For months, Offspring fans have been kept in suspense about the fate of their favourite drama - but an announcement is not likely until next year, the Ten network has revealed.
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Despite rumours that Ten would make Offspring's renewal a highlight of its 2015 program launch on Thursday night, there is still no news on the popular Australian series - or Ten's political comedy-drama Party Tricks.
"We really want to move forward with Offspring," Ten's programming chief Beverley McGarvey told Fairfax Media, confirming the network is still in talks with producers.
She said Ten is also weighing up whether to renew Party Tricks, starring Offspring's Asher Keddie and Underbelly's Rodger Corser.
"We're still looking at all the [ratings] data, so it's too early for us to make that call," McGarvey said.
But she insisted that fans of both shows should not interpret the lack of news as a "no".
The focus of the jungle-themed event, however, was on the lavish new "constructed reality" shows and local dramas Ten hopes will help it claw back viewers from rivals Seven and Nine.
These include:
I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!
Currently the UK's top-rating entertainment show, it will be re-invented for local audiences and screened live, five nights a week, from early next year. Described as Big Brother meets Survivor, Australian celebrities will live in a South African "jungle", without luxuries, vying to be crowned king or queen. The series will be co-hosted by Bondi Vet Dr Chris Brown and Julia Morris - who will continue to star on Channel Nine's House Husbands. The competing celebrities, whose fate is in the hands of viwers, will not be revealed until opening night. All will be monitored by special devices that track their calorie intake, heart rates and sleep patterns.
"It appeals to a broad audience and it's a very buzzy, noisy show," McGarvey said. "People will watch it live; it's not the kind of show you'll [record and watch] on the weekend. It will be family entertainment at its best; a nightly soap opera in which viewers decide who eats, who plays and who stays." McGarvey said the popular Morris is a coup for Ten. "She's really good live, she's energetic, she'll have a lot of fun with the eliminated celebrities as they leave the jungle." Morris said: "I think we all know I've been waiting a long time to get Dr Chris Brown in the jungle - and under no circumstances will I be yelling 'me out of here!' ". Brown said it was a "dream come true" to work on the series, which will allow him to "get up close to wildlife".
Shark Tank:
A weekly reality show, launching early next year, featuring everyday Australians who pitch their business ideas to potential investors - a panel of local entrepreneurs known as "sharks". They include Boost Juice founder Janine Allis, Red Balloon founder Naomi Simpson, talent2 co-founder Andrew Banks, real estate mogul John McGrath and entrepreneur Steve Baxter. "Some are well known," McGarvey said, "and some will be a bit of a discovery for the the audience, like we saw with the MasterChef judges. We can really create new celebrities for the network." Hosted by Studio 10's Sarah Harris, the product pitches will range from the practical to the "crazy" and "hilarious". The hook is that each "shark" will put their money where their mouth is by directly investing in the ideas they like.
Allis told Fairfax Media she expects the Australian version of the series — which has already launched in 25 other countries — to be a hit with viewers.
"Australia is the most entrepreneurial country in the world," she said. "Australia started with people wanting more in their life; immigrants from all over the world, so the DNA over the Australian market is that we are people who want to get better, we want to improve."
The Bachelorette:
Ten will launch a spin-off series in which a Bachelorette takes her pick of a group of men. "We thought the girls could could have a turn to get ten boys fighting over them," McGarvey said. The male-led version of The Bachelor will return for its third season. Both shows are currently casting, and McGarvey said it is "certainly a possibility" that a former female contestant from a previous season - including jilted winner Sam Frost - could become The Bachelorette.
Gogglebox:
Based on the hit British observational documentary series of the same name, it features people watching TV. Its UK distributor has said: "The show isn't really about TV. The show is about people's lives, their relationships, their living rooms and the way children and parents talk about TV ... it captures a cultural response to something that's happening in the world." A joint commission with Foxtel, each episode will air on pay TV, then on Ten the following night.
Mary: The Making of a Princess:
A telemovie about Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark. It will trace her early days as an Australian real estate agent to her becoming Danish royalty.
