Finale: Offspring - Season 2

After a stellar season of the breakout Australian drama Offspring, it is drawing to a close for 2011.


Season 2 has seen two new relationships for the central character Nina, as well as her sister Billie become engaged to her partner Mick after they lost their first unborn child, and their brother Jimmy was also on the verge of getting married.


The final few episodes of the series has however shaken things up a bit, and it seems that the finale will draw together loose ends as well as dropping a bombshell or two that will be sure to leave viewers wanting more.


Here are the questions to be answered:


Will Nina choose Chris or Patrick? (For those who have been across the information regarding the actors playing those roles, they would know that the answer may in fact already be spoiled, unfortunately- but for those who don't know what I'm talking about, I won't give anything away)


Will Jimmy commit to a relationship with Zara, or at least prove he is responsible enough to help raise their unborn child?


What is the "family secret" that Cherie uncovers?


Will anything stand in the way of Mick and Billie's marriage?


Offspring airs at 9:00PM on Network Ten. It will return for a third season in 2012.

Opinion: How Offspring got it so right, so quickly

It’s easy to see why Offspring isn’t pulling huge numbers.

Not bad numbers, by any stretch, as anything which can consistently pull figures around the 1m mark is valuable to any network.

And this dramatic shift has only been validated by its recent third season renewal after its first five episodes have scored 927,000, 760,000 (in a later timeslot), 905,000 and 953,000 and 954,000, 982,000 and 995,000 respectively.

However, while these seem to be decent numbers, they pale in comparison to the ratings juggernaut that is Packed to the Rafters (its last six episodes rated 1.943, 1.815, 1.796, 1.748, 1.806, 1.709 million repsectively)- a show waiting to burst back on to the scene in the second half of the year.

Offspring in many ways deserves to be up there with Packed to the Rafters, however many still regard it as a "chick show", possibly because of its female lead, as well as its flowery title font, as well as the underlying motifs of pregancy, relationships and commitment... who knows. But the fact is, it's anything but a Sex and the City clone, for want of a better example, and it deserves much more praise than it gets.

But possibly the reason for that is, is that it has suffered from a particularly average first season. Let me refresh your memory;

The first episode of the first season opened to Asher Keddie swimming in a pool, an actress that would have been known for her work on acclaimed Australian drama Love My Way, but possibly better known for her more recent work on the second series of Underbelly, given its run on Free to Air rather than Pay TV.

However, many remarked on the striking similarities between the pool shot and The Secret Life of Us’ frequent activity around similar places.

Then came the inner monologue voice over while Keddie was swimming.

Then came the clumsy bump into the wall at the end of the pool lane.

So that presumably was to tell viewers everything they needed to know about Nina’s personality; words like “awkward”, “clumsy”, “obsessive” and “frazzled” were meant to spring to mind.

And that was just her personality- from then on it wasn’t that hard to guess how the rest of her life was structured.

Hectic yet rewarding job? Check - she’s an obstetrician.

Sibling who is the polar opposite? Check - her sister Billie is seen tearing the clothes off a gardner (this was also used in the promo) soon after we meet her.

Other siblings to add some spice? Check - meet unemployed brother Jimmy.

Separated parents symbolising her fractured personality? Check.

And then there was the work situation, which has also been fused with her love-life and friendships.

There were the somewhat flirty somewhat bitchy somewhat playful nurses.

And then there was the love interest, played by Don Hany, a character which seemed would haunt every one of Nina’s dreams for the entire series.

And it did to some extent, with the “will-they won’t-they” dynamic being well established from the first episode.

There was also a parallel relationship established with her sister Billie and Mick, with a similar dynamic.

Yes, it was one of “those” shows- leaving gender out of it, it was one of those “Oh, isn’t life hard in this day and age? You know, trying to balance our jobs with our personal life, etc. etc.”

But this is not to say that it was a bad show. It was a perfectly fine, even a good Australian drama.

And it burst on to the scene as a fresh new Australian drama with a focus that wasn't directly on a family, nor was it on a bunch of cops, nor a bunch of crooks, or people "rescuing" other people.

But it just couldn’t match the ease with which Packed to the Rafters churned out breezy, yet addictive storytelling. However, it was still head and shoulders above the likes of Rescue: Special Ops, Sea Patrol and even Rush.

So what did Packed to the Rafters have that Offspring didn’t?

Continue reading...

TV News Wrap: Saturday May 21

• There's a bit of "Office" talk floating about after its finale aired on Thursday night in the US. (Minor spoilers for Australian viewers). The response to the barrage of guest stars lining up to be the new boss has received a middling to negative response from most critics. Despite appearances from comedy heavyweights Ray Romano, Jim Carrey, James Spader, Ricky Gervais and Catherine Tate, some critics were scathing in their appraisal. Take Alan Sepinwall of Hitfix

"...I worried that a parade of big name guest stars would not only not fit comfortably into the world of the show but turn the finale into a disjointed mess.

