Monaghan: ‘Networks will only break through with domestic product’
At the recent launch party of Underbelly: Razor, Alice Terlikowski of Encore’s sister publication, Mumbrella spoke with Des Monaghan, executive director of Screentime, Jo Horsburgh, head of drama at Nine and Danielle Cormack, who plays one of two female protagonists, Kate Leigh.
Both Monaghan and Horsburgh praised the quality of Australian drama of recent years, improving beyond our imported counterparts.
Monaghan: “The quality has improved out of sight, we all get better the more chance we have to do it and thanks to the producer offset we’re getting to do more. It’s such a competitive environment now, the networks know that only way they’ll break through is by domestic product. They aren’t going to do it through imported shows, it has to be domestic shows. At the moment we’ve got hugely successful non-fiction shows, so called reality shows but they never are, and top drama series, so it’s a particularly healthy environment for TV, particularly drama.”
Acknowledging Nine’s ‘Home of Comedy’ tagline fell flat with the shows ratings, Horsburgh hoped Razor, in the second half of the year would reinvigorate Nine as the home of drama.
Horsburgh: “Nine has always delivered big drama, big landscape drama, rather than kitchen sink drama, which all have their place but Nine happens to be the home of landscape drama. And Razor and Underbelly to my mind are landscape dramas. I think we’ll continue to deliver that kind of drama. In terms of comedy, it was a different area, comedy is very difficult but we’ll keep delivering projects or programs up to the audience and in the end it’s up the audience to vote and if it doesn’t work you go back to the drawing board.”
Wow..these guys actually think that what they are producing is of a quality that can hold its own with “The Wire”, “Mad Men”, “Breaking Bad” etc etc reality check please..the last Underbelly files, three movies were utterly woeful. I don’t blame the writers I blame Line Producers for rushing production and Producers who really think that every idea they have is “gold”. I’m not sure we’ve improved out of sight..Blue Murder made in 1995 is still way ahead of the underbelly series in every facet of production. by all means make more domestic product, but maybe Producers should back off the bus and let writers do what they do best..write…and while I’m at it..a constant rotation of new writing voices would stimulate the dramatic landscape..especially in Landscape drama..with regard to producing consistent quality..we have a long way to go. And comedy..why are we so crap at making it? again its a writing problem..more funding for writers..and we’ll have a larger slate of ideas, concepts to draw from.
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Doug, couldn’t agree more. If writers were able to have the time and money to deliver good quality they would. I am a working writer and there is never enough time. I know some brilliant writers (including Ian David who wrote Blue Murder) but they just find it hard finding good vehicles. And yes, we really need to get more talent into the pool – we can only do that by having attachments on every show as a rule and that they shadow writers. There
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