Ten seeks to cook up more success

The Ten Network is hoping to keep the big audience its new-look MasterChef ­series has attracted with the latest instalment of How to Stay Married.

Lisa McCune and Peter Helliar return in season two of How To Stay Married on Network Ten

The Ten Network is hoping to keep the big television audience its new-look MasterChef ­series has attracted with the latest instalment of How to Stay Married, featuring actress Lisa McCune and comedian Peter Helliar.

McCune, best known for her work on hit TV shows Blue Heelers and Sea Patrol, says the locally produced series will appeal to families, particularly as they juggle home and work balance during the coronavirus crisis.

“I think it’s family viewing. There’s a lot of material in there that a lot of people will recognise because it is their life,” McCune told The Australian. “It’s like holding a mirror to society.”

The 49-year-old mother of three said the show was “kind of similar” to her life. “I try and balance where I can being a mum and life,” she said.

Helliar created the show, which is about a middle-aged couple with two kids who are floundering, with both looking to turn-things around. The show even touches on a possible family cruise as a stress relief, which McCune finds ironic given it was filmed last spring, well before the Ruby Princess coronavirus drama in Sydney.

McCune describes Helliar, who is also a children’s author, as a “really humble family man with a great sense of humour”.

“It’s a really lovely, easy show. It doesn’t try too hard.”

With McCune’s theatre work on ice at the moment, she spends most mornings doing some exercise with about a dozen industry friends on Zoom. She’s also enjoying watching Lego-building competition show Lego Masters with her kids on the Nine Network and Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery on the ABC.

Before the COVID-19 crisis, the four-time Gold Logie winner was performing in Bell Shakespeare’s production of Hamlet at the Sydney Opera House.

Once some social-distancing restrictions are lifted, McCune ­expects TV and film production to resume before live theatre because of the sheer number of people involved and large audience present. The debut of the second season of How to Stay Married on May 5 comes as Ten enjoys a spike in ratings with MasterChef, The Project and Australian Survivor.

The launch episode of the 12th season of MasterChef, featuring new judges Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen, plus world-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay, attracted an audience of 1.23 million across the five metropolitan cities on April 13, the biggest launch episode since 2015.

Its debut was also more popular than the first episode of Nine’s hit reality dating show, Married At First Sight, which had a metro audience of 1.15 million on February 3. Nine recently filled the void left by MAFS with the second season of Lego Masters.

This year, the Seven Network has really struggled to attract a big audience during the key evening timeslot from Sunday to Wednesday after its long-running cooking competition program, My Kitchen Rules: The Rivals, was thrashed by MAFS. Its new dog-grooming reality show, Pooch Perfect, with actress Rebel Wilson, also received a lukewarm response from viewers, who have more choice than ever thanks to the explosion of streaming services such as Netflix and Stan.

However, Seven executives are hoping its rebooted Big Brother, hosted by Sonia Kruger, will pay off handsomely when it makes its long-awaited debut in June.