The 2016 Rio Olympics are about to dominate the TV screen for two weeks, Channel 7 have been heavily promoting their artillery.
One of these shows is a panel / quiz show based on music, with Channel 7 personalities and B grade Australian celebrities. Welcome to The Big Music Quiz.
The concept is simple and probably entertaining for the whole family, and echoes a dumbed down version of ABC’s Spicks & Specks, but Channel 7 has a history of flops when it comes to these types of shows.
Am I writing off the show too early? Probably…
Will I still watch it? Most likely, as I’m a music nerd… Just don’t tell anyone I’m watching it.
These quiz / panel shows come off as a dime-a-dozen that programming tend to buy the rights from overseas production companies and make their own version of it so it can earn some Australian content points.
In the last ten years, there’s been a series of flops that start off promising (okay, except one) but the Australian audience turn their backs to in the ratings.
SlideShow (2013)
Hosted by Grant Denyer, this 13 episode series was loosely based on Working Dog’s Thank God You’re Here but on an angle. It looked like a lawsuit waiting to happen with talent prone to injuries, but nothing came of it. The show flopped, but it was given a brief chance of life in the U.S. under the guidance of Rove McManus and Steve Carell. But it died a quick death.
The Unbelievable Truth (2012)
Hosted by The Chaser’s Craig Reucassel, this show was developed from the UK radio show of the same name and produced by The Goodies’ Graeme Garden’s production team. Get a bunch of comedians and recite a bunch of fake fact liners, with only one of them being the truth. The entertainment came from each comedian having a certain style in telling the stories behind each truth / false fact. It died after 10 episodes.
The White Room (2010)
https://youtu.be/Bz7j22yPMVg
Hosted by former Crud Show radio guys Jules Schiller and Tony Moclair, the panel players had to guess everything about TV shows. Whether it was interpretative dance moves, solving riddles, guess the title with physical objects, the hour long show lasted as long as a made-for-tv movie and was axed after two episodes.
You May Be Right (2006)
Hosted by Todd McKenney, this music quiz show was plagued by production problems, and a nervous host. Also Spicks & Specks was in its prime on the ABC, so viewers noticed it tried to duplicate it as much as possible, and ignored the show. It lasted roughly a month before the plug was pulled.
Out Of The Question (2008)
Hosted by Glenn Robbins, it seemed this show was given the all-clear by Channel 7 because it was a cheap show to produce. One comedian asking 3 comedians questions on an oddly-curved desk. The first run of seven episodes had dismal ratings, and was eventually shafted to late nights towards the 2nd half of the year. It’s rumoured to have 16 episodes under the belt, but after the initial seven, no-one really saw the rest.
Honourable Mention
Celebrity Splash (2013)
Okay, this wasn’t a panel / quiz show, but it had celebrities / personalities who were willing to appear on this show for the right amount of coin. Hosted by Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies, the contestant had everything: from retired sports stars, to models, comedians and other… people… of all shapes and sizes. All they had to do was dive off a series of diving boards – just like the Olympic diving event! This show was a big no from the announcement, but the show still went to air, with belly-flops, back injuries and the risk of a boob implant exploding. After ratings started to dry up quickly, squashing the show down to 4 – 5 episodes.
It was then quickly forgotten, and everyone went back to their lives.
Did I miss any? Write yours down below.
