ABC

Excellent range of Australian children's programmes, documentaries, dramas, comedies, news and current affairs shows. No commercials.
Click here for TV Guide

Wombat TV  Hit Picks
Stupid Stupid Man, 9.00pm. Wednesdays.

First screened on Foxtel's TV1, and now on free-to-air television, the new season of Stupid Stupid Man is an entertaining - if slightly hit and miss - comedy about the production team behind men's magazine COQ (Chap's Own Quarterly).

Sometimes the jokes and gag setups are very cleverly put together and it's a pretty slick-looking series, but other times you see the gags coming a mile off and not even high production values can counter lame jokes. Not the greatest Aussie comedy ever, but an entertaining prelude to Summer Heights High on Wednesdays.

- Frankie J.

Wombat TV  Hit Picks
The Howard Years, 8.30pm. Mondays.

Whether you view the Howard years through rose-coloured glasses or lament the conservative policies his government enacted over 11 years, this documentary is must-see television. Whether you like John Howard or not, you must watch this show.

The interviews are very impressive with the likes of Peter Costello, Alexander Downer and Peter Reith are remarkably candid, while Tony Blair and George W. Bush wax lyrical about the good and the not-so-good experiences they shared with PM Howard. Perhaps the most curious interview is the one with Janette Howard, the former Prime Minister's wife, because it never happened.

It's essentially a montage of various interviews and some of the most revealing are with top public servants and political advisors, and it's these that will have fans of Hollowmen cocking their eyebrows. According to the ABC, the making of this insightful 4-part doco involved more than 50 interviews. Crikey!

The ABC's website sums it up nicely: "The definitive television record of the Howard Government, the series documents the life and times of Australia's second longest serving Prime Minister and the key events, achievements and controversies of his government."

If you miss this excellent series, check out the ABC's iView page where you can watch the episodes anytime once they've aired on TV.

- Frankie J.

Channel 7

Strong on Australian drama, lifestyle shows, popularist news and current affairs, game shows. Commercials.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Louis Theroux Weird Weekends, 11:00pm, Mondays.

I remember watching Louis Theroux special... actually, I remember watching these specific Louis Theroux specials... on Foxtel many many years ago - when the "Areana" channel was more about the alternative (SNL, Blind Date, etc).

So, almost ten years later, Channel Seven has tracked down near every episode the man has made and let him run wild in the 11pm Monday night timeslot. And, I'll tell ya something, Weird Weekends still plays just as well all these years later.

It's a truly sublime program.

This week, Louis treks into the deep dark world of Rednecks and takes on the Demolition Derby. It's just great to see how easily Louis becomes accepted into these oddball world (despite the fact we all know he is nowhere as innocent as he appears, and is actually a bit of a patronising bastard).

This is excellent TV.

- David Lennox.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
The Zoo, 7:30pm, Tuesdays.

When it comes to Channel Seven's ambigious usage of its Sunrise hosts, I'm much less offended when Melissa Doyle hits the screen than the other bloke, and The Zoo is light, easygoing entertainment.

Like most reality shows that centre on a department or an establishment, The Zoo follows around park employees who loo after the animals of Australia's various zoos, and it's this inside look that I like best.

Being able to see the operating theatres and the innovative surgical equipment when a lion needs a tooth removed is what fascinates the voyeur in me, and really it's the only thing that makes watching this show worth your time.

Doyle's narration is best described as sickly sweet and great for young kids, but for mine I usually mute the sound and plonk on some Vivaldi while watching the inner workings of this country's zoos. 

It's not the most riveting TV show on the box, but is it an interesting insight into the life and times of caged animals and their carers.

- Frankie J.

Channel 9

Lifestyle shows, popularist news and current affairs, game shows, reality TV. French Open tennis. Rugby League State of Origin. Commercials.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
The Chopping Block, 7:30pm. Tuesdays.

With Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares off the Channel Nine adgenda after (well, what can only really be described as "beating a dead horse") it only seems to make sense that they fill in the time with The Chopping Block.

It's essentially an Australian version of Kitchen Nightmares but without the brutality of Gordon Ramsay's acid tongue - and a bit of a game show element thrown in for good measure.

So while it isn't great, it is fairly addictive once you get going. So let's hope that Nine can find some decent viewing figures for it.

- David Lennox.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Girls of the Playboy Mansion, 11:30pm. Tuesdays.

According to recent reports Playboy mogul and walking corpse Hugh Hefner's fortunes are crumbling amid falling sales of his long-running 'lifestyle' magazine and lucrative merchandise offshoots. 

But that doesn't stop the fun at the Playboy Mansion!!

This is probably the worst program I've ever seen, and like many men I like looking a nude babes. That's really all that needs to be said of this insipid excuse for boosting the Playboy branding brand. Bunnies or no bunnies, it's sh*t.

- Frankie J.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Getaway, 7:30pm. Thursdays.

Contrary to popular belief, travel shows are not colourful and convenient advertisements for airlines, travel agents and tour operators. They serve a simple purpose to pep us up when we're feeling down.

Take my example. It was my birthday last week and no one called me, no one even Face-booked me, and all I got from my loving family was a birthday cake that made me sick. 

Later that day I sat down and watched Getaway, and like a waking dream I flew to destinations far beyond my reach, bathed in the gloriousness of distant lands and the potential for adventure. It was a nice end to an otherwise forgetful day.

It's a great little show and like lasagna, even when it's bad it's good. I have always had a powerful distaste for Catriona Rowntree - something about that fake smile - but after years of plodding along on Getaway she seems to be taking it all a lot less seriously which is proving to be a positive thing. You know it's coming: get away with... Getaway.

- David Lennox.

