The ABCs of Television

Our beloved public broadcaster has copped a lot of flak this week, as it announced it would be cutting Collectors, The New Inventors and Art Nation. These losses have upset a lot of people, if the editorial and vox pop in my local newspaper are to be believed. While not a regular watcher of either, I did appreciate the occasional look. I think it's sad to see them go, but the fact of television (and life) is that not everything you love can stay around forever. So today I'm looking at the positives we've seen on the ABC this week, just as a reminder that not all great shows have ended up on the cutting room floor.

Wednesday night saw the return of The Gruen Transfer, hosted by Wil Anderson and with a panel that didn't disappoint. As the show's regular Todd Sampson triumphantly tweeted, Gruen had the highest ratings for its timeslot. So what makes a show where a couple of people sit around and talk about ads so very enjoyable? Well, there's the obvious- Todd. Known for his witty and colourful t-shirts, his clever insights and (let's face it) dazzlingly good looks, Todd seems to have developed a cult following... in my social circles, anyway! His arguments with the other panel regular, Russel Howcroft, are always hilarious. It's actually disappointing when they agree with each other! Aside from being very funny, this show has something important to say- that we should always look at advertising critically, and think about what companies want us to take away from certain ads.

Last night saw another ABC success, in my opinion. The new series Crownies continued as the solicitor that leaked an important file to the media is yet to be discovered, and all the characters deal with cases that are nothing short of harrowing. On first watch I was slightly disappointed with Crownies, but a few weeks in I am a firm fan. I've come to like all the characters that I was turned off by at first, especially Erin (Ella Scott Lynch). While two hours seemed far too long in the first week, now one hour goes by in what seems like minutes and I wish there was another episode to follow. It's intriguing, clever, funny and human- all major prerequisites for a good ABC drama.

In short, the ABC might be saying goodbye to some valuable shows, but it's definitely not all doom and gloom. There's plenty of great stuff to look forward to.