Em Rusciano slams Ten over Pilot Week line-up: ‘Poor form’

RADIO host and comedian Em Rusciano has responded to Network Ten’s Pilot Week line-up announcement. She’s furious, and she isn’t the only one.

EM RUSCIANO has blasted Network Ten over its inaugural Pilot Week line-up, branding its decision to pick up only male-led shows as “poor form”.

The 2DayFM radio host was echoing the sentiment of Hit Network stablemate Jane Kennedy — of Triple M’s Kennedy and Molloy — who wrote a scathing tweet following a Herald Sun report detailing what was in the works at Ten.

Reposting Kennedy’s tweet on Instagram, Rusciano pointed out that she and “15 other women” had ideas for shows — but only “straight, white, men” had been chosen.

Comedian and regular The Project panellist Meshel Laurie also vented her frustration at the lack of female hosts.

To be honest babe, I’m over it. Can’t be bothered spending my time and energy begging for a seat at a table where I’m not valued. I put my efforts into other places now.

— Meshel Laurie (@Meshel_Laurie) July 22, 2018

Among Ten’s eight pilots is a show called Taboo, hosted by Rusciano’s former co-host, Harley Breen.

Breen, who’s now starring in a new TV series, was once Rusciano’s 2DayFM co-host.

The others include Dave, a semi-autobiographical sitcom starring Dave O’Neil, an Australian version of Comedy Central’s Drunk History, Disgrace!, a series hosted by former Labor politician Sam Dastyari which recaps the week’s scandals, Trial By Kyle, a Judge Judy-esque show starring Kyle Sandilands with The Bachelor’s Anna Heinrich in a supporting role, Kinne Tonight by comedian Troy Kinne, and Bring Back … Saturday Night — a variety show starring Rove McManus.

News.com.au has contacted Ten for comment.

Sandilands’ show has been picked up by Ten. Picture: Twitter

Rusciano has vented her frustration at not being able to land her own TV show in the past.

Speaking to Wil Anderson’s Wilosophy podcast earlier this year, she said she felt she needed “to be smaller, to be less” in order to have a career in entertainment.

“From the get-go, I was way too ‘big’ for anything … On the telly, I was only allowed on The Project for like 30 seconds at a time for the metro whip-around,” Rusciano said.

“I can’t get on the TV here, they will not let me on. Like, (Hughesy, We Have A Problemhost) Dave Hughes is the first person on a TV show to invite me on and I was there as an equal. I cried when I got the invite.”

She also explained that she’d already come up with a plan for a weekly variety show and had “pitched it to so many networks”.

“I want to make an old-school 1970s variety TV show. So, like, Graham Kennedy, Judy Garland, Graham Norton, Ellen all combined — but I’m obviously always in a ball gown,” Rusciano told Anderson.

“And I want a band and I want a drag queen serving margaritas. And I want guests to come on and I want them to give me a song from their childhood that we’ll perform together with the band. And then they’ll tell stories.”

She added: “That’s all I want in the world and it’s what everything I’ve done has been centred towards doing.”