Channel 10

Programmed for a younger audience, US chat shows, lifestyle shows, popularist news and current affairs, reality TV. Commercials.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Rush, 9:30pm. Tuesdays.

And so we say goodbye to one of the best Aussie dramas to hit our screens in a long time. Even better, it's a show about an action packed subject that somehow avoided any major explosions, gun fights... in fact... what the hell did they do all year besides run around and do car patrols??

In all fairness, Rush has been excellent. The loss of Claire Van Der Boom was a real blow (if only because it was her relationship that kept the show bubbling) so it will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

Channel 10 have commissioned a 22 episode second season and are currently casting for the new female lead "Shannon". It will also be pushed to the 8:30pm timeslot next year as well.

SHOCK HORROR - not only is an Australian network giving a TV show longer than two weeks to prove itself... but they are giving it even more of a chance to succeed!

- David Lennox.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Supernatural, 9:30pm. Mondays.

Okay, confession time. I actually like this show. Though I wouldn't normally watch it, certain people in my family think the main characters are 'hunks'. 

But having been draw in by the show's creative themes, I will say that from time to time the show displays some real innovation, and the scripts are sometimes very good. It's just good old-fashioned escapist fun.

Because it's a horror spook fest with lots of ghosts, ghouls, and other supernatural entities and paranormal occurrences, special effects play a large role in this often endearing show, and for the most part it looks pretty slick with impressive post-production work.

The current fourth season that is airing on Channel Ten began with Dean returning from hell, saved by an angel.

The main characters, brothers Dean and Sam Winchester, are played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki with ease. The dialogue is often quite funny, but both actors manage to make the transition from serious to amusing without hampering the fantasy setting, and the pacing of the 1-hour episodes is usually very good too.

The show's creator, Eric Kripke, says he wants to wrap up the show next year with a big finale in series 5, but already Supernatural is on firm footing and personally I'd like to see a few more seasons. It just gets better each week.

- Frankie J.

SBS

Excellent range of non-English speaking programmers, strong coverage of soccer, terrific overseas news, documentaries and foreign movies. Limited commercials.
Click here for TV Guide

Wombat TV Hit Picks
When Dogs Teach Bears, 8:25pm, Sunday.

We are taking a look at this series for no other reason than the title. Seriously, where else but SBS will you find something this enticing??

The Japanese town of Karuizawa, at the foot of Mount Asama is a popular tourist destination, only 150 km from Tokyo. But it faces an unusual problem: the local brown bear population is becoming addicted to the town's rubbish dumps, and they even venture inside people's houses.

The number of fatal encounters between humans and bears is on the increase, and local authorities are worried. Biologist Junpei Tanaka of the Picchio Wildlife Research Centre must quickly find a solution in order to save the local bear population.

He teams up with American bear expert Corrie Hunt and her Karelian bear dogs and with French naturalist Rémy Marion to try and keep men and bears at a safe distance from each other.

Not as much fun as the title itself... but still quality SBS viewing.

- David Lennox.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Cooking In The Danger Zone: Burma, 8:00pm, Wednesday.

Stefan continues his culinary journey around the world with his most dangerous trip yet - smuggling himself into the jungles of eastern Burma, where the Karen people are fighting a vicious guerrilla war with the Burmese army.

He goes on patrol with a Karen rebel group deep into the jungle to check on isolated villages that are under constant threat of attack from the Burmese army. There he finds villagers whose fields have been mined to stop them harvesting their crops, and whose homes are often looted by the Burmese army.

The patrol must survive on a little rice and what they can catch in the jungle, even if that means eating endangered animals.

- David Lennox.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Top Gear Australia, 7:30pm, Mondays.

Now.. what exactly could have caused Top Gear Australia to drop over 200,000 viewers from it's opening episode to it's second episode? Hmmm...

I watched the first episode of Top Gear Australia and a few words come to mind when I hear this phrase. 

Words such as defective, limping and unconvincing.

The show is trying a bit too hard to be as good as it's BBC predecessor, and I mean it's a given that the show has a high mark to live up to being held up to the likes of Clarkson and his cheeky one-liners, but the Australian brand just lacks charisma.

There's lots of nice cars doing burnouts, but the dynamics of the group don't seem to flow as well as the Brits, and this was what makes the BBC show work - and sadly it's what will undo the Australian incarnation.

It seems that the Aussies have just tried to mimic Top Gear (Britain) and then throw a few Aussie accents in there and they were also lazy in that they weren't creative enough to think of a new name for the Stig. 

From what I've seen - the first episode - the Aussie Top Gear team have fallen short of the mark and we will be surprised to see the show renewed in 2009. 

Jeremy Clarkson is the a character that you love to hate or may even agree with on the BBC version of Top Gear, but Charlie Cox of Top Gear Australia just seems uninterested and arrogant. 

Steve Pizzati is just plain annoying with his over exaggerated accent and Warren Brown is a cartoonist for The Daily Telegraph and comes across as not having a clue. After casting 4000 people for these three roles, you'd think they'd get it half right...

I would say if you have nothing else to watch at 7.30pm on Monday night, pick up a book, go out side for a walk or play badminton with a friend because these are much better alternatives than watching Top Gear Australia.

First impressions are important, and the Australian take on the hit BBC show made a poor first showing. Let's hope it picks up and tries for something more original.

Lyle The Intern

Let's face it, every single one of us here at the Wombat are suffering from insomnia. It's part and parcel of the online magazine game. No sleep, plenty of updates and the occasional trip to the local "fun house".

It's a wild ride we be on.

So it is of no surprise that everyone here is obsessed with the shining light of Late Show with David Letterman in Lyle The Intern. We featured this oddball a few months ago and we feel the time is just about right to check back in on him and see what that fella is up to.

So sit back and relax while Lyle does his thing, because we're all "going to McGee's puuuuub!"