The Block: The Street – 7pm Sunday on Nine
Scott Cam is in his element moving five rundown federation houses to a huge block of land in Elsternwick. What a surprise as the obsession with being in Melbourne continues amid gloomy and soggy work sites. The five new couples for this series can be broken down like this – there are the hotties (tradie and model), the reno experts (smartarses), the beginners (former rugby league footballer and wife), the larrikins (complete with wacky nicknames) and the oldies (married couple who have begun but never finished one job in their own home). Plot spoiler – the cliffhanger for the first night is when somebody… runs out of paint.
Australian Survivor – 7.30pm Sunday on Ten
Ten must have a lot of faith in this second series premiere given it is programming a Modern Family repeat at 7pm while The Block starts on Nine. Meanwhile, Seven’s anticipated ITV documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy (which they are dishonestly branding as an episode of Sunday Night) will also get a half-hour jump on Australian Survivor, whose athletic new promos (“The World’s Greatest Game”) are obviously trying to cash in on the success of Australian Ninja Warrior. Executive Producer Stephen Tate says Ten has “assembled the best reality cast I have ever seen”, which suggests his Samoan hotel isn’t yet getting Yummy Mummies.
This Time Next Year – 8.45pm Monday on Nine
Nine might have to name itself the feel-good network if this takes off. It won’t reach the lofty heights of Australian Ninja Warrior, but it still looks aspirational and powerful, which was part of the appeal of ANW. Karl Stefanovic has been on the campaign trail talking about his own past year so he can clear the decks ahead of this premiere. This certainly seems a better bet than his last foray into primetime with The Verdict, so good luck Karlos.
True Story With Hamish & Andy/Kath & Kim – 8.40pm Tuesday on Nine
It’s just a few episodes in and Nine is already tinkering with True Story’s success, moving it to a new night and timeslot. We get it, given The Block is now dominating primetime, but surely some of the appeal of Hamish and Andy was its family audience… I wonder if this move will affect its impressive ratings? True Story will be followed by the first (repeat) episode of Kath & Kim and not, as those cheeky promos suggest, brand new episodes. This is now the third network for the foxy ladies after premiering back in 2002 on the ABC before moving to Seven. I wonder if Ten will pick them up next in a few years’ time…
The Good Fight – Wednesday on SBS
This sequel to The Good Wife opens with Diane (Christine Baranski) open-mouthed in shock as she watches Trump’s inauguration, before a life-changing event sees her switch gears and move to a new law practice. Like its predecessor, it’s another class act, albeit it with more raunchy bits thanks to it now being made for CBS All Access streaming platform instead of CBS’s much more coy free-to-air network. That means five F-bombs, lesbian sex and partial nudity in the first episode, which is almost as juicy as new cast members that include Bernadette Peters and Good Wife favourites such as Cush Jumbo (Lucca). Listen closely for one line about Alicia (Julianna Margulies), who is not part of this new show… yet.