As I tend to be quite negative on this blog, I've decided for this entry to change tack, and explain what I'm looking forward to.
First up, TV3.
Even though it was early, the TV3 Launch was great. Paul Henry MC'ed and dare I say it, he was quite charming. I'm sure most people enjoyed the digs at his previous employer and he really held the audience. I really enjoyed how Kelly took us through the entire schedule programme by programme basically, which meant I walked away from the presentation with a really good grasp of what they are going to be airing next year.
Highlights for me (and please note - these are NOT necessarily what I think will rate. They're the programmes that I will be watching)
- The New Girl. Yes, it's on FOUR . I hope they promo the hell out of it. It's an adorable series.
- American Horror Story. Not sure how NZ will react to this, but it looks incredible and has an amazing cast.
- Homeland. Clare Danes doesn't usually do it for me, but this series looks interesting.
And of course their awesome returning series
- The Secret Lives of Dancers
- The Good Wife
- Californication
- The Big C
Next was TVNZ.
I found the TVNZ launch a little too much. PUTs are down, rates are up, they're making our clients pay more and more and more for less and less ratings so they spend what must have been quite a substantial amount of money on a very flashy presentation. Let's not start on the fact that they flew up the Wellington and Chch media people and put them up for the night ontop of all of the glitz. Mostly because I am glad they did - was a wonderful chance to catch up with old friends.
Paul Maher spoke well, but I thought it was a real shame that the 'Johns' did pieces to camera rather than speaking live. Lacked that kind of 'real' touch and I felt like they spoke more about the shows than actually showing us the programmes. Following far too many drinks, run-ins with arrogant Shortland St cast members and inappropriate grabbing from actors of other local shows, I walked away not really knowing what TVNZ were putting up next year. Which is a shame.
Following some further investigation, this is what I'm looking forward to:
- Keep Calm & Carry On (Jacquie Brown)
- Seven Dwarves. Which looks a little like a Dwarf version of Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.
- Once Upon a Time. Appeals to the geek in me
Finally, the Prime launch was yesterday.
The Launch itself was wonderful. High Tea at the Langham. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon. As usual Karen and Kathy were a joy to listen to as they took their little digs at the big boys in the market. They also addressed something I was concerned about, how SOHO might affect their deal with HBO - it would seem it will only strengthen their offer, which is great news.
Things to look forward to on Prime (according to me):
- Wild Boys - Australian series, looks great
- True Blood
- QI
- Boardwalk Empire (after screening on Soho)
- Junior Masterchef
Prime seems to have picked up a number of the British Dramas that I would have expected to see on One a few years ago. I really hope the audience finds Prime's programming as it's really good quality stuff.
So there you go. My thoughts on new programmes this year. I think it's a shame that no one seems to have picked up Wilfred which is pretty genius. But there you go. Find a way around S92a and torrent that sucker.
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