A quiet word on last night's Joy of Sets

OK, so we've all had a night to stew on the Joy of Sets...

The show itself was a unique beast - at least in Australia- as there has been no show with so much critical acclaim, and the biggest madly devoted cult following, as that of Get This (or the team of Tony Martin, Ed Kavalee and the late Richard Marsland).

This show was almost never going to live up to expectations, and even I admitted that mine were unreasonably high.

And yes, it was an uncomfortable sprint from beginning to end, and for fans who loved the longer-form FM radio format of Get This, they would have found the unbelievably scripted nature of the show constricting. Part of the charm of Get This was the (perceived) ramshackle feeling of the show.

But in getting all that out of the way, for a pilot of a fairly newish format (let's face it, it's basically the love-child of The Gruen Transfer and TV Burp), it was bloody fantastic.

I can honestly say that this half-hour of TV was the best thing I had seen on Australian TV all year - I know that there isn't much competition, but the mere fact that the show didn't treat its viewers like idiots (see: Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth) and wasn't a carbon copy of another successful format (The Renovators, anything else...)

Now again, I'm not saying it was a brilliantly funny first go, but it did not disappoint, which is pretty high praise from someone with already lofty expectations.

However, on a side note, I should address the format again- many people are saying that giving it time to bed-in will allow it to breathe a bit more, but the fact is, Tony and Ed have already filmed 5 or so episodes (correct me if I'm wrong), and the pacing is likely to be just as brisk- especially given the fact that the eps ain't getting any longer, and you can't accuse Tony and Ed on being light on for material (they've only been off air together for close to four years) so they'll want to cram as much stuff as they can in.

But this isn't a massive issue- in fact, for many shows, too much material would be a good problem to have, and you have to forgive the pair (both have experienced the fickle and brutal nature of the commercial broadcasting world) for trying to give it their absolute all.

Most importantly, the main thing I hope comes from this show - assuming it gets to air all of its episodes (which, at this stage, is looking fairly likely; as much as people have lamented the fact it has aired on Channel Nine, at least they have given them a go, and at this very moment in time, getting a leg-up on the back of the much talked about Two and a Half Men reboot is the best chance at success they could get), is that Tony and Ed get free reign to build their own show from the ground up. As good as Andrew Denton's production company is, they all start to look a bit the same after a while- they're either edgy, controversial or a bit insightful (or a combination of the three), and please don't mention the opening titles,  which, while nice and dinky, induced cold sweats as I remembered the opening titles for the man who haunted many of my dreams many a year ago.

While it's a good format, I hope it's looked back on as being a successful launch-pad for a long career at Channel Nine (I know how unconceivable that may sound, as the words successful and long wouldn't exactly be commonplace around the non-existant halls of Channel Nine anymore), but hey, if it can happen to Shaun Micallef at Ten (someone who seems similarly boxed-in to a format to an even greater degree), surely it can happen to these two.

Heads Up: The Joy of Sets to premiere Tuesday September 20

At long last, Channel Nine has decided on an air date for the much-anticipated show, The Joy of Sets... Or the televised incarnation of Get This.

It's September 20, where it has a timeslot of 9pm Tuesdays.

Don't know about you guys, but I think I have some unrealistically high expectations for the show, but if it's even half as good as Get This was, Tony (Martin) and Ed (Kavalee) should be responsible for one of the best shows of the year.

... Because the people want ducks!

News: The Joy of Sets to begin filming soon - How to be in the audience

One of the shows that continually seems to slip under the radar for the rest of 2011 has been The Joy of Sets, featuring Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee - mainly because details surrounding it have been sparse.


But today, Zapruder's Other Films has put out a call for people to be in the show's audience (bad news if you're not in Sydney) as well as giving some clues as to what the show will involve. 


From the outset, it's clear they know what they are dealing with in Martin and Kavalee, when saying they are the stars of the "greatly-missed" Get This.


They also confirmed the show will be a "unique take on television; the good, the bad and the fabulously misguided."


Here's what they had to say about audience tickets and the rest of the show:

Written and hosted by Tony and Ed, The Joy of Sets is an affectionate and funny journey through the world of television. Each episode will deal with a different part of the television universe. By the end of the series, keen viewers will have learnt enough to create their own smash hit, TV format – or their money back*

The show will be recorded in Sydney, and we start taping very soon. If you want a front row seat email us at josaudience@zapruder.com.au. Get in quick, as numbers are limited. It’s sure to be dizzy stuff, folks.

When: Fridays - August through to October, 7pm – 9pm

Where: Technology Park, Alexandria, Sydney

From Zapruder’s Other Films (producers of The Gruen Transfer) for prime time on the Nine Network, The Joy Of Sets will take you to parts of the television universe you never knew existed.

*Offer applies to free-to-air television only.

They have also just advised that seats for episode one are all gone - but there will be more, just follow them on Twitter for more updates.


