A Mick Molloy comedy and new reno and quiz shows: Seven unveils 2026 programs
A yet-to-be-named comedy by Mick Molloy, a wildlife series featuring Dr Chris Brown, a quiz show hosted by Shane Jacobson, as well as music documentaries, the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and returning hits such as The Voice and Farmer Wants a Wife lead Seven’s programs for 2026.
The Seven Network revealed its line-up at Randwick Racecourse on Wednesday afternoon, with a schedule heavy on sport, news, game shows and reality. Much like rival network Nine*, which announced its 2026 programs last week, Seven is leaning on tried and trusted personalities and formats. And, like Nine, Seven didn’t announce any new local scripted drama or comedy, with the long-running soap Home and Away their only confirmed scripted series.
Mick Molloy and Glenn Robbins star in a yet-to-be-named comedy show premiering on Seven next year.
There was little detail about Molloy’s comedy series, only that it was a new format and would feature Glenn Robbins and “funny friends” as guests. Molloy’s sports comedy panel show The Front Bar, which he co-hosts with Sam Pang and Andy Maher, will also return.
Also doing double duty on the network is Brown, who will return to his veterinarian roots with Once in a Lifetime. Brown will embark on “global wildlife journeys” with personalities such as Amanda Keller, Kate Ritchie and Matt Preston acting as Brown’s “untrained and unqualified veterinary assistants”, according to Seven.
Brown will also host My Reno Rules, a new renovation series featuring “four hardworking teams of Aussie battlers going head-to-head, breathing new life into two neighbouring rundown houses in a picturesque Melbourne suburb”. The judging panel will include Love It or List It’s Neale Whitaker and buyers’ agent Simon Cohen, who first appeared on Amazon Prime Video’s Luxe Listings Sydney.
Dr Chris Brown hosts two shows next year: My Reno Rules and wildlife show Once In A Lifetime.
Seven – and Brown – will be hoping My Reno Rules will be more successful than their last joint building project, My Dream Home, which was reportedly axed this year after just one season.
The other new format announced on Wednesday was the quiz show Caught in the Middle, in which two contestants compete against 100 others, who will appear on a giant screen in the studio. Over 15 rounds, the pair must “outsmart the crowd by picking answers that match as many rivals as possible”.
Other new shows include SAS: Australia v England, which will pit seven Australian celebrities against seven UK celebrities (no names have been revealed, Seven confirmed Ant Middleton would not be hosting), and First Dates Australia, which is billed as a “fresh take” on the successful British dating format. The reality show has previously aired on Seven, with four seasons running from 2016, before it was cancelled in 2020. It then aired on Network 10 for one season in 2022.
Two music documentaries – Tina Arena: Unravel Me and The Mental As Anything Story were also announced, along with returning seasons of ratings winners My Kitchen Rules, The 1% Club, The Chase Australia, Highway Patrol, Border Security: Australia’s Front Line and Off the Grid with Colin and Manu. The Logies were also confirmed for next year, but no host was announced.
The Glasgow Commonwealth Games – a last-minute replacement after Victoria withdrew from hosting the Games – will be broadcast from July.
There are no real changes on the sporting front, with AFL and cricket spread throughout the year, starting with the first Ashes Test in Perth on November 21, as well as the Big Bash League and the Women’s Big Bash League. The AFL kicks off in February with AFL Origin, followed by the men’s and women’s competitions and the Brownlow Medal broadcast.
Seven also trumpeted the success of their free streaming service 7Plus, which they said had “1.4 million new registrations, [with] daily active users up 31 per cent”.
*Nine is the owner of this masthead.
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