Jane the virgin 4:30
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When Jane Villanueva was a young girl, her grandmother, Alba, convinced her of two things: telenovelas are the highest form of entertainment, and women must protect their virginity at all costs. Now age 23, Jane is a driven young woman with wonderful fianc. All of Jane's meticulous life plans are turned upside down, however, when she is accidentally artificially inseminated. Courtesy The CW Television Network.
- news.com.au
- 10 Nov 2014
- News
IT’S a sad tradition that during the festive season — even before the end of the official ratings year — television becomes a vast wasteland. And by the time the Boxing Day Test at the MCG arrives many of us have turned the TV itself into a more useful new coffee table.
ADS, REPEATS, DELAYS ...What you hate about TV
TV NETWORKS: Where have all the viewers gone?
But sometimes there’s a Christmas miracle. And it might be this year.
None of the networks, the ABC included, can really afford to just switch off anyway. And not all of us want an unrelieved diet of cricket followed by cricket.
As it happens, there is going to be plenty to watch. You just might have to look a bit harder.
The cricket is back ... Obviously. But for everyone else, read on. Source: News Limited
NINE
Cricket: OK. So there’s Twenty20 Internationals, One Day Internationals, the Test, the One Day Series. Conceivably, you could watch only cricket all summer. Now until February.
Mysteries of Laura: Debra Messing from Will and Grace plays a detective and — they always mention this bit — a single mother. Funny and appealing and doing OK in the US. Starts soon.
WILL AND GRACE: Things you never knew
The Following: The creepy (and sort of stupid if you think about it) but pretty watchable show about how serial killers are all linked. Didn’t a lot of the cast die in the first season? Or were buried alive? Kevin Bacon’s still alive, and that’s the main thing. And James Purefoy … shudder. Starts soon.
High body count ... Kevin Bacon’s foray on to the small screen is back. Source: Supplied
Person Of Interest: The hardcore fanbase of this show about … something to do with numbers and a big computer will want to know this: Season four starts over summer. No date yet. Soon though.
Gotham: The show about the story behind Commissioner Gordon will stay on — and with new episodes — over summer.
Carols by Candlelight: Because we can’t afford electricity anymore? Yes. And candlelight is very flattering. Hosted by Lisa Wilkinson and David Campbell. No f@#king way does Karl do these. Expect to see whoever came second and third on The Voice. And probably also first. Christmas Eve.
TEN
Big Bash League: The saviour. Of course, this depends how you feel about cricket. But it’s on almost every night from mid-December til the end of January, so there’s also that. New to the commentary box this season are England cricketers Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen will also be playing in the opener in Adelaide when his team the Melbourne Stars take on the Strikers. Flintoff is playing for Brisbane Heat. Starts Thursday December 18, on Ten and
ONE
Ten is also keeping most of its high quality yet inexplicably low-rating US dramas going til the end of the year, including Tyrant, The Good Wife, Homeland, NCIS: New Orleans, Supernatural, Hawaii Five-0 and American Horror Story Freak Show (on Eleven). It also has new episodes of Jamie Oliver — because you’ll need them — and The Graham Norton Show.
Terrifying ... American Horror Story returns for its fourth season. Source: Channel 10
ABC
Countdown: Do Yourself a Favour: Seven needn’t bother doing their Molly Meldrum series, not now. This is fantastic, funny and crazy, with wall-to-wall satin and stars, then and now (a highlight, even for republicans, is Prince Charles.) Apparently the first episode wasn’t “lost” after all (taped over, was the talk for years) and shows Sherbet in full colour, as recorded, although it was screened in black and white, performing Silvery Moon live. Is Daryl Braithwaite Australia’s greatest singer? No need to answer. The show’s 40th anniversary is today. (note Saturday) Starts Sunday November 16.
The big 4-0 ... Aussie songman Daryl Braithwaite helps Countdown ring in its fortieth. Source: Supplied
Cilla: As in Cilla Black. Who? Yes, there’ll be a bit of that. But for people who love/loved her, Sheridan Smith — last seen here as Mrs Biggs — could hardly be better. The false teeth must’ve helped. Starts Sunday November 16.
A Country Road: The Nationals: What was it again that spawned Clive Palmer? This party, now in a married rut with the ironically-named Liberals. This nostalgic documentary remembers its halcyon days when it had real influence and how it all unravelled, and hears from all the leaders, and the players. Starts Tuesday November 25.
Sign us up ... Pride and Prejudice plus murder equals addictive viewing. Source: Supplied
Death Comes to Pemberley: Two things: Pride and Prejudice and a big PD James book. This is Darcy (Matthew Rhys, hot) and Elizabeth now married and throwing their annual ball and there’s dancing and everyone’s gay and — OMG SOMEONE’S BEEN MURDERED. If you can be sure of anything in life it’s this show. Starts Friday November 28.
Healing: Men will like this. Depressed men. Men who’ve done time. Men who are technically middle-aged and men who are middle-aged in their head. Men who like birds. Big glorious birds. Also women who like those men. Hugo Weaving and Don Hany are in it. It’s set in a prison. Sunday November 23.
