The Block builds into an Aussie TV success story

The Advertiser

4 days ago

This is one of the success stories of Australian television.
It launched way back in 2003 when the only option other than the free-to-air channels was Foxtel.
Now, even with all the extra digital options those free-to-air stations have on top of the plethora of streaming services, after 20 seasons The Block still manages to grab plenty of eyeballs.
It's also spawned a number of adaptations in other countries, though has yet to break into the United States - the home of reality TV.
As is always the case, the 21st season includes something different - all five teams are given the same house frames with the same floor plans.
And as they're lined up next to each other, the only early advantage is in working out whether to choose one on either end or in the middle.
The series also ramps up the product placement, in the form of shopfronts rather than just the usual shots of branded power tools or the free cars they drive.
Based on this first episode the stand-out team is going to be Robby and Mat. While they have next to no reno experience, they're undoubtedly pros at entertaining for the camera.
Michael Theo has come a long way in just a few years.
He caught our attention in the lovely dating series Love on the Spectrum, where he was the standout.
He managed to parlay that surprising rise in profile into an acting career, with an appearance in kids' TV series Hardball.
What followed was a pretty big deal for any actor, let alone a new one - landing the title role in a TV series.
Theo plays Austin Hogan, who lobs up on the doorstep of children's book author Julian Hartswood with news that he is Julian's son.
The show was popular enough that the ABC commissioned a second season, which kicks off tonight.
Theo clearly doesn't take his good fortune for granted; he more than carries his weight in the series up against some far more established actors.
At first glance, this series seemed like it was going to be a whole series made up of those aerial shots that scroll through your smart TV if you leave it on for too long.
And it is like that in some respects.
A spin-off of a US series that ended in 2019, the cameras take to the sky (though sometimes just metres off the ground) to give us a different look at our country.
This first episode focuses on the country's east coast - which it tags the Pacific Coast, despite including shots of the not-very-coastal-at-all city of Canberra.
Mark Coles Smith is on hand to provide the narration, which puts some story on the bones of the show so it's not just a series of pretty pictures.
This is one of the success stories of Australian television.
It launched way back in 2003 when the only option other than the free-to-air channels was Foxtel.
Now, even with all the extra digital options those free-to-air stations have on top of the plethora of streaming services, after 20 seasons The Block still manages to grab plenty of eyeballs.
It's also spawned a number of adaptations in other countries, though has yet to break into the United States - the home of reality TV.
As is always the case, the 21st season includes something different - all five teams are given the same house frames with the same floor plans.
And as they're lined up next to each other, the only early advantage is in working out whether to choose one on either end or in the middle.
The series also ramps up the product placement, in the form of shopfronts rather than just the usual shots of branded power tools or the free cars they drive.
Based on this first episode the stand-out team is going to be Robby and Mat. While they have next to no reno experience, they're undoubtedly pros at entertaining for the camera.
Michael Theo has come a long way in just a few years.
He caught our attention in the lovely dating series Love on the Spectrum, where he was the standout.
He managed to parlay that surprising rise in profile into an acting career, with an appearance in kids' TV series Hardball.
What followed was a pretty big deal for any actor, let alone a new one - landing the title role in a TV series.
Theo plays Austin Hogan, who lobs up on the doorstep of children's book author Julian Hartswood with news that he is Julian's son.
The show was popular enough that the ABC commissioned a second season, which kicks off tonight.
Theo clearly doesn't take his good fortune for granted; he more than carries his weight in the series up against some far more established actors.
At first glance, this series seemed like it was going to be a whole series made up of those aerial shots that scroll through your smart TV if you leave it on for too long.
And it is like that in some respects.
A spin-off of a US series that ended in 2019, the cameras take to the sky (though sometimes just metres off the ground) to give us a different look at our country.
This first episode focuses on the country's east coast - which it tags the Pacific Coast, despite including shots of the not-very-coastal-at-all city of Canberra.
Mark Coles Smith is on hand to provide the narration, which puts some story on the bones of the show so it's not just a series of pretty pictures.
