Possession, Bite Club, Arcade, Echo Point: truly terrible Australian TV shows that we switched off
These Australian drama series once made it to television, but the streak didn’t last. Some, like Seven’s Between Two Worlds, looked promising, while others quickly stank up our screens — here’s a recap of the ambitious Aussie soaps and series that flopped.
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Today we look at 10 long forgotten Australian TV dramas that made viewers switch off.
Between Two Worlds was supposed to mark the return of the super drama to Australian TV.
This Bevan Lee-penned series promised twisted family dynamics, intrigue, tragedy, betrayal, lust, power and wealth.
It was to be Channel 7’s big hit of 2020. It was supposed to be — but it wasn’t.
Between Two Worlds launched in prime time on Sunday, July 26 to 419,000 viewers and drew 279,000 viewers the following week before being moved to the wasteland of a late night Sunday timeslot.
The expensive production is arguably the TV flop of 2020.
The cast, who were pretty much all saddled with unlikeable characters, included Hermione Norris, Philip Quast, Sara Wiseman, Aaron Jeffery, Tom Dalzell, Marney Kennedy and Andrew McFarlane. The show was promoted as being bold, daring, emotionally gripping, fast-paced and unpredictable.
I am wondering if it will end up being a guilty pleasure of the ‘it’s so bad it is good,’ kind. Between Two Worlds is hardly the first ambitious Australian drama to flop.
Here are some long forgotten Australian TV dramas that made viewers switch off.
POSSESSION (CHANNEL NINE, 1985)
In 1985 Channel 9 launched Possession, a soap about rich, conniving, scheming women, toy boys, love children, infidelity, plastic surgery, fights over inheritance, a secret agent and an assassination. It was promoted as a super soap, although its stars felt they were part of a high quality drama. The audience found it confusing and switched off. Highly-hyped it eventually limped to the end of its first and only season. Stars included Briony Behets, Darien Takle, Norman Yemm, Anne Charleston, David Reyne and Ally Fowler.
PRIME TIME (CHANNEL NINE, 1986)
Prime Time was a little watched, long-forgotten drama series which screened on Channel 9 for one season in 1986. The show was set behind the scenes at a TV station and focused on the staff and story gathering at a fictional current affairs show called Assignment. The series starred Chris Orchard, Jane Hall, Tony Hawkins, Ben Mendelsohn, Tottie Goldsmith, Peter Kowitz and Gary Sweet. The series lasted for 60 episodes and was not renewed for a second season.
ECHO POINT (CHANNEL TEN, 1995)
Channel 10 had high hopes that its TV soap Echo Point would kill off Channel 7’s Home And Away in 1995. Ten already had Neighbours doing well and the plan was that Echo Point the Ramsay Street favourite would provide a one, two punch that would knock out Home And Away. Things definitely did not work out like that. Echo Point was set in a coastal town and focused on several families and particularly on the dramas encountered by the good-looking teenagers in the community. There was, of course, a mystery that kept popping up in storylines; a long unsolved murder. The cast included many actors who went on to much grander things including Diarmid Heidenreich, Roxane Wilson, Rose Byrne, Kimberley Davenport, Jessica Napier, Martin Henderson, Louise Crawford and Tom Long. Tziporah Malkah, then known as Kate Fischer, was a guest star. Put simply the show was a flop and instead of pulling viewers away from Home And Away, the ratings of the 7 show actually increased. It was axed after one season.
BITE CLUB (CHANNEL NINE, 2018)
This was a short run series launched by Channel 9 in 2018. The premise was ridiculous with a group of shark attack survivors, named ‘Bite Club’, being targeted by a serial killer. The show looked good, with plenty of ocean shots and beach scenes and the cast including
Todd Lasance, Dominic Monaghan, Deborah Mailman, Damian Walshe-Howling, Robert Mammone and Pia Miller, was impressive. But the audience simply did not buy the storyline and did not care about the show. It came and went very quickly as a blink-and-you-miss-it one season wonder.
