Seven unveils impressive 2015 TV line-up
In 2015, the Seven Network is under renovation.
If there was a lesson this year in reality television, it was that there is too much of a good thing when it comes to singing but there’s no such thing as too much renovation. At least that’s how Seven appear to have interpreted the disappointing ratings for this year’s X Factor and Voice finales. Next year they will offer three extended series revolving around renovation.
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Following Nine’s lead with The Block, which proved a ratings juggernaut twice this year, House Rules will get two series next year.
Seven’s successful cooking show My Kitchen Rules will also return in 2015 with “even more instant restaurant rounds”.
And both of those popular series will be proud parents as Seven delivers Restaurant Revolution, in which contestants locate, renovate and run their restaurants for members of the public. The format is essentially My Restaurant Rules with hammers. There is no word yet on whether anyone will sing.
There are also new Australian dramas as the Packed to the Rafters parents are renovated into two separate heroes. Erik Thomson in the dramedy 800 Words and Rebecca Gibney in the crime series Winter based on her character Eve Jenkins in The Killing Field, which sounds at first blush to be not unlike Broadchurch.
In terms of new shows from overseas David Duchovny will recreate the hunt for Charles Manson in Aquarius. Katherine Heigl will stop making terrible and implausible rom-coms (hooray) in order to be a CIA advisor to the President in State of Affairs (the rom-com element is unlikely as her boss is the first female black President). And Viola Davis teaches an improbable but wildly engaging criminal law class in How To Get Away With Murder. There is also a new series from Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan (Battle Creek) and a spin-off to the brief mutant hit Heroes (Heroes Reborn).
Seven’s top 10 TV highlights
Erik Thomson stars in 800 Words in 2015 on Seven. Photo: Supplied
800 Words
“Erik Thomson plays George, a man who used to skate through life but who is now stumbling. When his wife dies suddenly, George makes a rash decision to move his two teenage kids away from the big smoke of Sydney to a picturesque town in New Zealand.”
Catching Milat
“A psychological thriller and procedural drama dramatising the investigation into the 1990s backpacker murders leading to the arrest and conviction of serial killer Ivan Milat.”
Gallipoli: The Power of Ten
“To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli, Sunday Night will bring you the true stories of the ten ANZACs who received our highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, presented by Ben Roberts-Smith VC.”
Restaurant Revolution
“Giving regular people the opportunity to road test their restaurant dream and make it a reality. This new incarnation of My Restaurant Rules will combine two of the country’s biggest loves – food and renovation – into one hit show.”
Winter
“Rebecca Gibney as Detective Sergeant Eve Winter and Peter O’Brien as Detective Inspector Lachlan McKenzie, Eve’s former boss and love interest. Together, they must solve the chilling murder of young 23-year old mother at a hauntingly beautiful fishing town south of Sydney.”
Aquarius
“David Duchovny is Sam Hodiak, a seasoned homicide detective whose investigations in 1967 dovetail with the activities of real-life cult leader Charles Manson in the years before he masterminded the most notorious killings of a generation, the Tate-LaBianca murders. A small-time but charismatic leader with big plans, Manson has begun to build up his “family”, recruiting vulnerable young men and women to join his cause. Teaming up with a young cop who will help him infiltrate Manson’s circle, Hodiak is forced to see things through the questioning eyes of someone who came of age amongst the current anti-establishment counterculture.”
Battle Creek
“From Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and House creator David Shore comes new buddy cop dramedy in which a handsome, happy-go-lucky FBI agent (Josh Duhamel) is unwillingly partnered with a small town homicide detective (Dean Winters) to clean up the streets of Battle Creek, Michigan.”
Viola Davis in How to Get Away with Murder. Photo: ABC
Heroes Reborn
“Revitalised, re-energised and reborn, the Heroes saga continues as new and returning characters collide in the epic and never-ending battle between the powers of good and the forces of evil.”
How To Get Away With Murder
“In the new legal drama from TV powerhouse Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy), expect plenty of twists when the ambitious students of criminal law professor and defence attorney Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) find themselves involved in a murder mystery and cover up that will rock the entire community.”
State of Affairs
“Each day the president is faced with dozens of life-and-death decisions, and to prioritise the biggest international crises facing the country is top CIA analyst, Charleston Tucker (Katherine Heigl). Aside from the political minefields she has to walk, Charlie has a close personal relationship with President Constance Payton (Alfre Woodard) because she was once engaged to her son before a tragic terrorist attack took his life.”