| 2010 viewing | ||
| My Kitchen Rules (Ch 7) |
   |
One hour spent on one meal? It drags, and yet it's required viewing for foodies. |
| Inside Maximum Security (Ch 7) |
|
Fascinating and horrid: as all prison subject matter tends to be. |
| Unexplained (SBS) |
|
Again, padded with fancy video inserts. Disappointing all up; sorry Tony. |
| True Horror (SBS) |
|
Padded and light on data. The brutal Vlad installment was a total knockout. |
| 2009 viewing | ||
| Man vs Wild (SBS) |
|
Best enjoyed with a grain of salt. Still, it's fucking awesome television. |
| The Bachelor (7 Two) |
|
Brad Womack series. Amazing bimbos, likeable bloke, high melodrama, unmissable. |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm (Go!) |
|
Larry David of Seinfeld. Incredible stuff – why have I missed this?!? |
| Heston's Historical Feasts (SBS) |
|
Extreme cooking on steroids. Fucking out there!!! Again, enjoyable and educational. |
| A History of Scotland (SBS) |
|
Educational for this know-nothing. The daft cloudy maps were confusing! |
| Dead Set (SBS) |
|
Energetic UK zompocalypse for the masses. I stopped watching three eps in. |
| The Lost World of Communism (ABC 1) |
|
The episode about Romania was incredible and included the execution footage. |
| The 7PM Project (Ten) |
|
Kinda Good News Week Lite. Hit and miss, but it's still on air. |
| Jennifer Burne Presents (ABC 1) |
|
Horror lit. Predictably, it stuck to the classics. Lively all the same. |
| Rage: Lamb of God (ABC 1) |
|
Lamb of God programmed for Halloween. I kept watching until 2:40am. |
| Celebrity MasterChef Australia (Ten) |
|
Fuck the celebrities. Who cares? Have not seen many episodes to date. |
| Beauty and the Geek Australia (Ch 7) |
|
Frequently hilarious, though not as extreme as the US series. |
| Destroyed in Seconds (Ch 7) |
|
Large and small disasters caught on film. I never miss it. |
| Engineering Connections (SBS) |
|
Richard Hammond explains the science behind four engineering projects. |
| ABC Fora (ABC) |
|
Should be 2-3 hours long, not 1 hour. Required viewing. |
| Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation (Ten) |
|
Clunky and padded, Shaun Micalef's demented persona makes it addictive. |
| Tread BMX (One) |
|
Slackers doing incredible jumps and street stunts on BMX bikes. |
| NASCAR US (One) |
|
Mesmerising motor sport American style. I like it. |
| Stanley Kubrick's Boxes (ABC 1) |
|
About gaining access to the Kubrick Estate's amazing paper archives. |
| What the Future Sounded Like (ABC 2) |
|
Fine documentary about avant garde and experimental music. |
| MasterChef Australia (Ten) |
|
Ported from UK. Perfect reality TV: melodrama, education, suspense. |
| Bones (Ch 7) |
|
Has a great balance of grue, droll humour, and plot. |
| Iron Chef (SBS) |
|
Date stamped 1998, it lacks the bombastic music & motor-mouth voice overs. |
| 81st Academy Awards (Ch 9) |
|
Downsized, chintzy, and a tad more pathetic than usual. Mega-cringe. |
| Captain Cook: Obsession & Discovery (ABC 2) |
|
Similar to the series on Darwin. Fills many gaps about the man. |
| Darwin's Lost Paradise (SBS) |
|
An illuminating bio-drama about naturalist Charles Darwin. |
| The Da Vinci Detective (ABC 1) |
|
Superb documentary about solving various LDV mysteries with forensic science. |
| Aussie Ladette to Lady (Ch 9) |
|
This fucked up reality TV show provides some good after-work laughs. |
| Find My Family (Ch 9) |
|