This is one of the success stories of Australian television.
It launched way back in 2003 when the only option other than the free-to-air channels was Foxtel.
Now, even with all the extra digital options those free-to-air stations have on top of the plethora of streaming services, after 20 seasons The Block still manages to grab plenty of eyeballs.
It's also spawned a number of adaptations in other countries, though has yet to break into the United States - the home of reality TV.
As is always the case, the 21st season includes something different - all five teams are given the same house frames with the same floor plans.
And as they're lined up next to each other, the only early advantage is in working out whether to choose one on either end or in the middle.
The series also ramps up the product placement, in the form of shopfronts rather than just the usual shots of branded power tools or the free cars they drive.
Based on this first episode the stand-out team is going to be Robby and Mat. While they have next to no reno experience, they're undoubtedly pros at entertaining for the camera.
Michael Theo has come a long way in just a few years.
He caught our attention in the lovely dating series Love on the Spectrum, where he was the standout.
He managed to parlay that surprising rise in profile into an acting career, with an appearance in kids' TV series Hardball.
What followed was a pretty big deal for any actor, let alone a new one - landing the title role in a TV series.
Theo plays Austin Hogan, who lobs up on the doorstep of children's book author Julian Hartswood with news that he is Julian's son.
The show was popular enough that the ABC commissioned a second season, which kicks off tonight.
Theo clearly doesn't take his good fortune for granted; he more than carries his weight in the series up against some far more established actors.
At first glance, this series seemed like it was going to be a whole series made up of those aerial shots that scroll through your smart TV if you leave it on for too long.
And it is like that in some respects.
A spin-off of a US series that ended in 2019, the cameras take to the sky (though sometimes just metres off the ground) to give us a different look at our country.
This first episode focuses on the country's east coast - which it tags the Pacific Coast, despite including shots of the not-very-coastal-at-all city of Canberra.
Mark Coles Smith is on hand to provide the narration, which puts some story on the bones of the show so it's not just a series of pretty pictures.
This is one of the success stories of Australian television.
It launched way back in 2003 when the only option other than the free-to-air channels was Foxtel.
Now, even with all the extra digital options those free-to-air stations have on top of the plethora of streaming services, after 20 seasons The Block still manages to grab plenty of eyeballs.
It's also spawned a number of adaptations in other countries, though has yet to break into the United States - the home of reality TV.
As is always the case, the 21st season includes something different - all five teams are given the same house frames with the same floor plans.
And as they're lined up next to each other, the only early advantage is in working out whether to choose one on either end or in the middle.
The series also ramps up the product placement, in the form of shopfronts rather than just the usual shots of branded power tools or the free cars they drive.
Based on this first episode the stand-out team is going to be Robby and Mat. While they have next to no reno experience, they're undoubtedly pros at entertaining for the camera.
Michael Theo has come a long way in just a few years.
He caught our attention in the lovely dating series Love on the Spectrum, where he was the standout.
He managed to parlay that surprising rise in profile into an acting career, with an appearance in kids' TV series Hardball.
What followed was a pretty big deal for any actor, let alone a new one - landing the title role in a TV series.
Theo plays Austin Hogan, who lobs up on the doorstep of children's book author Julian Hartswood with news that he is Julian's son.
The show was popular enough that the ABC commissioned a second season, which kicks off tonight.
Theo clearly doesn't take his good fortune for granted; he more than carries his weight in the series up against some far more established actors.
At first glance, this series seemed like it was going to be a whole series made up of those aerial shots that scroll through your smart TV if you leave it on for too long.
And it is like that in some respects.
A spin-off of a US series that ended in 2019, the cameras take to the sky (though sometimes just metres off the ground) to give us a different look at our country.
This first episode focuses on the country's east coast - which it tags the Pacific Coast, despite including shots of the not-very-coastal-at-all city of Canberra.
Mark Coles Smith is on hand to provide the narration, which puts some story on the bones of the show so it's not just a series of pretty pictures.