The Peter Brock Story:
A miniseries about motor racing champion Peter Brock. "We have so much motor sport on the network over the next few years, so we wanted to be the one to tell that story," McGarvey said. The series will explore his professional achievements and probe what it describes as "a complex, troubled person, plagued by self-doubt".
The First ANZACS:
A series of mini-documentaries to commemorate the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli. Dramatisations will "bring to life the diaries and letters of these Australian heroes". The cast includes Kat Stewart, Peter Phelps, Rodger Corser, Rob Carlton, Brooke Satchwell, Shane Jacobson and others.
Neighbours 30 Years:
A special on Ten's main channel, airing in March, to celebrate the 30th birthday of the globally successful soap. Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce will all participate. It will feature many other former stars, favourite scenes, anecdotes and even tackle some myths — such as the belief it became an instatnt hit after moving from to Ten from Channel Seven in the mid-1980s. It took about a year to become a ratings smash, boosted by a house and land package viewer competition, Ten's drama chief Rick Maier said.
The special will even include an "affectionate nod to Bouncer", Ramsay Street's long-departed pet pooch.
V8 supercars
V8 supercars will return to Ten as the network focuses heavily on live sport, with the return of the successful KFC T20 Big Bash League Cricket, Formula One, MotoGP, RPM, the Wallabies rugby championships, Australian swimming championships and the BHP Billiton Acquatic Super Series.
Baby Circle:
A new "branded content" daytime show aimed at parents, offering "advice, support, information and entertainment".
CSI Cyber:
A spin-off of the successful CSI procedural franchise, it stars Patricia Arquette as the head of the FBI's cyber crime division. It also features two stars from Ten's 1990s heyday: Luke Perry from Beverly Hills 90210 and James Van Der Beek from Dawson's Creek.
The Odd Couple:
A re-make of the classic Neil Simon sitcom, starring Friends' Matthew Perry as a messy sports writer who lives with a neat freak photographer, played by Thomas Lennon.
McGarvey said Ten has made a deliberate shift towards "live and local" programming such as reality and sport, because viewers tend to watch it as it airs, making it more profitable. (Networks make substantially less money from programs that viewers timeshift or watch via catch-up services).
"Constructed reality in the early evening can be really successful," she said. "Shows like MasterChef have performed really well in that space so it's important for us to commission other 'constructed reality' shows that can play at 7.30pm to a broad audience."
But McGarvey said this does not spell the end of local or overseas drama.
"You can't have live local content every night. It's critical to have the right mix and that includes some of our US dramas like NCIS and SVU, which have been a real stable in our schedule over the years.
"A free-to-air broadcaster has to offer a good spectrum of content."
With Ten having already cancelled underperforming series such as So You Think You Can Dance, it has confirmed most existing shows will return, including: MasterChef, The Project, Family Feud, Have You Been Paying Attention?, The Living Room, Wonderland, Gold Coast Cops, Bondi Vet, Bondi Rescue, its Melbourne International Comedy Festival specials, The Bolt Report, NCIS: New Orleans, Madam Secretary, Scorpion and The Good Wife. The Biggest Loser will be re-named TBL Families with former trainer Tiffiny Hall returning.
While the network has struggled over the past few years, programs such as The Bachelor, Family Feud, the Big Bash cricket and a re-invigorated MasterChef have helped it win back viewers in the lucrative 25 to 54 age group.
But a potential change of ownership may throw a spanner in its 2015 schedule, with Ten reportedly being considered for acquisition by local and international media companies and equity firms.
When asked how next year's programming slate compares to previous years, McGarvey said: "It's better. We have a better mix of established content and new content. Australians love their new shows; they love to see fresh content. Of course they love their MasterChef and The Bachelor [but] new shows resonate really well."
Ten CEO Hamish McLennan acknowledged his network's difficulties, saying: "I'm the first to admit our schedule was a little patchy ... but we're really filling our schedule year-on-year. We really think the [2015 programs] you're going to see tonight are extraordinary."