The fact that they are taping this month means the Channel Nine show can't be far away - I'd hazard a guess that the end of the month will see the first episode air (taking into account promotion for the show, etc.).

Opinion: Can Nine Reclaim Some Glory?

Channel Nine is currently undergoing a resurgence of sorts, after a very lacklustre start to the year.

After heavily promoting the fourth series of The Block in its new 7PM timeslot, it has proven a decent new alternative in its first week on air.

Of course, its strong first week figures will be slightly inflated due to the massive publicity push, but it has arguably begun to turn around Nine's fortunes.

And let's face it, any old show that can pull half-decent figures for Nine (we're talking over a million) will be more than welcome on its schedule, as its first half of the year has certainly been one to forget for the network.

After starting the year touting itself as the "Home of Comedy" it put forth its first offering in the form of Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth. And we all know how that one ended:



Low ratings combined with the worst critical reception to a show in recent memory made for a genuine, out-and-out stinker of a show.

Faced with failure, Nine felt it had no choice but to flog the hell out of its imports in Two and a Half Men and Top Gear, two programs that had done very well for the network in 2010.

However, repeating these "hit shows" ad nauseam led to viewer fatigue, and pretty soon they began turning off in droves.

Today, Top Gear is nowhere to be seen on Nine's main channel, with Two and a Half Men pushed late into the night. You can find it now at 10:30PM on a Tuesday night.

Continue reading after the jump...

Between the Lines Review: A Nice Surprise, but can it Join the Ranks of "Specks", GNW, TAYG?

I was pleasantly surprised by Nine's latest foray into the panel/quiz show formula. Ten has its pop culture quiz show in Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, its news quiz show in Good News Week. ABC has its music quiz show in Spicks and Specks and its sports quiz show in The Trophy Room. So how does this stack up?

Well, first off Eddie McGuire as host : he did the job just fine, there was never any question of that. As always, it always comes down to whether you are a fan of his or not, or rather, if you can tolerate him or not. But whether you like him or not, he knows when to let the guests crack their jokes or tell their stories, and when to keep the show moving (though it was not live).
But at the end of the day, even if you don't like Eddie, he doesn't dominate the show, so it would be tolerable at worst.

The two team captains were Mick Molloy and Ryan Fitzgerald, who were both quite funny. Molloy came with a few succinct one-liners that he's used to delivering on Before the Game while Fitzgerald was quite good at responding to situations and making jokes up on the spot.

The comedians were Peter Berner and Ed Kavalee, and they were predictably brilliant, however, I couldn't help feeling a pang of nostalgia and excitement for the two shows these two were/are involved in (The Einstein Factor and The Joy of Sets).

The stars Lauren Burns and James Tomkins didn't really have a lot to offer except for a couple of amusing anecdotes, but I guess you need them on there given it is a sports show. And having 6 comedians on a show can sometimes be too chaotic.

So it's really no different to most panel-type shows- it will live and die by the quality of its guests. For example, I would watch if people like Ed Kavalee were on, but not if someone like Ruby Rose were on.



Also, speaking of female guests, many have remarked that there is not a strong female presence, which opens it up to a barrage of criticism. Here's a suggestion for another female guest- Mieke Buchan. She is also on Eddie's Triple M breakfast show, and has good chemistry with him. Also, and most importantly, she knows her sport- she is also associated with Channel Nine as she does voiceovers for the AFL Footy Show.

And speaking of chaos, if you stack it up against GNW, Eddie keeps his show under control. Which isn't to say that the chaos doesn't work for GNW.

It is also a bit more structured than Talkin Bout Your Generation, as that show requires a looser format to allow Shaun Micallef room to weave his magic, the elaborate games to play out and allow the guests to have some good ol' fashioned fun.

However, it is not as structured as Spicks and Specks. It does borrow heavily from its games such as the "pick a subject" questions, and the "true or false" anecdotes. However, I for one couldn't care less. If a show is good, I don't care if it borrows elements from other shows. After all, we're all friends here....

There was, however, one part I disliked was the segment in which the contestants had to pick the "real" Gary Cosier. It isn't really the fault of the comedians, as they are there to make jokes, but they proceeded to take potshots at the five "Garys" based on their physical appearance. It only served to demonstrate the sort of blokey ribbing with more than a hint of nastiness that would cause many to switch off. For example, Molloy kicked it off by saying one of the "Garys" "is clearly on day release". Ed Kavalee's were less malicious, saying one looked like he wants to "go (him)", while another looked like "Con the Fruiterer". Molloy, though, finished by saying one looked like he was born in "1896". On the other side, Berner said "Get two Kerry Bousteads and tape them together" to get one of the "Kerry Bousteads" in the line-up.

I just hope five women aren't put up next week or else it could get very ugly...

So in the end, it turned out to be a decent show. Not exactly a rip-snorter, but it has the capacity to turn out some decent laughs every week. However, it all comes down to the ratings tomorrow...