a tragic event affecting Meghan (Jessica De Gouw), while a desperate Agatha (Laura Carmichael) in a maximum security prison holds her own secret. The season’s intricate plot weaves their gripping, human tales into chilling twists and surprising turns.
The drama continues with My Life Is Murder S03 premiering on Wednesday 15th November, in 10’s traditional Wednesday night drama slot, with a double episode season premiere at 8:40pm also following Dessert Masters.
In the third season of My Life is Murder, Lucy Lawless returns as Alexa Crowe and this time Martin Henderson (Virgin River) who plays her brother, joins as a series regular. Back in her hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, Alexa takes on ten captivating cases, facing a range of intriguing suspects, from eccentric billionaires to grieving florists and tango dancers to fiery fashionistas. They all soon discover not to underestimate her unique crime-solving skills.
