The ABC orders from Hugh Marks' production company
The public broadcaster isn't alone in trying to come up with new formats as people migrate so much of their TV-watching to Netflix. But it was the production company of the new show which aroused some interest.
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Courier-Mail
11 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
Eric Bana's Untamed leads best new TV shows to stream this week
Don't miss out on the headlines from TV. Followed categories will be added to My News. We've sifted through the latest offerings from TV and streaming platforms to find the best shows you should be watching this week. Eric Bana as Kyle Turner and Lily Santiago as Naya Vasquez in Untamed. Picture: Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix © 2025 UNTAMED NETFLIX Aussie Eric Bana's steely performance as a damaged, driven special agent is the main reason to seek out this six-part murder mystery set in California's spectacular Yosemite National Park. The ever-reliable Aussie plays Kyle Turner, who has been driven to drink by the memory of his dead son and is jolted into action when a young woman plunges to her death from the park's famous El Capitan rock face. But did she jump or did more sinister motives dating back decades drive her to do it? Turner's quest for answers, assisted by former LA cop turned rookie ranger Naya Vazquez (Lily Santiago) and his long-time friend and colleague Paul (Sam Neill) will take him deep into the wilds as he uncovers a dangerous secret within the tourist hot spot, as well as forcing him to confront his own troubled past and relationship with ex-wife Jill (an excellent Rosemarie DeWitt). While the sometimes grisly action unfolds a pace that might be too sedate for some, regular twists and surprises and the thrilling vistas from one of the world's most picturesque parks ensure it's never less that eminently watchable. The crew of luxury yacht Katina on Below Deck Down Under. Picture: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo BELOW DECK DOWN UNDER WEDNESDAY, 8.30PM, CHANNEL 7 Another season, another spectacular location, another collection of ridiculously good-looking crew and another group of very rich and entitled customers with first world problems – it's plain sailing as usual for one of the biggest guilty pleasure viewing experiences around. This week kicks off with day two of a cruise in the Seychelles and chief steward Lara in tears after day one 'shit show' on the luxury yacht Katina. With a beach excursion planned and a Cowboys and Cowgirls BBQ dinner on the menu, Captain Jason needs the team to lift their game to make sure the guests leave happy. Meanwhile things are heating up in the kitchen between head chef Tzarina and reluctant sous chef Anthony, which threatens to spill over into shore-leave dramas. Tom Ellis and Eddie Karanja in Washington Black. Picture: Disney/Lilja Jonsdottir WASHINGTON BLACK WEDNESDAY, DISNEY+ Adapted from Esi Edugayan's 2018 bestseller, this freewheeling and sometimes fantastical eight-part drama tells the story of how 11-year-old George Washington Black flees the nightmare of slavery on a 19th century Barbados sugar plantation to find a life of adventure. Flipping back and forth in time, with the adult Wash still on the run from bounty hunters while trying to forge a new life and find love in Canada, it kicks into gear with the title character's escape from racism and retribution on a flying machine thanks to a kindly English inventor. As they adventure together with pirates on the Caribbean and sled dogs in the Artic, the brilliant young Wash chases his dream of becoming a revered scientist in a society that's determined to keep him in his place. Robbie Williams is reinvented as a chimp in the biopic, Better Man. BETTER MAN SATURDAY, PRIME VIDEO Australian director Michael Gracey took a huge swing in his Melbourne-shot biopic of Robbie Williams by reimagining the UK pop superstar as a chimpanzee. While the bold move failed spectacularly in the cinemas, it deserves a second life on streaming as one of the best and most inventive movies of its type in recent years. Williams himself was heavily involved (most of the motion capture was done by UK actor Jonno Davies) and he is his usual self-deprecating and unflinchingly honest self, even when recounting his appalling actions at his lowest drug fuelled ebbs. With stunning set pieces – the dance on London's Regent