The biggest TV flops of 2012
In this roundup from the Encore and Mumbrella Annual, we present the year’s biggest TV flops.
1. Everybody Dance Now
Rumoured to have cost in excess of $10m, Everybody Dance Now was the biggest flop of 2012. From host Sarah Murdoch’s stiff delivery to the flawed format, the show was a write off from episode one. Ten were keen to turn it around, shortening the episodes and rejigging the show’s structure, but not even Murdoch’s pleas on Twitter to get the public to give it another shot were enough to save this disaster.
2. Bikie Wars
From the producers of Underbelly, Bikie Wars should have delivered. Instead it gave us bad wigs, bad acting and was a poor man’s Sons of Anarchy.
3. I Will Survive
How could a talent show with the ultimate goal being to play the part of a drag queen in a stage show possibly be a ratings bomb? Rumour has it that Ten insiders were struggling to get the public on board with what they called “the gay show”.
4. Ten Breakfast
Ten’s foray into the lucrative breakfast time slot was not the big money spinner the network had hoped for. Despite Kiwi import Paul Henry’s controversial on-air comments, a reworking of the format as well as a reduction in the length of the program, the program languished, pulling no more than 50,000 viewers on any given day. It was finally put out of its misery in November.
5. The Shire
The controversial “dramality” was making headlines from the moment a teaser was leaked, yet all that talk, and fake tan, failed to convert to viewers.
6. Tricky Business
Not even Shane Bourne could save Nine’s attempt to mimic Seven family drama and ratings boon Packed to the Rafters. The network bounced the show around its schedule until it petered out with a depressing double episode finale which limped to the finish line with just 311,000 and 220,000 viewers a piece.
7. Being Lara Bingle
The fly on the wall reality series about Aussie model Lara Bingle opened to an audience just shy of one million but bled viewers over the course of its short run, bowing out with just 387,000.
- This list first appeared in the Encore and Mumbrella Annual available in the App store and on Google Play.
So in summary, the biggest flop of 2012 was Channel 10
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I can’t wait until we get a decent on-demand streaming service that kills network television for good. Its slow, painful death is hard to watch (literally).
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Harsh on Bikie Wars, I agree the wigs did let it down, but it wasn’t the scond worst show of the year ahead of Breakfast, The Shire and Bingle.
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Who compiled this list? Is it one person’s opinion? Poll? All the staff of Encore and Mumbrella?
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How is Excess Baggage not on the list?!
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what about Excess Baggage? have we forgotten about Q1!
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Don’t tell the Bride? Performed much worse than BLB and Tricky Business.
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Don’t agree with Bikie Wars being in there! Do agree with Tricky Business, Excess Baggage and Dont tell the bride.
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What about Randling? – a very lame attempt to replace Spicks n Specks
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What about “Brynne: My Bedazzled Life”? That rated badly after the first episode. Also the “Kochie’s Angels” segment on Seven – totally redundant and sexist.
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Looks like Ten were the only ones really trying… guess you gotta be prepared to fail if you want to succeed? Pity the content wasn’t more original. Looks to me like the networks have finally got the message… the game has changed, NBN should really sort things out in 2013!
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what’s this list based on?? Totally dont agree with Bikie Wars, thought it was a really high quality production and quite compelling… The others are obvious choices… Excess Baggage deserves a mention as does Brynne… Tricky Business was not bad either
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Online streaming business will create thousands of jobs like the free to air television i don`t think so.
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I can’t believe The Shire isn’t in the top 3 quite frankly!
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Don’t knock QI, it’s a great show, and I really mean that!
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The big question on the year is will SBS actually beat channel 10 at any point? 7.3 vs 5.4 last Friday night. They are within striking distance.
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I agree with the others. Bikie Wars should not be on this list!
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Excess Baggage was appalling television. If you add that to Everybody Dance Now, AGT and I Will Survive, does that mean that Fremantle Media became the “shit” factory of Australian television???
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At least Lara Bingle got her gear off. That makes good TV in my book.
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Excess Baggage is a serious omission. Pulled before it even reached the start of ratings.
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Young Talent Time?
It’s a Knockout?
Poor Channel 10!
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I’m joining the chorus… Bikie Wars was pretty laughable, but I’d be fairly certain it outrated Excess Baggage, which means you are incorrect to put it on a ‘Biggest Flops’ list.
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Hi Rob,
The list was compiled by Brooke Hemphill, editor of Encore, with input from the team at Mumbrella and Encore.
These types of lists are necessarily somewhat subjective, and sparking a bit of debate is no bad thing.
Cheers,
Cathie – Mumbrella and Encore
Sparking debate is one thing, making calls that make it look like your not completely across the subject is another.
Probably should have been flagged more as an opinion piece rather than “roundup from the Encore and Mumbrella Annual”..
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