Miracle in the Desert: And a two-fer Sunday special on Don Hany who at the same time will be on ABC2 as Robert Bogucki, the American who in 1999 thought — get this — he’d “make peace with God” by going for a walk in the Great Sandy Desert. Forty-three days and 20 kilos lighter — and indeed possibly closer to “God” — he was found. By A Current Affair.
Windswept ... Don Hany will appear in Miracle in the Desert and Healing on SBS. Source: Supplied
Seven
Castle: Kind of like Bones — attractive bantering couple solve appointed weekly murder — only homelier and with a smaller cast. And no actual bones. New episodes coming soon.
Bones: CGI times CSI minus The Who music. Heavy on dripping brain fluid and medical jargon but the killer is still always just some grub. New episodes soon.
Coastwatch Oz: Can’t get away to the beach? This will just about do it. Just about. And so very much cheaper. You’ve seen Border Security Patrol Watch. This is prettier.
Resurrection: For a show with so much whirling mystery and sadness then happiness then sadness again, this should be much, much more emotionally wrenching. Still. Even though this ends when the ratings year ends there’ll be new episodes returning, reasons unknown, in December.
The Amazing Race US: Season 25! These episodes are generally harder to find than one of those clue boxes, but this is the gold standard of reality TV: Supreme casting, almost unreachable challenges, high melodrama, and $1 million tax-free cash at the end of it. Friday 10.55pm, running through summer.
Covert Affairs: Never heard of this have you … even though it’s season four. Doug Liman (Bourne Identity) is an executive producer if that helps get you over the line. It’s a terrific, fast CIA show, everyone’s good-looking, there’s always a bomb or a plot but it also makes sense. Thursday 10.40pm, continuing through summer.
Christopher Gorham (Auggie) and Piper Perabo (Annie) in Channel 7's Covert Affairs. Source: Supplied
SBS
Football: There’s A-League every Friday night, all through summer. The growth in crowd numbers this year has been exponential, and that seeps through the screen. And also this: The best sports commentator on television is at SBS.
Craig Foster. Opinion with the knowledge and the important hair to back it up. It’s been a big season of headbutting, spitting, irrational decisions and upsets, and it’s only November.
Made in Italy with Silvia Colloca: Because you’ll need a cooking show. You know Silvia. She’s an actor and she wrote Silvia’s Cucina — blog and book — and she’s married to Richard Roxburgh. Oh and she’s an opera singer. So yes, high expectations all around for this one. Starts Thursday November 27.
Years of Living Dangerously: This year’s Emmy winner for Outstanding Nonfiction Series will have special resonance for us as a chronically dry, coal-dependent country. Try to get past all the big shiny celebrities and listen to what it’s saying. Starts November 25, nine episodes.
First Contact: Ray Martin goes tour guide with six Australians who’ve somehow reached adulthood without encountering indigenous Australia, a deeply alarming thought. Starts Tuesday November 18.
Groundbreaking ... Ray Martin guides a group of Aussies through their first contact with Aboriginal communities. Source: Supplied
Foxtel
The Fall: Is this Christian Grey without the money and the facility for knots? No. Same actor, that’s all. Jamie Dorman plays the terrifyingly yet normal serial killer — married, two children, wife’s a nurse — who’s still killing dark-haired single professional girls (yes, he’s got a type here too) as season two starts. Gillian Anderson (Scully from X-Files has never looked better) is the hard-arse cop on his trail. Fingers crossed they’ll have scorching sex at some point. Starts November 14, BBC First.
The Newsroom: The Boston marathon bombing is set to get season three going. Seems natural enough — plenty of pictures, panic, opportunity for speculation about Islamist versus homegrown terror plots … The real question of course is has this show gone on one season too many? Starts Wednesday, Showcase.
The Knick: Clive Owen as a coked-up doctor in a New York hospital. It’s OK though because cocaine’s legal — it’s 1900. So really, drugs are the least of his problems. This is Steven Soderbergh’s TV series — the Ocean’s 11 guy. Because they all want to do TV now. Starts Wednesday December 10, Showcase.
Nashville: That was some season-one cliffhanger and now someone’s in a coma and someone else is in jail and someone else has a huge record deal. In the wrong hands this would be a bad soap but it’s got Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere and glorious hair and makeup and guys. Starts Tuesday, Soho.
Jane the Virgin: So there’s this girl Jane right, and she’s a virgin. Yet she’s also pregnant … what the what? A great show. And probably not what you think. Starts Monday December 1, Fox8.
A brooding bunch ... Chicago and Melbourne have a lot in common when it comes to wardrobe choices. Source: Supplied
Chicago PD: The spin-off from Chicago Fire. It was set in Chicago and was about fire fighters. This one’s set in Chicago and is about the … the p stands for … hang on … police department! Sophia Bush is the prettiest cop you’ve ever seen. No offence officers. Starts November 20, Universal.
The Flash: Hands up who remembers Misfits? Anyone? It won BAFTAs? Hmm. The Flash sounds like a remake: bad storm, lightning, people wake up with super powers. This is the US version. In its defence, Misfits was one of the best shows ever. So let’s see. Starts Wednesday December 3.