St set to Rock DJ is a knockout – and a scarcely believable true story, it's well worth your time. Emma Watkins (second from left) in Teenage Boss: Next Level. TEENAGE BOSS: NEXT LEVEL SATURDAY, 7.30PM, ABC Former Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins has headed to the Apple Isle for the second season of the delightful reality TV show that turns over the household budget to teenagers to see if they can balance their own saving goals with the needs of the family. First up is Caitlyn, who is laser-focused on raising the funds to fulfil her potentially expensive dream of joining a school ski trip to the mainland as well as juggling her school, work and volunteer commitments. Wise beyond her years, Caitlyn's spending choices are smart and practical – but her biggest obstacle might be mother Seher, who takes the Turkish custom of feeding and entertaining friends and family seriously, and whose plans for the coming Ramadan threaten to blow the budget. There's a new, fairer approach on season 21 of The Block. THE BLOCK SUNDAY, 7PM, CHANNEL 9 In its 21st season – and closing in on its 1000th episode – the beloved renovation reality show heads to the rural Victorian tourist destination of Daylesford with a rejigged approach designed to level the playing field. For the first time, each of the five houses is exactly the same size and with exactly the same floor plan, meaning hosts Scott Cam and Shelley Craft and judges Shaynna Blaze, Marty Fox and Darren Palmer will be comparing 'apples with apples' and making each design decision all the more important. There will be tears, tiffs and tantrums among the missteps and masterstrokes, with the fart-joke loving, risqué best mates from South Australia, Robby and Mat, already emerging as the jokers in the pack. Logie nominated Sally Phillips, Ben Miller and Michael Theo in Season 2 of ABC comedy drama Austin. AUSTIN SUNDAY, 7.30PM, ABC The first season of this gentle comedy-drama was one of the surprise packages of last year, earning well-deserved Logie nominations for its autistic lead actor Michael Theo in the title role, as well as Ben Miller as his possible long-lost father Julian and Sally Phillips as potential stepmother Ingrid. The second season picks up on the season one cliffhanger, with Austin and Julian about to get the results of a DNA that should settle the matter and shape the future of their personal and professional relationships. Meanwhile, Ingrid is still sleeping in the shed and taking notes of her marital positives and negatives – and whether she'd be better of moving to a women's commune. Freddie Highmore and Keeley Hawes in The Assassin. THE ASSASSIN STAN Former Spooks star Keeley Hawes is fantastic in the title role of this action-packed, unashamedly bloody, six-part crime thriller from the creators of the Australian-shot The Tourist. Audiences first meet her character Julie as a one-woman killing machine leaving a huge body count and copping a hellacious beating on a mission in Eastern Europe. Three decades later, she's living a booze-soaked and grumpy retirement on a Greek Island when she's visited by her estranged son (Freddie Highmore), now engaged to be married and with questions about his past she's reluctant to answer. But when someone claiming to be her former handler approaches her with her job she can't refuse, she's dragged back into her old violent ways as her professional and personal worlds collide. Keeley Hawes in the ABC historical drama Miss Austen. MISS AUSTEN SUNDAY, 9PM, ABC This gorgeous, four-part period drama, adapted from Gill Hornby's novel of the same name, purports to answer the question that has long haunted lovers of literature – why did Cassandra Austen burn her famous sister Jane's letters? In a very different role from her turn in The Assassin, the versatile Keeley Hawes plays the older Cassandra, who is trying to rescue the correspondence from her odious sister-in-law Mary to prevent their use in a biography of her husband (and Cassandra's brother), James, while also trying to help free family friend Isabella (Game Of Thrones' Rose Leslie) from the limitations and expectations of unmarried women of the era. As she re-reads the leaders, viewers are taken back to Cassandra's own heartbreak and challenges as a younger woman, as well as those of her talented sister, Jane. It's all bonnets and bows, matchmaking and merriment, tall hats and turns around the room – and right up there