Explore TV Series

A review of Australian television broadcasting from January to December, with highlights of the good, the bad and the cringe.

The Million Dollar Drop is a game show which airs on Nine Network in Australia and is based on the UK series The Million Pound Drop Live. However, unlike the original UK version, it is not broadcast live, and there are several changes to the format. The show premiered on 21 March 2011 and is hosted by Eddie McGuire.

AMV was a music video show broadcast by the Seven Network between 2000 and 2002. It aired between 7AM and 9AM every weekday morning, following the hour-long Sunrise news bulletin. It was canceled in February 2002 when Sunrise expanded into its current three-hour-long format. AMV was similar to the long-running ABC1 music show rage in that it featured no host, and Network Ten's Video Hits in that it aired a combination of new and popular clips. However, due to the early morning timeslot, content was often censored; for example upon broadcasting the controversial video for Robbie Williams' "Rock DJ", the infamous gory ending was not shown.

The Steph Show is an Australian reality television series based on singer/actress Stephanie McIntosh. This show premiered on Australian TV at 6pm 28 July 2006 on Network Ten. The show, in the same vein as The Ashlee Simpson Show, had cameras following McIntosh as she recorded her debut album Tightrope which was released on 9 September 2006. The first single "Mistake" was released the day after the season premiere. The theme song is "Tightrope" by Stephanie McIntosh. The last episode is to coincide with the release of "Tightrope". The final show was aired on 15 September 2006. The finale included McIntosh shooting the music video for "Tightrope".

This is the story of Darwin's personal transformation and the scientific revolution it ignited. He investigates and does scientific research in the fields of geology, zoology and biology.

Pyramid is an Australian children's quiz show screening on the Nine Network hosted by Shura Taft. It is co-produced by Sydney-based Ambience Entertainment. It began broadcasting on 1 September 2009 and is filmed in front of a live studio audience. It involves two teams competing in games of "vocal charades". The show is based on the 1979 United States game show The Junior Partner Pyramid, a children's variant of the Sony Pictures Television Pyramid franchise. In 2013, the show premieres with a new host, Beau Walker, and a strong focus on education and interactive media, with the release of the Pyramid Digital App.

The Emigrants is a 1977 Australian mini series about an English family who move to Australia.

Acclaimed journalist Ray Martin takes an investigative deep dive into one of Australia's last taboos, death, as he plans his own funeral.

Vidiot was a children's/teenage television game show broadcast from 1992 to 1995 on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was hosted by Eden Gaha for the first two series, then Scott McRae for the 1994 and 1995 season. The game format was mostly a simple verbal question-and-answer, with slight variations like timed rounds, visual aids, and audio aids. Questions were themed on popular teen culture - Chart music, recent films, etc. For each Monday to Thursday broadcast three new teenage contestants battled to win a place for the Friday broadcast. A live audience, often fellow students from the school from which the contestants originated, was present. Vidiot was recorded in ABC's Sydney studios. On the east coast of Australia it was broadcast 5:30pm weeknights. Vidiot is also the term used by Ken Nordine in a sketch titled The Vidiot, on his 1957 album Word Jazz. The sketch is of a patient in a therapists office, describing his addiction to TV, and saying he has become a vidiot. Also used as a term to describe people who spend hours on computers and watch TV a lot. It was also a 1980s video game magazine that demised in the North American Video Game Crash of 1983.

Playhouse Disney is an Australian Children's Television Program that airs on Seven Network at 11am each weekday and on Playhouse Disney Channel. There are three presenters: Monica Trapaga, Colin Buchanan and Kaeng Chan. It is aimed at a preschool audience.

Homeward Bound was an Australian television variety series. Produced by and broadcast on Melbourne station ABV-2, the first episode aired 12 October 1958 while the final episode aired 21 December 1958. It it worth noting that ABC variety series generally had shorter seasons than those on commercial television. Featuring a "sea shanties" theme, the series was hosted by "Sparks" Murphy, and regulars on the program were Alan Eddy, Mervyn Bray, Paul Gavin, William Smith. Other performers who appeared during the run of the series included accordion player Egidio Bortoli, and hornpipe dancer Michael Thomas. It is not known if any of the episodes are still extant, given the erratic survival rate of Australian television series of the 1950s.

Disguised as a cooking program and filmed in documentary style, 'Bondi Banquet' is the story of a culturally diverse group of people living in an apartment block overlooking beautiful Bondi. Each week two of them cook up a storm for the cameras - and give away more than just recipes.