I feel my fears were unfortunately correct with Ferrell's episode, and they sure seemed correct as I sat through last night's bumpy, awkward, great big mess of a finale. "

• In other "Office" news, TVLine's Michael Ausiello has signalled the possibility that Jenna Fischer's real-life pregnancy mights be written into the show... which I guess was kind of necessary? I mean the other choice was to write her out of the show for a block of episodes Tracy Jordan/Morgan-style, which wouldn't be a bad thing for The Office given the increasing staleness of the Jim-Pam dynamic. But nothing is set in stone yet.


• Which stars won't have a job (well in terms of the TV industry) next season? You've got to feel for Lost's Terry O'Quinn, what a great actor he was in Lost.


• Did Ricky Gervais really say that The Office jumped the shark in its finale? The internet has gone nuts over what Gervais said in his blog:

"If you're going to jump a shark, jump a big one."

The only thing is, he's referring to the Chris Martin episode of Extras, in which he makes a guest-appearance on: "I think it's a bit weird, celebrities just popping up in a sitcom", Gervais' character says. And now Warren Buffet has popped up on The Office. I think it's called irony... and "tongue-in-cheek". And anyway, even if Gervais does think the show has gone to sh-t, he wouldn't care all that much. And these days, jumping the shark isn't really used in the same pejorative sense as it first was, and this is just a light-hearted dig anyway...

• Regardless, the finale still rated well (3.8 rating in 18-49, beating Grey's Anatomy).


• Who will play the Ron Swanson's first ex-wife Tammy in Parks and Recreation. TV Fanatic throws up an interesting, logical choice.


• In other non-Office related news, for fans of the British TV show Luther, the trailer for its second season has been released. And even if you're not a fan of the show, or the brilliant Idris Elba, you've got to admit that this is a fantastic trailer. You've also got to love shows that go out and make great non-plot specific trailers like this which show you something about the character/s in the show, especially with a great song in the background. Soak this up:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWcCAQmxrQc]

• In Australian TV News, TV Tonight hints at a raunchy episode of Offspring coming up this Monday. For mine, the latest season has seemed to take this sort of turn- which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The premiere kicked off the season well, but let's just hope this raunchier turn doesn't turn more conservative viewers off the show. And I think this tweet by comedian Josh Earl nicely summed up the vibe the promos put out for the show:

FX Renewal and Cancellation Wrap

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The League: Here's why it hasn't been picked up Working against it: No big names in the cast, about the NFL, and many player-based jokes will go completely of Australian viewers' heads. Working for it: Youth appeal, fantasy football leagues are extremely popular in Australia.
Would make a great fit on 7mate.

Louie: Critically acclaimed for it's unique style and fluid episodic structure- currently filming it's SECOND SEASON. Yet the first season has aired in the US and will air in Australia on Foxtel in 2011.
It would be a great fit on Ten, with Ten typically choosing portrait pieces such as House, Becker, Lie to Me, Monk, Merlin, Offspring and previously Dexter and Californication.

Lights Out: Currently in its FIRST SEASON, and also receiving high praise for its raw drama.
Working against it: No big stars, slow-burning.
Working for it: Would capitalise on the popularity of The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg.
Would do well on Nine and its showcase of gritty Australian drama in Underbelly.

Terriers: Though it has been cancelled after its FIRST SEASON, by all accounts it was a superb show. Would still be worth a run.

Archer: Currently in its SECOND SEASON, this animated spy comedy would slot right in to Eleven's Animation Fixation programming block of The Simpsons, Futurama, King of the Hill, the Cleveland Show and Bob's Burgers

Justified: Another acclaimed show which has finished its FIRST SEASON with its SECOND SEASON still to come.
Not as flashy as a Burn Notice so it wouldn't fit on Ten, so it would be most appreciated on SBS with Mad Men.

Luckily, Australian viewers have been treated to some FX shows such as;

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: In Australia, Seven has aired four seasons and is currently up to its FIFTH SEASON (episode twelve) on 7mate. However, in the US it is up to its SIXTH SEASON with a SEVENTH SEASON in the works.

And Sons of Anarchy: Will air soon on Eleven. This is creating considerable excitement, with it now finished its THIRD SEASON in the US, with its FOURTH SEASON to air in 2011. Eleven will certainly get a good run out of SOA, with there being a whopping 39 unaired episodes in total.
(SEASON 3 to air on Showcase in 2011)

Rescue Me: SEASON 6 to air on W in 2011.