Progam Update: What's New?

Everyone is trying to get a few runs on the boards before the Olympics hit on August 8.

The Nest (SBS), Doctor Who (ABC), Private Practice (Seven), Lipstick Jungle (Seven), City Homicide (Seven), Farmer Wants a Wife (Nine) and Mark Loves Sharon (TEN) have all just hit our screens. Two of them, (Homicide and Who) had very strong debuts of 1.6m and 1.2m respectively. Against stiff competition, Farmer started well enough with 1.2m and TEN would be satisfied with 761,000 for its comedy debut in a late-night timeslot.

Next week the ABC brings us some “thinking comedy” from the appraised Working Dog team with The Hollowmen. If this does for politics what Frontline did for current affairs, expect everyone in Canberra to be ducking for cover.

Nine will screen its latest Gordon Ramsay series The F Word, strategically slated the night before Seven jumps on the bandwagon with its 1998 Ramsay offering, Boiling Point. It also launches the US game show Wipeout. Think It's A Knockout in Argentina (it's filmed there) and you wouldn't be far wrong. Hilarity is sure to ensue, but see if you can get past the loud, sports-cast hosts. And Tim Campbell will be back in a host role for four specials of Celebrity Singing Bee, themed as '70s Night, '80s Night, Girl Power and One Hit Wonders. No doubt this will be a better fit than Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune.

At the same time Seven is bringing back another Daddo (Andrew) for its psychic game show, The One, which sounds like a local variation of the short-lived American series, Phenomenon. In our version those who reckon they have the 'gift' will be tested by a skeptic and a believer. Can they predict the show's ratings?

Next week Seven is also returning the highly popular RSPCA Animal Rescue in place of Ugly Betty (poor girl didn't have much hope on Wednesdays. ..unaired eps will return “later in the year.”). A week later five episodes from the third - incomplete - season of Prison Break are back.

Notwithstanding the anticipation of The Hollowmen, it's TEN that has the pick of the crop with Dexter - although two seasons have aired on the Showcase channel. Michael C. Hall is mesmerising in this delicious, dark and twisted thriller. Don't let the late start time of 9:50pm put you off. It's also a series that hooks from the get go. Then, a week later TEN returns the US So You Think You Can Dance.

And Arena's fashionista series Project Runway Australia kicks off on Monday night too.

Good luck trying to make sense of it all!

David Knox, Citysearch, July 2008

Check Citysearch' TV Guide for show details.

David Knox: TVs Expert Now On Citysearch

Helping to bring you an even better TV experience, we've asked David Knox, widely regarded as one of Australia's leading TV commentators and writers to bring his expertise to Citysearch.

If you want TV news, ratings, advance guide info, previews, gossip and top picks, David's the man. Having talked and written about TV across the Aussie airwaves and in numerous publications, if there's TV news breaking - David's the guy to break it.