BYO Kleenex and stacks of them. |
| The Movie Show (ABC 1) |
|
Hard to miss this with about three screenings per week. |
| Good Game (ABC 2) |
|
The great format continues, and it's funny every episode. |
| The Peter Serafinowitz Show (ABC 2) |
|
Hilarious parody sketches of showbiz celebrities and UK TV staples. |
| Seconds to Disaster (Ch 7) |
|
Again, Channel 7 plays roulette with an excellent show. |
| The Farmer Wants a Wife (Ch 9) |
|
The female farmer Jenny has made things interesting, huh? |
| Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares (Ch 9) |
|
One of Toxic Waste's favourite shows of 2008 is back. |
| Air Crash Investigations (Ch 7) |
|
Seeing this show is like pinning down an electron. Thanks Channel 7. |
| The Cook and The Chef (ABC 1) |
|
I'm tuning in to Simon and Maggie for one more year. |
| The Museum (ABC 1) |
|
Covers daily upkeep of the British Museum. Very watchable. |
| 2008 viewing | ||
| The Museum (ABC) |
|
Covers daily upkeep of the British Museum. Very watchable. |
| Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial (SBS) |
|
Thorough overview of the Dover case. Science won comprehensively. |
| Mayday: Collision Course (Ch 7) |
|
Air Crash Investigations on the high seas. Why the sporadic scheduling!?! |
| Summer Heights High (ABC) |
|
I've only just caught this via repeats. Ridiculous and excellent. |
| The Daily Show (Ten) |
|
Frequently funny news desk piss-take by Jon Stewart. |
| Late Show: David Letterman (Ten) |
|
Pay top $ you get good writers. Watch Dave's personable interview technique. |
| First Tuesday Book Club (ABC) |
|
This bookchat show is still brilliant and totally unmissable. |
| Underbelly (Ch 9) |
|
Tries to be The Sorpranos. Needs more blood. Will it hold up without Collosimo? |
| Living with the Future (SBS) |
|
Covers a different modern, minimalist house in each episode. Absolutely fantastic. |
| Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Ch 9) |
|
More 'inspired by' the weblog. Piper was OK; she should have been a brunette. |
| Make Me a Supermodel (Ch 7) |
|
Jennifer Hawkins sizzles. An unintentionally hilarious poor-man's Next Top Model. |
| The Farmer Wants a Wife (Ch 9) |
|
Why am I addicted to this reality-TV hayseed love bollocks? Was kinda sweet. |
| Stranded (SBS) |
|
Amazing Andes plane crash survival story involving cannibalism and courage. |
| The F Word (Ch 9) |
|
The latest highly entertaining Gordon Ramsey cooking show. |
| Boiling Point (Ch 7) |
|
Ramsey's first TV show – warts and all. |
| Lipstick Jungle (Ch 7) |
|
Based on Bushnell's book, season one was quite excellent drama. |
| Taxidermy: Stuff the World (ABC 2) |
|
Crazy human condition shit. Obsession taken to alien and horribly familiar levels. |
| How Much is Your Dead Body Worth? (SBS) |
|
A grisly and absorbing exposé of the human body parts black market. |
| Ready Steady Cook (Ten) |
|
Follows Oprah. The inventiveness is fun despite the rushed filming. |
| Huey's Cooking Adventures (Ch 9) |
|
Basic recipies and ingredients done well. Huey loves his food. |
| The Cook and the Chef (ABC) |
|
I like this one. Traditional homey approach vs contemporary hep style. |
| Surfing the Menu (ABC) |
|
Ocker beachside cookery focusing on seafood and messy, no BS dishes. |
| Food Safari (SBS) |
|
Features mouth-watering ethnic cuisine. Eat dinner first or suffer untold agonies. |
| Q & A (ABC) |
|
First episode had "Kevin 24/7" on the hot seat. All grins, Tony Jones officiated. |
