The Coroner/The Halcyon – Saturday 7.30pm/8.30pm on ABC
No matter what Aunty screens on a Saturday night, it rates its pants off so expect these two Brit dramas to do the same, despite both being recently axed. The Coroner, which was made for BBC daytime but gets a primetime upgrade down under, begins its second series while The Halcyon is an ITV effort that was supposed to fill the gap left by Downton Abbey. Despite the lush setting (a 5 star hotel in London), a period setting (WWII) and a top cast (including a revealing turn from EastEnders’ Kara Tointon coming out of a bathtub), this just didn’t capture enough viewers to warrant its huge production costs. And worst of all, after eight episodes, it finishes with a cliffhanger, never to be resolved.
Married At First Sight – Monday 7.30pm on Nine
It’s the big finale for the first show ever to beat My Kitchen Rules. And while MKR just goes on and on and on, MAFS wraps up before Easter. And it’s probably just as well, given most of the couples have broken up and producers must be running out of ways to keep it running. Will at least one couple find true love? Or will that be left to the double episode of House Husbands that airs afterwards at 8.40pm and FINALLY features Delta Goodrem as a leather-clad bikie (she’s playing a rebel in case that’s not obvious enough for you). Will her new teacher character at least live happily ever after with Hugh Sheridan?
Stargazing Live – Tuesday-Thursday 8.30pm on ABC
This is the seventh year for British physicist Brian Cox but the first time he has explored the sky from down under. The BBC has already seen a version of this, hosted by Irish comedian Dara O’Briain – but locally we are getting the busy Julia Zemiro. Could this extra show, on top of Home Delivery and RocKwiz, have finally been one gig too many that caused her to quit Eurovision? Let’s hope for clear skies.
Wentworth – Tuesday 8.30pm on showcase
Bea Smith is dead. Sorry, but there’s no other way to put it any more after that shocking season ender last year. This audacious plot twist, killing off the show’s central character, opens up intriguing new plotlines as Joan Ferguson has to face the women after stabbing their favourite Top Dog. Danielle Cormack (Bea) has deservedly been nominated for Most Outstanding Actress but it’s a shame that Pamela Rabe (The Freak) has missed out this year for her truly menacing performance.
You Can’t Ask That – Thursday 9.30pm on ABC
This 10-minute interstitial from last year returns with a whole new set of minority groups talking about what they put up with and what they get asked when it comes to their various disabilities, ethnicities or situations. The first episode kicks off with vision-impaired participants and it’s great to see this interesting show getting upgraded to a half-hour slot.