Enduring the new reality that is prime-time viewing
So it has finally comes to this. I guess it was inevitable. We now have a reality TV show about people watching TV. But if you believe the arrival of Googlebox NZ marks the hightide mark of reality shows dominating free-to-air television, do yourself a favour and don’t look at what’s coming to the likes of TVNZ and Three during the next month.
As well as the finales of the multi-month, multi-night MasterChef Australia and The Block NZ, a second season of Married at First Sight NZ gets underway before the end of the month and TVNZ has a new round of My Kitchen Rules NZ waiting in the wings.
Bizarrely that’s likely to go almost head-to-head against one of its two new shows (albeit based on established and muchloved overseas formats) The Great New Zealand Bake Off. Plus, a Heidi Klum-and-TimGunn-free Kiwi version of Project Runway is about to be unfurled.
But while the return or the arrival of these shows to primetime is hardly a surprise (they are essentially the TV equivalent of movie franchises), it does highlight just how risk-averse our two main free-to-air networks have become (and how much we have to blame New Zealander Noeline Donaher for allowing cameras into her home for 1992’s Sylvania Waters).
Reality TV is cheaper to make than scripted drama (contestants are much less-expensive than real actors and writer input is far less – or at least that’s what we’re led to believe) or comedy and the familiar formats and identifiable brands mean it doesn’t matter how bad the show is (and let’s be honest the latest series of The Block NZ has literally been about as exciting as watching paint dry), viewers will watch them in droves just to see ‘‘ordinary Kiwis’’ put themselves ‘‘out there’’.
Plus, there’s the added allure to networks of product placement, or integrated content, to help pay for the programme.
Looking at the prime-time programming for the week starting September 29 makes for somewhat depressing reading. Of the 31.5 hours (7pm to 10.30pm each night) on the evening schedules, only eight of them are given over to non-current affairs, reality or ‘‘lifestyle TV’’ on TVNZ1 (and three of those are Coronation St). Meanwhile, on Three, the number is only three (although that doesn’t include unscripted comedy shows like 7 Days or Jono and Ben).
And the total of prime-time New Zealand drama for the week? Six episodes of TVNZ2’s soap Shortland Street, which has seen off virtually all newcomers (except Three’s Outrageous Fortune/Westside franchise) since its inception in 1992.
New Zealand though is really just an example of global TV trends in microcosm. One only has to look at the recent Emmy results for proof of that. Of the 26 awards, none of the shows screen on free-to-air here (except when Sky TV shows like Game of Thrones eventually get a run on Prime) and very few do so in the US.
The comedy and drama nominations are divvied up between the likes of satellite/ streaming service providers HBO, Showtime and Netflix. Essentially now, if you want to avoid reality and lifestyle programming you need to embrace streaming.
But there is some hope. Three’s Comedy Pilot Week is a bold attempt to try to generate some free-to-air viewer interest in scripted comedy, with five Kiwi sitcoms trying to win enough favour/ratings/acclaim to become a series. It’s an initiative that should be applauded and maybe something that could be applied to other genres.
Until that happens though, it looks like those wedded to freeto-air will just have to endure this new reality.