i’m guessing the Abes weren’t ready to let go of OG Spicks and Specks just yet 
3 Likes
A post was merged into an existing topic: TV History - Questions
Small Town Scandal
Tuesday March 17 8:30pm
Tom Sainsbury brings his hit true-crime parody podcast to the screen. The New Zealand comedian plays a disgraced journalist-turned-true-crime podcast host investigating the death of his millionaire uncle in a town filled with eccentric suspects. Felicity Kendall stars as his mum.
Episode 1
When his uncle dies in what’s officially ruled a heart attack followed by an unfortunate runin with some automated lawn mowers, disgraced journalist Toby Buchanan smells a coverup. He’s the only one who’s heard the final voicemail Uncle Mitch left — a rambling message that captures a chilling moment: Mitch speaking to someone else in the room, seconds before his death. Toby sees the perfect story to launch his comeback podcast — and his first suspect is Mitch’s glamorous, younger second wife, Aunty Janine. But as he digs into her alibi, Toby uncovers a secret that blows the case wide open.
From Sky NZ and BBC Studios
Does New Zealand make more scripted dramas and comedies than Australia now?
The Outlaws
Monday March 23 8:30pm
Seven people from vastly different walks of life commence their Community Payback sentences, cleaning up and renovating a derelict building in Bristol.
With disparate people forced into close proximity, tensions rise, prejudices are tested and lives begin to intertwine, for better and for worse.
BBC/ Prime
Something random here.
Tonight, on ABC Entertains, 11.24-11.32pm - “triple j’s Like A Version” aired. Bakerboy’s rendition of a song called “Jump”. There was even a classification opener of “M” to start this segment.
Obviously they can’t have ads, but usually cross-promotion of other ABC Programs would air as filler. Has Like A Version ever aired as filler before?
Usually it’s paired with a Rage block.
I still think a three-tier schedule would work much better. Running Triple J and Rage alongside former ABC ME content just feels a bit odd to me. A clearer structure could make the channel flow a lot more naturally.
ABC could structure it like this:
- 5:00am – 5:00pm: ABC Kids programming
- 5:00pm – 11:00pm: “Big Kids” content (roughly the current ABC ME-style shows)
- 11:00pm – 5:00am: Youth programming, including Triple J and Rage
During school terms, the Kids and Big Kids blocks could also include Study Break or Playtime filler segments to keep things engaging between programs.
A setup like that would feel far more cohesive and make the overall schedule much easier to understand with defined brands.
2 Likes
ABC Kids / ABC ME / jTV brands?
Also you have to keep ABC Kids at 7.30pm, they tried making it earlier a few years back and they copped it for that change
2 Likes
Ideally, you would need to ensure that each block is exactly the same length to maintain a consistent flow and runtime between them, which would likely be nearly impossible for the ABC to achieve and sustain.
Why didn’t the ABC put this on the main channel? Instead they’re screening a repeat of Can You Keep a Secret on Wednesday 9pm after screening it a few days earlier Sunday 8.20pm. Wasted on ABC Entertains.
1 Like
They have to save some new content for ABC Entertains to make the channel look attractive. 
1 Like
They have so much less new content on the ABC these days, they can’t afford to waste a new show on a multichannel.
1 Like
It’s too bad that they couldn’t get some Disney Channel shows and movies instead as they suit the audience demographic of ABC Family and the morning kids block on ABC Entertains more than these shows in my opinion. As we don’t see much Disney content on TV compared to online, one can dream though as the Disney stuff would be really expensive. That said, ABC must have paid dirt cheap for the CN shows. 
1 Like
But with this ABC will be able to tout the new content screening on Entertains. There was a bit of hubbub not long ago about Entertains being a channel of repeats. Those claims can be binned now.
1 Like
It’s far easier, cheaper, and easier to justify changing a programming strategy when the previous one was a known and proven failure. Doing so allows the ABC to keep refining a concept that is, in essence, just another rebrand of the old ABC2—without having to openly admit defeat.
Entertains’ daytime lineup is still a mismatched mess once the “Big Kids” block ends, so it’s hard to argue that the channel has genuinely improved.
1 Like
I don’t see that as a positive if the show ends up with a lot less viewers. I don’t think it would have been bad if the show debuted on the ABC and then was repeated on ABC Entertains a few days later.
I remember that somewhere in the ratings it was the most watched multichannel out of all of the other ones so it must be doing decent enough.
1 Like
In the ratings thread, when extra info is available, it shows QI at 7.30pm beating some of 10’s shows (of other slots though. Ahem - the 6-7pm hour).
But aren’t most multi-channels something like 90%+ repeats anyway? Outside of sporting events, of course.
The ABC News Update is still listed on ABC Entertains at 3:20am. Not sure if they’re still going ahead with that considering what’s going on at the ABC today. Maybe they forgot to change it. 
4 Likes
THE OUTLAWS Season 2
MONDAY 4 MAY 8.30PM
A few months after the climax of series one, The Outlaws still have time to serve on their sentences, but quickly realise the criminal underworld isn’t done with them yet — not by a long chalk.
Episode 1
Finally free of his tag, Frank faces a familiar choice — fly the coop, or stand still for once in his life.
John has grand plans to modernise the family firm, while Gabby finds her real friends are in short supply,
Myrna finds she hasn’t buried the bones of the past, as The Outlaws’ shared past comes back to haunt them, in the shape of a terrifying London drug lord out for blood — The Dean.