ARCADE (CHANNEL TEN, 1980)
Arcade has long been referred to as one of Australian TV’s greatest flops. The series, which promised to be the greatest thing since sliced bread and a sure-fire hit, launched on Channel 10 in 1980. It was set in a shopping arcade where the lives, loves and dramas of the various shop assistants and customers were supposed to create compelling characters and storylines. The set cost more than $1m — a fortune at the time. The cast included Lorrae Desmond, Peggy Toppano, Syd Heylen, Jeremy Kewley and Tracy Mann. The show was supposed to pull viewers away from its cross channel rivals: The Sullivans on 9 and Willesee at Seven. Instead those shows grew their audiences as viewers said ‘no thank you’ to Ten’s awful offering. Thirty episodes aired before the show was replaced by re-runs of M*A*S*H. I think it should be dug out of the archives and given another run just for fun.
PUNISHMENT (CHANNEL TEN, 1981)
It is hard to believe that one of Mel Gibson’s follow up roles to his star turn in Mad Max was the Channel 10 prison series, Punishment. Punishment debuted in 1981 and was meant to be a male version of Ten’s hit show Prisoner. Perhaps sensing that better options were available
to him overseas, Gibson took off after the pilot episode, but the Punishment cast was still strong featuring the likes of Barry Crocker, Brian Wenzel, Ross Thompson, Ralph Cotterill, Julie McGregor, Penne Hackforth-Jones, Kris McQuade, Anne Haddy and Cornelia Frances. After starting out with high hopes the network lost faith in its grim, dark drama and launched it in February in a Friday night timeslot. It was pulled after three episodes.
TAURUS RISING (CHANNEL NINE, 1982)
Taurus Rising was an ambitious, expensive but unsuccessful attempt by Channel 9 to create a super soap for Australia like the American hit Dynasty. The plot saw two rich, intertwined families who had made their fortunes in the construction industry and who hated each other. The name of the show, which caused no end of confusion with many viewers thinking it was a series with zodiac links, referred to the Taurus building that the families were trying to build. The show launched to lower than expected ratings in July 1982 and it was all downhill from there. Its name and ratings made references such as “Taurus flopping” irresistible. It was axed after 21 episodes. The cast included Alan Cassell, Annette Andre, Georgie Sterling, Andrew Clarke, Diane Craig and a young Damon Herriman.
STARTING OUT (CHANNEL NINE, 1982-83)
Starting Out followed the dramas of a group of young adults living in a medical college while studying and learning about love and life. It debuted on Channel 9 in April 1983 with little fanfare. It was pulled from the network’s schedule after little more than a month and naturally there was not a second season. The cast included plenty of factors who went on to build substantial careers including Peter O’Brien, David Reyne, Tottie Goldsmith and Gary Sweet, Other cast included John Hamblin, Maurie Fields, Nikki Coghill, David Clencie, Anne Phelan, Caroline Gilmer and Julie Nihill.
ABOVE THE LAW (CHANNEL 10, 2000)
Above The Law wanted to be Melrose Place on top of a police station, but it wasn’t. The Channel 10 series followed the adventures of residents living in an apartment block on top of a police station allowing for plenty of crooks, cops, vixens and victims to mix. Ten hoped the show would attract the 18-39 audience but it missed that mark and also failed to attract older viewers. It launched in February 2000 and after moving around timeslots, it disappeared in May of that year. It was a highly promoted misfire; a case of lots of hype but little love from viewers. The cast included Alyssa-Jane Cook, Nicholas Bishop, Kristy Wright, Bridie Carter and Peta Toppano.
CANAL ROAD (CHANNEL NINE, 2008)
Canal Road was the name of a medical and legal advisory centre where the lives of inner-city professionals and their patients collided on this Channel 9 drama. The 13 episode series, with a rumoured budget of $10 million, was launched in 2008 and just never clicked with
audiences. It was not soap, but more of a moody, dark drama with the central character, Spencer MacKay traumatised by the death of his wife and son and hellbent on revenge. It was pulled from Nine’s schedule after seven episodes. The remaining episodes eventually played out during a non-ratings period later in the year. The cast included Paul Leyden, Diana Glenn, Brooke Satchwell, Charlie Clausen, Peta Sergeant, Patrick Brammall and Alyssa McClelland.
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