Iconic Aussie shows that need a comeback

CHANNEL Nine has put a smile on our faces bringing back SeaChange. But there’s plenty more TV gold to resurrect.

THE announcement on Wednesday of SeaChange’s return to television in 2019 is sure to be a rating’s boon for Channel Nine.

But it has us thinking about all the other Aussie shows that need to be resurrected. Producers: consider this your first draft.

MORE: SeaChange makes surprise return to our screens

Well done Channel Nine. We want more of this please.

1. FRONTLINE

The current affairs show parody, starring Rob Sitch as host and professional moron Mike Moore, only ran for three seasons, from 1994 until 1997, although repeats can still be seen on the ABC. And you know something — it really holds up. The characters, including Jane Kennedy as co-host Brooke Vandenberg and Steve Bisley as executive producer “Prowsey”, are still as sharp and hilarious as they were 19 years ago. So let’s bring it back.

There’s certainly enough fodder on at the moment. Brooke can jealously complain about Meghan Markle’s smug banana bread, “It didn’t even look that fresh!” while Mike can report on the Wentworth by-election and “precious” Alex Turnbull throwing his privilege around — and then interrupt himself to ask for a new supply of activated almonds. Dr Kerryn Phelps can make a stunt cameo. The time is ripe — Working Dog, give the people what they want.

Remind you of any real life newsroom? How good would Brooke Vandenberg be covering the Royals?

2. THE SECRET LIFE OF US

Australia’s love letter to Generation X lasted four seasons, from 2001-2005 and managed to be both moving and funny while keeping it extremely, authentically real. But then all the core characters moved on, (because as any actor worth his Logie knows, if you want a career, you’ve got to go to LA, or failing that, Dancing With The Stars).

And while we can’t blame them, we could really do with an update on where everyone ended up. They can call it Open Secrets and make it a miniseries — just four or five episodes in a documentary style, interviewing each character about where they are in life and how they remember their 20s. Making it a miniseries ensures you can get hold of Joel Edgerton between movies and Claudia Karvan between yoga poses.

Before he was a big time Hollywood director Joel Edgerton pulled beers on The Secret Life Of Us.

3. ROUND THE TWIST

If you weren’t there of an afternoon, singing along to the, frankly, nonsensical lyrics, (a total earworm performed by star Tamsin West), then we must ask: Were you even alive in the ’90s? Sure, most people might argue that there are only so many times the nasty old businessman Harold Gribble can bully Tony Twist and his motherless kids into selling their haunted lighthouse before it becomes boring, but not the writers of Round The Twist! Bless their hearts, they made that the plot of every single episode.

But nostalgia is a strange beast, and there are those who’d happily sit through another episode of poor man’s Scooby Doo again, so let’s reboot it, only this time, can we put just a tiny bit more effort into the special effects? Some of those ghosts looked like they were leftovers from a school overhead projector presentation.

The Queen visited the set of Round The Twist back in 2000. Clearly they worked some magic on her too as she looks exactly the same as she did nearly 20 years ago. Picture: Mark Smith

4. HEARTBREAK HIGH

If the buzz surrounding Netflix’s All The Boys I’ve Loved Before tells us anything, it’s that you never get over a TV show about high school, and there was none better in the summer of 1994 than Heartbreak High. (There were plenty that were better, just none at that particular moment). So let’s get Alex Dimitriades out of whatever theatre production he’s currently working on and let’s get him back to Hartley High. He can be a teacher, and so can Abi Tucker. Let’s have them fall in love and have about five rebellious, grunge rock singing, motorbike riding, nose-ring-wearing kids to make them proud.

If you didn’t have an opinion on Drazic did you even live through the ’90s?

5. Blue Heelers

Your nan’s fave, and the only time your mother got to put her feet up, was also the recipient of five Logie awards. Some might call it A Country Practice with a cop shop and if they’re right, I’d rather be wrong because you don’t have a TV series running for 12 seasons without a bit of genius.

The core of that genius, as we all know, was a lady by the name of Lisa McCune. Her wholesome spirit lives on in other Channel 7 personalities like Melissa Doyle, Rebecca Gibney and Sam Armytage. It’s not that McCune is dead — she’s thriving. Indeed, she recently took herself on a song tour. It’s just that nobody loves a wholesome blond woman more than Channel 7.

So let’s have her back, preferably in a show with Gibney. They can play half-sisters who meet for the first time at their dad’s funeral, (played by Graeme Blundell in a series of flashbacks). They descend upon a small coastal town, (see: recent reboot of SeaChange) and are forced to live together in their father’s house while they fight over the will. Dad’s name was Bluey. They can call the show Blue Rafters. Problem solved. Now go tell Nan it’s on.

Lisa McCune showed time and time again the ’90s was a time where the sweet girl next door won every time. And she did — she’s got four Gold Logies at home.

— Natalie Reilly is a freelance journalist (TV showrunners FYI: she’s ready with more ideas). Follow her on Twitter: @thatnatreilly