with the best Austen adaptations. Chef Guillaume Brahimi hosts Plat Du Tour on SBS PLAT DU TOUR MONDAY, 8PM, SBS FOOD Now in their sixth season, French chef Guillaume Brahimi's bite-sized Plat du Tour episodes make a tasty side dish to the Tour de France each year and this half-hour special highlights the best of country's northern region. Starting in Lille and moving through culinary centres including Boulogne-sur-Mer and Rouen, the enthusiastic and affable Brahimi shows how to rustle up the region's signature dishes such as Moules-Frite, Le Carpeaux de Valenciennes and a delicious looking French version of the Aussie pie called Tourte Meyennaise by using the best Australian produce. Along the way he also throws in historical titbits about the food and the regions and chats to celebrated Australian chefs. Actor Ryan Reynolds with Ray Liotta in Smokin' Aces. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT … SMOKIN' ACES Streaming, Tubi EVERYBODY wants to get their hands on Buddy 'Aces' Israel (Jeremy Piven). Having negotiated an immunity deal with the FBI that would see him serve up evidence against various Las Vegas underworld figures, Israel is put under the protection of special agents Messner and Carruthers (Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta) as assorted thugs and contract killers (played by the who's who of Hollywood) come looking to capture the magician turned mobster. Featuring Jason Bateman as a dodgy lawyer, Chris Pine as a neo-Nazi, Alicia Keys as an assassin and Ben Affleck as a laid-back bail bondsman, this film is a rollercoaster of rapid-fire dialogue and action sequences. Originally published as 'Thrilling': Eric Bana dazzles in new must-watch Netflix series
Perth Now
12 hours ago
- Perth Now
Drake Bell claims Nickelodeon doesn't pay residuals to former child stars
Drake Bell has blasted Nickelodeon for allegedly not paying residuals to child stars. The 39-year-old actor and musician - who appeared on shows like The Amanda Show and spinoff sitcom Drake and Josh for the network - has claimed that unlike of the deals reached with most adults performers, his early contacts involved one-off payments, which means he doesn't get any money from streaming or syndication. He told The Unplanned Podcast: "That's the perception of the world, it's always been this way. "It's like, you know, 'Oh, you made a Folgers Coffee commercial. You must live in a mansion in Hollywood. Like, I saw you on TV. You're rich.' 'That's far from the case. And especially, which is the bummer for most of us on Nickelodeon, we don't get residuals for our shows.' The star - who previously opened up about his childhood trauma and struggles in 2024 docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV - pointed out how he doesn't get any money despite Drake and Josh's recent move to Netflix. He claimed: "It's a lot of evil, corrupt people. That's the only thing, that is the answer. There's no other answer. 'Do everything that they do to us mentally and emotionally, and then throw us to the wolves. And we're like, okay, cool. I got rent this month. "There are three channels doing marathons. Netflix just bought it, it's top 10 on Netflix, and I gotta figure out how to pay my rent this month." He pointed out how the cast of Friends are still able to earn huge amounts of money from re-runs of the classic sitcom. He said: 'The Friends cast at the peak was making a million dollars an episode. You make 13 episodes that year, you make $13,000,000. You make 20 episodes that year, you make $20,000,000, right? 'But right now, each cast member of Friends just in syndication alone is making over $20,000,000 a year, and they're not filming a show every week. "They're not going to work, but they're playing their show and they're using their likeness and they're doing all this, so they get paid for it.' He compared the studio's approach to the situation to "child labour", while addressing the lack of control young performers have. He added: 'People don't understand how the business works, the business side of this. They just see what the perception is on Instagram and social media and all the glitz and the glamour of Hollywood. 'We're putting in all of this work. This corporation is making billions with a 'B' off of us, and we're being compensated for the week of work, cool, but that's it. 'And forever, in perpetuity, it literally says in the contract, across universes and galaxies and planets.'
