2013 – TV flops
1. Reef Doctors
Channel Ten started spruiking Reef Doctors at their upfronts so long ago that when the series didn’t launch right away, many were speculating why. Despite the lovable Lisa McCune playing a leading role, the show failed to find an audience. Appearing in a 6.30pm timeslot, the series first episode rated just 357,000. It then disappeared from the schedule.
2. Can of Worms
The return of Ten’s panel show Can Of Worms managed just 351,000 capital city viewers beaten by Ten’s afternoon soap The Bold And The Beautiful on the same day which drew 416,000, according to preliminary OzTAM ratings.
3. Recipe to Riches
While the concept sounded like a marketer’s wet dream – David ‘Nobby’ Nobay a judge! – the series did little for Australian audiences. The show debuted to 616,000 viewers and went downhill from there.
4. The Mole
While The Mole returned to 864,000 viewers in July this year, by it’s third outing, it had dropped to 357,000 viewers. Seven acted quickly to schedule double episodes of the series in the highly sought after 9.30pm Wednesday timeslot. You can’t dominate with every program, Seven.
5. Wonderland
It should have been the Secret Life of Us for the naughties but Wonderland was a fizzer for Ten. A decent start of 948,000 viewers soon turned to the series running a mid season final in November with a further nine episodes yet to air. It rated 626,000 metro viewers according to preliminary data from OzTam. While Ten spruiked the show at its 2014 programming launch, will it really be back in the new year?
6. MasterChef: The Professionals
Ten made the decision to go early and launch MasterChef: The Professionals before the official ratings year began. While the network wanted to get the jump, instead it got jumped when Seven and Nine came out of the gates swinging with My Kitchen Rules and The Block. MasterChef: The Professionals may have debuted with 1.165m viewers but the series dipped to as low as 533,000 viewers and finished with 1.06m, a poor showing compared to previous MasterChef season finales.
7. Celebrity Splash
While it debuted with solid metro ratings of 1.315m viewers, Celebrity Splash took a dive on its second episode to 1.045m. It began to sink for Seven and bowed out with just 650,000 viewers proving the critics who said the novelty factor would wear off rather rapidly.
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There is little doubt that the whole MasterChef thing has gone stale and TEN has trashed the brand thru overuse. Last year I remember seeing the show premiere in my motel room whilst on holiday and many months later in August or September it was still going. People got so sick of MasterChef that they tuned out in droves. It is typical of the mindset of a TV network which has such a rotten, couldn’t give a stuff attitude that they show a 1980s cartoon series right in the middle of their news and current affairs programs every night.
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@Aussie, I presume you’re referring to the Simpsons? I’ve worked at 10 in the past and whenever anyone moved the Simpsons from that coveted 6pm slot, we would be inundated with people calling to complain.
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The Simpsons have gone downhill last few years. Surprised anyone still watches it.
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Channel Ten with flops #1, #2, #3, #5, #6
Thats 5 of the 7 biggest flops of the year, how sad (for them).
Why is it some new programming works, and others do not?
I wonder what gives 7/9 the secret sauce that Ten doesnt have.
I think also for the first time ever, total people, ABC outrated Ten in 2013.
Ten officially our 4th channel now.
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Channel 10 clearly need to Wake Up
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