| The Girls of Playboy Mansion (Ch 7) |
|
Not as exciting as it should be, sorry dudes. |
| Cyber Shack (Ch 9) |
|
This tech gadget informercial still has some interesting content. |
| Big Brother VIII (Ten) |
|
Sandilands and boring housemates suck. Bridgette's legs earn it one star. |
| Hell's Kitchen (Ch 9) |
|
Gordon in mean spirited R-TV mode. Watchable, but too distasteful for many. |
| America's Fattest City (ABC) |
|
Goddamn, this show made me hungry. City in question: Houston, USA. |
| Crimes that Shocked the World (Ch 9) |
|
America's answer to Born to Kill? A must for serial killer fans. |
| Paparazzi (ABC 2) |
|
Only the BBC could make this misunderstood topic fasincating. |
| Seconds to Disaster (Ch 9) |
|
A diabolical 11:30pm timeslot for this absorbing 'fatal mishap analysis' series. |
| Impressionism: Art of the Nice (ABC) |
|
Matty Collings is back with another high quality art series. Catch it! |
| I Love Carbuncles (ABC) |
|
More architecture, this time praising brutalism in England. I wasn't convinced. |
| The Perfect Home (ABC) |
|
A repeat of the marvelous Alain de Bouton series, based on his book. |
| Rove Live (Ten) |
|
Rove's almost got his old zing back. Still very much optional viewing. |
| Gladiators (Ch 7) |
|
I used to watch the old series...and it's now a ratings winner in the 00s?!? |
| I Survived Impailing (Ch 7) |
|
Another trauma injury show. Gruesome footage content varied. |
| Air Crash Investigations (Ch 7) |
|
Dropped to 11:00pm. Even more terrifying with a focus on death and injury. |
| Hired Assassins (ABC 2) |
|
Great little 2003 expose about editorial cartoonists. |
| Dancing with a Serial Killer (SBS) |
|
Disturbing doco about the infamous French maniac convicted of 11 murders. |
| The War (ABC) |
|
Superb WW II series shows the good and bad of the American campaigns. |
| 80th Academy Awards (Ch 9) |
|
Still a drag, but I couldn't turn it off. Some OK sarcastic jokes. |
| Amazing Medical Stories (Ch 9) |
|
Back for another bizarre year. On late but worth catching...weirdorama. |
| Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares (Ch 9) |
|
Another eatery reform series. Uncensored Gordon Ramsey = fireworks. |
| Kitchen Nightmares USA (Ch 9) |
|
Same as the normal series but resurrects dire American eateries. |
| The Dame Edna Treatment (Ch 9) |
|
S/he has lots his/her edge (i.e. best writers) so keep a few SMS convos going. |
| The Biggest Loser (Ten) |
|
Kind of tedious. My own 10kg 'fat fracou' is more than enough, thanks. |
| Cashmere Mafia (Ch 9) |
|
Hmm, the writer is overcooking it. Worth following for a few episodes. |
| Good News Week (Ten) |
|
Smart, but an hour's worth? That's way too much fucken Paul McDermott. |
| The Chopping Block (Ch 9) |
|
Iron Chef for bogans? Heh heh. Gotta love the critics...Da truth hurts! |
| So You Think You Can Dance (Ten) |
|
Rather crap, actually. Bad format, lousy 'judging', Nat (get naked) sucks. |
| Extraordinary People (SBS) |
|
Can't resist docos about medical freaks. Superb, and strangely arousing... |
| Good Game (ABC 2) |
|
A near-perfect magazine show – don't matter what the subject matter is. |
| Two and a Half Men (Ch 9) |
|
A funny and not-too-contrived sitcom. Features a boozing twat as well. |
| Energy War (SBS) |
|
Cutting Edge repeat of a fine Dutch doco about the murky politics of oil. |
| Political Assassination (SBS) |
|