News.com.au
14 hours ago
- News.com.au
Meghan's Netflix show fails to make top 350
It's not often a spreadsheet makes news but today's story comes to you live from the depths of thousands of line items. Every six months Netflix executives take a break from brainstorming ideas like a S quid Game / Stranger Things crossover set in space and lets the world take a look under the hood by releasing their streaming figures. In the first half of this year, the Emmy-nominated Adolescence was the most watched TV show on the platform, hoovering up 145 million hours of viewing. Meanwhile, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle-tainment show which saw her instruct audiences in the finer art of decanting pretzels from one plastic bag into another didn't manage to make it into the top 350. According to Netflix's latest 'What We Watched' report, With Love, Meghan was the 383rd most watched show, registering 5.3 million views, beaten by the first four seasons of Suits and Gossip Girl season one (number 376). Who knew that Blair Waldorf could better a real life duchess? With Love 's flatter-than-a-deflated-souffle-numbers have left the Hollywood entertainment bible Deadline scratching their heads, given that the world is in for a second serve. They reported that the show's ranking 'is very low for a Netflix original — and pretty unprecedented for a show that has been renewed.' ('Atypically,' they noted, With Love 's seasons one and two were filmed back-to-back.) Today, more than three months on since With Love posed the important question to audiences, 'but have you ever thought about fiddling about and colour-co-ordinating a fruit plates?' No date has been set for Meghan's sophomore series. But there is one clear date on the horizon: September 2. That day will mark five years since Meghan and her husband Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex announced their 'megawatt' five year Netflix deal. Back then, in 2020, this seemed like an all round jolly good bet, with the world pressed-up- against-the-glass and glued to the unfolding saga of the self-exiled couple. They had done the unthinkable - turned down the chance to spend their lives in a group chat with Princess Anne sending horse gifs, doing charity all the charity work they fancied and never having to pay a gas bill. When they announced the deal, it seemed a given that the streamer's subscribers would eagerly gobble up whatever they made. It all seemed pretty win-win: The duke and duchess would make content that 'that informs but also gives hope' and 'impactful content that unlocks action' and Netflix could piggyback on the global Sussex obsession. Five years on the proof is in the cold, stodgy pudding. The only 'action' they have 'unlocked' is Meghan having given an unexpected boost to the flower sprinkle industry and them managing to further estrange the royal family and to set a lot of Brits' teeth further on edge. Meanwhile, Netflix has extracted the only thing of real value the Sussexes possessed -the sorry, sad tale of their tortured royal lives. The outlier in their Netflix tale has been their six-parter, Harry & Meghan, all those hours of raw emotions, soft lighting and one infamous curtsy making for compelling viewing, translating into Netflix's biggest documentary debut ever, which has now been watched for more than 177.85 million hours in total. Huzzah and all that. However, move beyond that and we have two egregiously flaccid duds, Harry's solo Heart of Invictus and Polo proving that he's about as good at making TV as his uncle Andrew is at giving interviews, and With Love's limp showing. Heart of Invictus only got 300,000 views after its release. Since then it has not made the top 6,800 shows. Polo, a boring offering of on field testosterone, horsey braggadocio and capped toothed-men rabbiting on about winning only got 600,000 views, putting it at 2,946th spot. In the six months of this year, it has added 500,000 views and currently sits at 3,436. In return for all this output and their credibility, the Sussexes have reportedly only made tens of millions, far from the much touted figure of $USD100 ($153) million. Over the weekend, 'a source with knowledge of the Netflix deal' told the Daily Mail that the Sussexes 'probably managed to maybe keep $10million-$15million [$15.3-$23 million] or a touch more purely for themselves over the nearly five years so far.' How long can or will that sum last, with the same Mail report saying they need to bank $6 million a year after tax to pay for their living expenses? The good news for the duke and duchess is that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos is said to be a huge fan of Meghan's and that With Love will be renewed for a third go. According to the Mail, 'It's probable that they'll pay Meghan between $3-$5million [$4.6- $7.6 million] a year for it.' Or in other words, the duchess would make just about enough to keep the lights on and their bank manager sweet. With Spotify having parted ways with the Sussexes back in 2023, the duke failing to have gotten a single podcast series off the ground, and both The Hollywood Reporter and Vanity Fair having published exposes about their allegedly poor treatment of staff, the couple's Hollywood fortunes are in the doldrums territory. The Duchess of Sussex might keep cranking out With Love and dispensing invaluable advice about how to put ice in drinks but beyond that their entertainment careers appear to be largely kaput. Should push ever come to shove, the latest Netflix spreadsheet makes one thing clear: the appetite for royal melodrama is as healthy as ever. Season one The Royals, a long since canned series in which Liz Hurley is the Queen and heads up a fictional British royal family, has been viewed 14.3 million times for a total of more than 85 million hours. As the saying goes, there's money in muck - and monarchy.
