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Channel Seven ramps up home-grown drama for 2017, but is it missing The X Factor?

Sarah Thomas

 

The Seven network is going full force on home-grown drama next year while its talent show content looks to be taking a back seat in the mix.

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Donald Glover to play a young Lando Calrissian in the still untitled Star Wars film, Billy Bush is dumped from NBC's Today show and the trailer for Hugh Jackman's new film Logan drops.

Biopics of Australian icons Olivia Newton-John, Shane Warne and Paul Hogan have been confirmed, while Richard Roxburgh is to reprise his role as disgraced detective Roger Rogerson in violent drama Blue Murder: Killer Cop.

Elsewhere on the 2017 schedule, announced to advertisers on Wednesday, is the prospect of a controversial new reality show that the network claims will be "the most talked about" of the year.

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Details are scarce but it appears to be centred around parents objecting to the marriages of their sons or daughters, with factors of bigotry about race and homosexuality coming into play.

Seven said filming is taking place "under a veil of secrecy".

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Tim Worner, Seven West Media's chief executive officer and managing director, said the show was so under wraps even it's name can't be released yet. "It's so secret, we don't want to release the title yet because if the participants find out the name of the show the potential is there to blow the outcome of the whole thing," he said.

There are casualties from its entertainment side, however. Dancing With the Stars has already been confirmed as missing from next year's schedule, with no word yet about whether The X Factor is set to make a return.

First look: Ryan Corr, Josh Lawson as Paul Hogan and Justine Clark in <i>Hoges.</i>
First look: Ryan Corr, Josh Lawson as Paul Hogan and Justine Clark in Hoges. 

Ratings for the eighth season of The X Factor, featuring judges Iggy Azalea, Guy Sebastian, Adam Lambert and Melanie B, are failing to hit the heights of previous years. Its premiere, on October 3, failed to cross the 1 million mark for the first time.

A Seven spokeswoman said it did not make decisions on renewals while shows were still on air, despite the fact it did to the contrary with The X Factor last year.

Richard Roxburgh returns as Roger Rogerson in <i>Blue Murder: Killer Cop.</i>
Richard Roxburgh returns as Roger Rogerson in Blue Murder: Killer Cop. 

Current ratings hit The Secret Daughter, starring Jessica Mauboy, will reappear for a second season next year, alongside other renewed dramas Wanted, starring Rebecca Gibney, which will see her character Lola hunting down her kidnapped son. Another drama getting another bout is 800 Words, starring Erik Thomson.

Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story will feature Josh Lawson as the legendary comedian in what Seven is promoting as the "drama event of the year". The show will follow Hogan's emergence into fame at the age of 30, his blockbuster success with Crocodile Dundee and the scandal that followed his marriage break-up and relationship with his co-star in the film, Linda Kozlowski.

Reality shows will include a second season of <i>First Dates.</i>
Reality shows will include a second season of First Dates.  

Casting for Olivia Newton-John and Warnie has not yet been announced. Auditions are currently under way in the hunt for actor who will play Warne.

Seven's flagship show My Kitchen Rules continues, with new reality staples House Rules, First Dates and Seven Year Switch making a return next year.

US drama <i>Training Day</i>, starring Justin Cornwell and Bill Paxton, will join Seven next year.
US drama Training Day, starring Justin Cornwell and Bill Paxton, will join Seven next year.  

New documentary series for next year will include Yummy Mummies, about glamorous mums-to-be, which appears to be in the vein of Real Housewives but with added baby bumps. The show is tagged "Money, Fights, Parties, Babies" and features affluent socialites, awash with designer labels, prepare for the arrival of their children.

Worner said it will be the "mother of all shows" and will cover four expectant mums with "too much money, too much attitude and so much botox".

Another reality show will be The Aussie Property Flippers, about quick turnaround renovated properties.

Two new Australian documentaries tapping into the current trend for true crime will also air; Murder Uncovered will investigate controversial cases, while Million Dollar Cold Case attempts to investigate unsolved mysteries – with a $1 million reward for successful tip-offs.

Two American dramas will also be joining Seven's roster. John Lithgow plays a poetry professor arrested for murder in a small Southern town in Trial and Error. A TV adaptation of Training Day, starring Bill Paxton, is also among the offerings.

Worner added: "We are about delivering the best to our audiences wherever they may be and on any screen. We are unleashing more live events – across sports and our primetime. We are commissioning great Australian dramas. Our track record of success over the past decade provides us with the confidence to expand and build our content and delivery presence across all screens."

Also included in Seven's announcement is a breakdown of its Rio Olympics coverage, with 18 million Australians watching the games across its various platforms; which included 37.7 million hits on its live and VOD streams for a total viewing time of 325 million minutes, and an additional 73.8 million social video views.

Seven has screening rights over the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018 and the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, and will continue its AFL and Australian Open coverage.

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