Superb series covering the usual suspects, Gandhi and others. |
| Space Odyssey: Journey to Planets (ABC) |
|
Lavish UK interplanetary exploration docudrama. Great SFX but overly sappy. |
| Meeting Evel Keneval (SBS) |
|
Kind of intrusive, but a fine biography of a true daredevil. |
| My Architect: A Son's Journey (SBS) |
|
Doco about brutalist architect Lou Khan by his son. |
| The Nuclear Comeback (SBS) |
|
Interesting recap of the nuclear debate. |
| How to Survive a Plane Crash (SBS) |
|
Primo television: proven tips for air crash survival. Totally absorbing. |
| Whacked Out Sports (Ch 9) |
|
Painful sporting accident footage combined with hilarious commentary. |
| Spaced (ABC 2) |
|
Aunty is showing repeats of this and Black Books in batches. |
| Extreme Makeovers (Ch 9) |
|
Brilliant concept: perform miracles for genuinely loveable freaks. Can't turn it off. |
| What's Good for You (Ch 9) |
|
Light on the science, but scheduled at 7:30pm prime time, think of the audience... |
| Forgiving Dr. Mengele (SBS) |
|
A bit melodramatic. Worth it for the brief Auschwitz footage and info. |
| 2007 viewing | ||
| Whacked Out Sports (Ch 9) |
|
Painful sporting accident footage combined with hilarious commentary. |
| Victoria's Secret Catalog (Ten) |
|
Curiously unerotic, boring, and too sanitised. The Spice Girls mimed 'Stop'. |
| Mythbusters (SBS) |
|
Excellent, of course, despite some petulant behaviour. |
| The Long Way Round (SBS) |
|
An absoring motorcycle road trip with Euan McGreggor. |
| Top Gear (SBS) |
|
Can't fault it. A perfect blend of information and humour. |
| Cheney's Law (SBS) |
|
Killer Frontline doco about powermonger Dick Cheney and legal abuse. |
| Frankenstein: Birth of a Monster (ABC) |
|
Acceptable Mary Shelley bio. Too much dramatisation, too little info. |
| Heavy Metal Junior (ABC) |
|
11 year old Scottish kids start a metal band. Seems to be a one-off? |
| Erky Perky (Ch 7) |
|
Funny kid's show featuring bugs living in a kitchen. Shades of Ren & Stimpy. |
| Born to Kill? (Ch 7) |
|
Creepy UK series on serial killers. Only seen the Dahmer episode. |
| My Pet Dinosaur (SBS) |
|
Very good doco that pondered on life on Earth if dinosaurs had survived. |
| Homo Sapiens (SBS) |
|
Fascinating doco series about how humans evolved and developed. |
| The Singing Bee (Ch 7) |
|
Leggy dancers aside, why the fuck did I bother? |
| Amazing Medical Stories (Ch 7) |
|
Kind of like Ripley's Believe it or Not, this freakshow is required viewing. |
| City Homicide (Ch 9) |
|
Australia's own crime show. The quality varies but I like the rough edges. |
| e-Dreams (ABC 2) |
|
Interesting doco about the rise and fall of a Dot Com start-up. |
| Californication (Ten) |
|
Wow...promising. A Duchovny vanity piece? If it's this good, who cares? |
| The Footy Show (Ch 9) |
|
AFL version. Sam Newman with a gory leg stump was the brief highlight. |
| Nazi Hate Rock (ABC 2) |
|
Interesting UK doco about Nazi punks and the rise of extreme right-wing Fascism. |
| Jonestown: Life and Death (SBS) |
|
Meh, not bad. Avoids the morbid aspects of the mass suicide. |
| Cutting Edge: Endgame (SBS) |
|
Examined the mess in Iraq in true Frontline fashion. Wish I could record these. |
| The Dame Edna Treatment (Ch 9) |
|
Lacking the bite of the original, Treatment delivers chuckles but no belly laughs. |
| Great Aussie Albums: Woodface (SBS) |
|
An absorbing overview of the album and the band Crowded House. |
| Australian Story (ABC) |
