Home and Away (Seven) just celebrated their 35th milestone, but when asked by TV Tonight why Seven was ignoring that, head of scheduling Brook Hall explained there was “nervousness” about “highlighting its age” because their viewers want “shiny and new”.
That would be fine if Home and Away was way ahead in its time slot, but at 7pm Australia’s #1 drama is locked in a ratings battle with A Current Affair (Nine). One way of increasing its viewership might be luring back former fans, where some acknowledgement about Summer Bay’s legacy would be welcomed.
There is never such nervousness from the ambitious Kiwi series Shortland Street (SBS Viceland). It finished its 30th year with the entire hospital on fire as a bushfire bore down on Auckland. Hugely impressive and one hell of a cliffhanger as it went on its summer break last December.
Shortland Street was being rebuilt as it returned for 2023, but after just two weeks on air, it’s coming to an abrupt end for Aussie viewers. Frankly, it would have been less cruel to have finished it with that fire, but fans must be used to such treatment given the show has shuffled around SBS (1994), Foxtel (1997), ABC (2010) and 7TWO (2015).
Why have so many tried to make Shortland Street work? It’s partly due to a desperate need for content, but it’s also because NZ dramas count as Aussie content under a free trade loophole. Wonder if that will continue with the new cultural policy from Arts Minister Tony Burke?
It’s so lazy and disrespectful to use Kiwi series in this way and not even try to make them work. Shortland Street was re-launched in 2021 with some fun publicity about its most bonkers storylines, but that was never going to be enough, especially while it was being moved around in dumb and dumber time slots.
Shortland Street should have been re-positioned as a 6.30pm alternative after Neighbours finished, given some of my friends are still adrift without their Ramsay Street regularity. Neighbours classics might fill that gap (from February 23, Amazon Prime) until new episodes air later this year.
Margot Robbie as Donna Freedman on Neighbours
7Plus devoted a Fast TV channel over summer to Home and Away Classics, which included classics from 2022. Seriously. That is as cynical as Nine dropping Days Of Our Lives after 45 years, then airing one-year-old repeats in the same timeslot that it now airs on Foxtel.
No soap fan wants to re-watch episodes from just 12 months ago, so give us some classics or don’t bother. And let’s see where New Zealand’s most iconic soap ends up next. Ka nui te aroha, Shortland Street.
Read more Mercado on TV columns here.
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