TV’s winners and losers for 2017
PUNCHES were thrown, dummies spat, shows axed and stars sacked. It’s been a rollercoaster year for Australian television, but who were this year’s biggest winners and losers?
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PUNCHES were thrown, dummies spat, shows axed and stars sacked. That was just part of the rollercoaster year for Australian television which also saw record paydays and breakout hits.
The year’s biggest winner would have to be Lisa Wilkinson who snagged a whopping $2.3 million per year when she switched to Ten.
“The big theme in the entertainment world in the latter part of this year has been sexism and Lisa’s Ten deal fed straight into that narrative,” media analyst Steve Allen said.
“It is causing discussion to this day.”
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Contrast that to MasterChef Australia’s George Calombaris who hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when he underpaid staff and got into a stoush at the soccer.
Karl Stefanovic had a year of mixed fortunes. Same Time Next Year was a success but the Today co-host is on the nose with some viewers after his very public divorce.
“I don’t see that Karl is maturing and (making the most of) the breaks he has been given,” Allen said.
“He has had a very mixed year and I hope we see better from him in 2018.”
The breakout success of Australian Ninja Warrior and Little Big Shots has boosted the careers of Rebecca Maddern and Shane Jacobson.
Sophie Monk won hearts as The Bachelorette.
“The Bachelorette showed Sophie in a different, and better light than most opinions would have held beforehand,” Allen said.
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Here are the big winners and big losers from TV in 2017.
WINNERS
LISA WILKINSON
The former Today co-host has 2.3 million reasons to smile. When Wilkinson’s protracted contract negotiations with Channel Nine ended she was snapped up by Ten for roles including host of The Sunday Project.
SAMUEL JOHNSON
He’s been rightly lauded for his incredible charity work raising funds for cancer research, but in the TV world, Sam’s standout performance as Molly Meldrum in Seven’s telemovie earned him a Gold Logie. A popular winner who used his gold for good.
CRAIG McLACHLAN
McLachlan had reason to be angry when the ABC pulled the plug on The Doctor Blake Mysteries. But Channel Seven has come to the rescue and signed the hit Aussie crime drama for a number of telemovies.
SOPHIE MONK
The former Bardot singer won the heart of Aussie viewers with her honesty and self-deprecating humour on The Bachelorette. Ten’s reality show broke ratings records.
REBECCA MADDERN
Maddern’s switch from Seven to Nine has been a brilliant career move. First came the chance to co-host the AFL version of The Footy Show. But co-hosting Australian Ninja Warrior has taken Maddern’s popularity to a whole new level. Maddern’s baby news caps a massive year.
YVONNE SAMPSON
Sampson is used to breaking down barriers and she has done it again in 2018. Sampson is the face of Fox Sport’s new League channel which has been a massive success and forced the changes to Nine’s Jurassic NRL Footy Show.
ELYSE KNOWLES AND JOSH BARKER
The youngest team on The Block were rewarded with a $447,000 profit plus $100,000 winner’s prize when comedian Dave Hughes splashed out $3.067 million for their stunning Elsternwick house. Who said they were only on the show because of their looks?
LAWRENCE LLEWELLYN-BOWEN
Llewellyn-Bowen turned out to be House Rules’ secret weapon. The flamboyant British designer was the major reason Seven’s renovation show went up in the ratings this year.
BOY GEORGE
The chart-topping Culture Club frontman was the X factor in this year’s season of The Voice. Who didn’t love his bitchy banter with Seal.
S AM PANG
Pang likes to fly under the radar — no interviews — but he helped The Front Bar topple the AFL version of The Footy Show and is the highlight of Have You Been Paying Attention?
NICOLE KIDMAN
In Hollywood they call it a “Kidmanaissance”. Kidman’s already-stellar career went to a whole new level thanks to the multi Emmy-winning TV miniseries Big Little Lies as well as critically acclaimed Top of the Lake: China Girl and Oscar-nominated movie Lion.
CASEY DONOVAN
The former Australian Idol winner got back on the map with her stint on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! The 29-year-old charmed Aussie viewers with her lets-have-a-go attitude and became the show’s first-ever Queen of the Jungle.
SHANE JACOBSON
Jacobson had struggled to find a hit on television but that all ended with Little Big Shots. The kids’ talent show, hosted by the former Kenny star, was a ratings smash.
MAGDA SZUBANSKI
Sometimes you’ve got to use your profile for a higher cause and so it was with Szubanski. The former Kath & Kim star gained widespread respect for her strong stance on marriage equality.
LOSERS
GEORGE CALOMBARIS
Talk about a double whammy. In April the MasterChef judge was battered by the shock revelation that his restaurant group had underpaid staff by $2.6 million. In May he was charged with assault after an altercation with a Sydney FC fan. Fortunately, MasterChef Australia didn’t seem to suffer any fallout.
DARREN McMULLEN
The former Voice host had such high hopes for Behave Yourself! But the Channel Seven game show got smashed by a rampant Australian Ninja Warrior and only lasted three episodes.
MARCO PIERRE WHITE
The famed British celebrity chef had built up a lot of goodwill with his regular appearances on MasterChef Australia (even hosting MasterChef: The Professionals). But a switch to Seven for the dismal Hell’s Kitchen Australia was a misstep.
KARL STEFANOVIC
It’s hard to be as highly paid and successful as Karl and still make the ‘losers’ list, but a public divorce from his wife and recent desertion by his co-host, Lisa Wilkinson, left the Today host sitting high and dry.
JOSH MEEUWISSEN
My Kitchen Rules’ self-appointed “seafood king” was the reality contestant everyone loved to hate. No amount of bragging could cover up those 1 out of 10s from judges Pete Evans and Manu Feildel.
JOSH LAWSON
Hoges should have been massive but Seven’s miniseries, with Lawson as comedian Paul Hogan, was a major disappointment. Let’s not mention the wig.
PAUL “FATTY” VAUTIN
Channel Nine decided that something had to be done to resuscitate the NRL version of The Footy Show and Vautin was the sacrificial lamb — sacked after 23 years.
CRAIG HUTCHISON
The AFL version of The Footy Show hit crisis point in July when Sam Newman staged a silent on-air protest amid falling ratings. Hutchison was dumped as host and replaced by Eddie McGuire.
TOM ARNOLD
Was there a bigger grump on Aussie television this year than Tom Arnold? The US comedian spent all of his short time on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! in a foul mood. Later he filed a lawsuit against Ten claiming he was owed US$140,000. Good riddance.
TOM PARKER BOWLES
First it was Hotplate. Now it is Family Food Fight. Australian audiences are clearly not buying what this British food critic, and son of Camilla Parker Bowles, is serving.
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