|
I sure hope Aunty exports these episodes. Should move even the most hardened viewer. |
| Ali G. in Da USA (ABC) |
|
The clothes alone always prompt a snigger. However, the Borat segments are brilliant. |
| The Escort Agency (SBS) |
|
Slippery doco about two-bit brothel operators in Edinburgh. Rather tame. |
| Chaser's War on Everything (ABC) |
|
Liking this show means I'm forced to tune in and watch it. Damn them! |
| Spying on the Home Front (SBS) |
|
Damning doco about eroded US civil freedoms post-9/11, which was an inside job anyways. |
| Big Brother VII (Ten) |
|
Saw the final 15 mins at Hooverdust Studios. Cat shit on toast...a new nadir for Aussie TV. |
| Eclipse (Ch 7) |
|
Top five pop countdown + filler. The title might be clever word play, but what's the 'E' mean? |
| Hyperdrive (ABC) |
|
Variable Brit SF comedy that has its moments. "Kill the humans, and their culture..." |
| Spaced (ABC) |
|
Still holds up when 'spaced' a week apart. Still way better than the alternatives. |
| Gilmore Girls (Ch 7) |
|
Fast dialogue and quick wits. Should have been watching this from the start. |
| Rove New York (Ten) |
|
Live from NYC. Nasty and acerbic humour all the way through. Better than usual. |
| Worst Jobs in History (ABC 2) |
|
One of the most informative shows about history ever made. Tony Robinson = legend. |
| Body Hits (ABC 2) |
|
Repeats of the excellent BBC 3 health and well-being show. Heavy on medical science. |
| Bad Boy Racers (ABC) |
|
Not all reality TV is bad. The name sucks, but this is rivetting. |
| Chelsea vs LA Galaxy (SBS) |
|
A shabby game of soccer all round. The cult of personality reigns. |
| Daria (ABC 2) |
|
It has its ups and downs. When it's good it's superb, so you can't miss it. |
| Extreme Makeovers (Ch 9) |
|
Brilliant concept: perform miracles for genuinely loveable freaks. Can't turn it off. |
| MTV Australia Awards (Ch 7) |
|
I only saw it to oogle Fergie and Bassingthaite. It was like being in a "pain amplifier". |
| Lateline (ABC) |
|
How can you not like Tony's silver hair, melon face, and tiny glasses? |
| Climate Change Swindle (ABC) |
|
As a champion of science, one-sided 'debates' make me uneasy. |
| First Tuesday Book Club (ABC) |
|
Fabulous and unmissable. Catch the encore on ABC 2. |
| Root of All Evil? (ABC) |
|
Dawkins rocks. Fuck all religions and sky fairies. Logic and knowledge are my temples. |
| Spartacus: Behind the Myth (ABC) |
|
A lucid and fascinating portrayal of someone surrounded by myth. |
| Classic Albums: Metallica (ABC 2) |
|
Recorded when Newstead was still chummy. Good to see metal treated seriously. |
| Air Crash Investigations (Ch 7) |
|
Morbidly compulsive – such detail and clarity. Fucking superb. Fucking scary. |
| What's Good for You (Ch 9) |
|
Light on the science, but scheduled at 7:30pm prime time, think of the audience... |
| Sunday Arts (ABC) |
|
A mixed bag that's usually worth the effort. |
| Rage (ABC) |
|
I guess it's better than watching Late Night Quiz or infomercials. Anamorphic clips rock. |
| Pimp My Ride (Ch 9) |
|
The. Best. Show. Ever. Made. "It's...comfortable. Like Hell is comfortable." |
| Autopsy: Life and Death (SBS) |
|
Gross and educational. Germans should commentate all dissections. |
| Mad TV (Ch 9) |
|
Elusive unless you scan the guides and record it. Gotta love non-PC sketches. |
| Punk: Attitude (SBS) |
|
I learned a lot and enjoyed it. About as solid as subculture docos get. |