The Australian version of the spin-off from The Voice which showcases children from ages 8 to 14.

Tells the inside story of the Claremont serial killer investigation through exclusive and unprecedented interviews with surviving victims, journalists, former police detectives, forensic experts and the officers at the centre of the investigation who for over two decades tirelessly worked the case, right up to its dramatic conclusion.

Midday is an Australian award winning television show, that aired on the Nine Network on 11 February 1985 until 27 November 1998. The show aired, like its title suggests, at noon, on a weekday schedule, and was a 90 minute variety programme with international and local guests. It featured interviews, musical performances and comedy spots. The format of the show was similar to that of its predecessor, The Mike Walsh Show, of which it replaced in the lunch time slot.

Sarvo was an after-school show for kids on Nickelodeon Australia, it was hosted by Maude Garrett and Kyle Linahan, until it was cancelled in Late 2007. It acted as a wrapper program to the most popular programs on Nickelodeon.

An exploration of an endless array of farm projects, including renovations and the creation of delicious food.

Each episode a Nude-Muse model will show viewers how to cook or bake something, while they are completely nude.

The Outcasts was a 1961 Australian television mini-series. A period drama, it was broadcast live, though with some film inserts. All episodes survive as kinescope recordings

Jackaroo is a 1990 Australian mini series about a half-caste who goes to work on a West Australian property and falls in love with a girl.

And Here Comes Bucknuckle is a 1981 TV series set in the world of horseracing.

Mr. Squiggle was Australia's longest-running children's television series, and the name of the title character from that ABC show. The show has been presented in many formats, from five minute slots to a one-and-a-half hour variety show featuring other performers, and has had several name changes, originally airing as Mr. Squiggle and Friends.

A compelling new two-part documentary charting the dramatic rise and fall of Olympic swimmer Scott Miller, and his ongoing fight to rebuild his life.

My Fair Lady was an Australian television series which aired from 1958 to 1962 on Wednesdays on Melbourne station HSV-7. Little information is available on this series. It was originally part of a line-up titled Home, which featuring various segments including Cooking, Home Decorator and Shopping Guide. Later, it appears the Home branding was dropped. For part of its run it aired at 2:30PM. At one point in 1959 it was the first show on the station schedule for the day, while at another point in 1959 it was preceded by US anthology series episodes of shows like Four Star Playhouse. The show is described as being aired live, compered by June Finlayson and featured Charles Bush, and featuring contestants, suggesting it was a game show. Other hosts during the run of the series included Vikki Hammond. Archival status is unknown, but as Australian game shows were rarely kept during the era the show aired in, it is likely the series is either lost or largely missing.

Australia Versus was an Australian show hosted by Tim Ross that initially aired on 6 July 2010. The format mixes archival footage of the listed events with comments from various Australian and international comedians, in a similar style to television series 20 to 1. The show is produced by FremantleMedia Australia.

Cash Flow is a television business news program aired every weekday at 10:00am Singapore/Hong Kong/Taiwan time on CNBC Asia. It is broadcast live from CNBC Asia's studio in Sydney and presented by Oriel Morrison and at Hong Kong's studio presented by Bernard Lo for the first hour. It was originally presented by Maura Fogarty for the first hour and Amanda Drury for the second hour and was broadcast live from Singapore. It is produced by CNBC Asia from Singapore by a team of journalists. Cash Flow is also seen in the United States on the CNBC World channel every Sunday through Thursday at 10:00pm Eastern Time. It is also shown on CNBC Europe at 3:00 GMT

Four very different people bond while on jury duty together, but after the trial they begin to wonder if the woman they set free is actually a killer. They launch their own investigation, turning their lives upside down in the process.

Ross Greenwood explores all facets of Australian communities and their international origins that make Australia diverse, as well as how social issues are felt around the country.

Australia’s Most Identical brings together 100 sets of twins all vying for the title of the nation’s Most Identical pair, showcasing uncanny similarities in the name of science.

The Politically Incorrect Parenting Show is an Australian television program. It was filmed in Sydney from 16-25 February 2010. It was hosted by Nigel Latta, a New Zealand-born psychologist, who has written several books on parenting and who hosted a show by the same name in New Zealand. It aired on the Nine Network.

50 Years 50 Shows is a television special that marked 50 years of television in Australia. Broadcast on Sunday 25 September 2005 on the Nine Network and hosted by Eddie McGuire, the special counted down the top 50 greatest Australian television programmes.