Tag Archives: Channel 9

Ep 327: Looking back at Europe

We take a look back at the last couple of years and give little updates on how shows have behaved since we first cast our eyes upon them.

Glenn posits that Europe is beating HBO’s pants, Brett fails to understand how calendars work and Brenna brings back some Australian classics.

Listen to it or be shamed in the face of your peers.

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Rethinking The Big Bang Theory

Back in episode 295 we had our own ürbernerd, Ben McKenzie, talk about The Big Bang Theory and its poor portrayal of nerds on TV. Listener David Lay sent in his thoughts and we present them here in a slightly edited form.


I recall having a first look at The Big Bang Theory when Channel 9 first started airing it (whenever that was), and not liking it enough to regard it as ‘appointment television’. My initial impression was that the show was very much laughing *at* nerds rather than *with* them. But some time later, when the hair was on fire at Channel 9 and they were all about repeats of Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory around the clock, I began watching it more regularly.

I studied maths, physics, and computer science at University during the 1990s, so I felt like this was a show pitched squarely, if not, alarmingly narrowly, at me.

When Channel 9 went nuts with TBBT repeats I came to enjoy it. In the later seasons, the balance seemed to have tipped more towards “laughing with” than “laughing at”. I enjoyed it in much the same way I enjoy The Simpsons and Futurama.

And then I listened to Boxcutters episode #295 and heared it spoken of in some confronting terms like “misogyny” and I was startled. There was an initial shock of one’s personal sense of taste has been maligned, and an impulse to fly off the handle into half-cocked, HeraldSun-esque moral outrage. I’ve listened to that segment again several times over the course of the last two or three months, and it has made me re-evaluate my thoughts.

In probably more of a “the scales fell from my eyes” moment. I realise that I’ve been letting some things on TBBT slide.

Like in that episode where Howard and Koothrappali put on fake tattoo sleeves and eyeliner and go to a club to hit on goth girls. It’s easy to picture a macho-jock type date-rapist and say “now *that’s* misogyny”, but Howard and Raj preparing for a night of trying to lie their way into a one night stand isn’t materially different now that I think about it.

I managed to overlook things like this in TBBT because you know they’re so socially inept that they’re doomed to failure. I guess there’s something in the power dynamics: one tends to picture misogyny as being perpetrated by confident and powerful macho types. When perpetrated by sexually inexperienced socially awkward nerds with low self-esteem, it seems less obvious.

Although it’s taken a while for me to get to this point, I agree with what Ben McKenzie has said, and I can see TBBT from more of a distance now.

Something that still surprises me, though, is that I was so readily able to identify the misogynistic humour in other Chuck Lorre productions: specifically the Ukrainian cook in 2 Broke Girls and pretty much every facet of Two and a Half Men.

Somehow the misogyny in The Big Bang Theory ;escaped my immediate attention.

There are degrees of TV show love. ;The Big Bang Theory was “record on DVR and erase after watching”, but now it’s bumped down to “watch it if it’s on”. Community, for contrast, is “record on DVR and keep it until I get it on DVD” love.


You can send your letters to Boxcutters so we can know what you think.

Ep 304: Why Big Brother Returns

Creepy stories, trashy TV and the need for a new season of Big Brother are all covered in this special episode of Boxcutters that no parent should miss.

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Ep 293: Paul Ireland, Excess Baggage

It’s guestarama this week with Nelly Thomas in to talk about Excess Baggage and how it compares to The Biggest Loser.

Paul Ireland talks to us about being a young actor in The Bill and an older actor in Outland.

There’s One Thing and Pork and News and what else do you need to know?

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We talk to Penny Chapman, the producer of the new ABC1 series, The Straits. There’s a review of Grimm vs Once Upon a Time and a Raywatch about Channel 9’s coverage of Australia Day protests.

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Ep 260: Perfect Couples, Bendigo St

John Richards went to the former Channel 9 studios in Bendigo St Richmond to help pull it apart. He tells us why. Brett and Josh review the US series Perfect Couples. Brett tells us why. Josh has been watching The Celebrity Apprentice and you probably already know why.

Enjoy responsibly:

Continue reading “Ep 260: Perfect Couples, Bendigo St” »

Ep 259: The Chicago Code

ChicCodeYou want in-depth and slightly waffly discussions about what makes good television? You have come to the right place. Dave Lawson joins us as regular co-host, a role he will share with John and Courteney from now on.

We review the new show from Shaun Ryan, the creator of the Shield, The Chicago Code.

If you want more there’s some Pork, some Crap TV, some dumb anecdotes that should never have gone to air and a bunch of other stuff that is probably not work mentioning like breathing and stuff.

Breathe with this:

Continue reading “Ep 259: The Chicago Code” »

Ep 257: Conviction Kitchen’s Vital

Conviction Kitchen Screenshot
Courteney Hocking sits in the co-host chair to talk to Jean-Vital Syverin, the sous chef from Conviction Kitchen.

We take a look at the new sketch comedy from the Independent Film Channel in the US, Portlandia.

Toby Halligan’s Trotters brings us home and there’s the week’s TV news and what you should watch this week.

Continue reading “Ep 257: Conviction Kitchen’s Vital” »

Escaping From Planet Earth

Ben Elton's new TV show sucked pony kidneysThe ratings for last night’s Live From Planet Earth debut on Channel 9 tell a sad tale of a program that had viewers fleeing from their sets to avoid any stray contagion that may come through the screen and infect them with whatever it was that made anybody think putting this on TV in the first place was a good idea.

Over 40% of viewers had switched off by the end of the show. Melbourne, which had the highest starting numbers over all, also had the largest evacuation with almost 45% of viewers fleeing to safety.

This graph shows all 5 major cities and the ratings for Channel 9 in the four quarter-hours from 9:30 to 10:30.
LiveFromPlanetEarthgraph
See that downward trend? That’s not a good sign for the show.

If you know anybody who enjoyed Live from Planet Earth, or if you’re one of those people, please let us know.

Ep 255: Harry’s Law, James Talia

Harrys law cast edit
The wonderfully talented and outrageously charming Dave Lawson joins us as cohost.

We discuss recent news coverage and the secret lives of journalists with James Talia.

Also we review Harry’s Law, the new David E Kelley drama.

Expect, as well, the usual fare of news and pork with trotters.

Smell the audio treats:

This week’s question: Are you coming to our exciting event at ACMI? Let us know by email.