Wednesday night was a very interesting TV night. On Channel 9, you had the return of a classic Australian show, 'Hey Hey It's Saturday', a show that hasn't been seen on our screens for ten years. It was presented in exactly the same format as when we last saw it, featuring the same veteran performers. On the other hand, on the ABC was the premiere episode of a brand new show from Zapruder's Other Films called 'Hungry Beast'.

These two shows present an interesting contrast within the Australian TV landscape at the moment. Australian television seems to be in an interesting period currently as commercial networks look towards finding the next 'Masterchef', basically a show that everyone in society might be drawn to, that all members of the family will watch. 'Masterchef' worked essentially because it was a show that was geared toward a whole range of demographics. A big reason that people watch television is so that they have something to talk about with other people at school or work. It works as a unifier. It's similar to what 'Talkin' About Your Generation' has successfully achieved recently and it's also one reason why 'Hey Hey It's Saturday' was so successful in the past. It's interesting then that 'Hey Hey' has returned, placed on Wednesday night against 'Celebrity Masterchef' and this new show 'Hungry Beast'.

From all reports, 'Hey Hey' rated really well although whether this is due largely to the curiosity factor will remain to be seen. I watched most of it and enjoyed it, it seemed to retain the same spirit that it used to have, the performers all have that great chemistry and it was pretty funny overall. Some elements felt a bit tired and definitely the John Farnham cross was a laughable misstep because the delay was so extreme. Overall though, the show was good family viewing. It seemed to fill a void that has been lacking in Australian television of late, that of live variety. It's a domain that hasn't ever been filled since 'Hey Hey' left our screens, the closest approximations that haven't been axed within a season have probably been 'Rove' and sadly 'The Footy Show'. There have been some attempts such as the ill-fated 'Micallef Tonight', a very funny show that didn't get much of a run, but there has been nothing as sustained as 'Hey Hey' was. Can 'Hey Hey' come back permanently? I don't see why not, it still works as a show. But ultimately, it can only be a temporary fill-in. Australian television still needs to develop something new, fresh and exciting. Live television, particularly the variety format, is important because it exposes new talent on our screens.

While 'Hey Hey' represents an old favourite, re-booted for a new generation; 'Hungry Beast' on ABC represents an entirely new concept, an untried format. The premise of the show is that nineteen young media newcomers (sort of) are given pretty much free reign to create a half-hour weekly show. The emphasis seems to be on news and current affairs but the tone is light and features comedy sketches and pranks as well. Did it work? It is very hard to judge a show based on the first episode but my reaction was basically disappointment. I was expecting this show to be like a new 'Race Around The World', a show that was fresh and exciting and really allowed the individuals in it to create whatever they wanted. It was a brilliant show that should be brought back, it introduced us to such talents as John Safran and Tony Wilson. I think 'Hungry Beast' is the sort of show that could be quite up and down from week to week, such is the nature of the experiment. I found the first episode quite patchy overall and there seemed to be a struggle to link the various segments together. It was also heavily stylised which seemed to undermine the premise of the show- to present raw talent producing raw material. Perhaps, I've misinterpreted the idea behind the whole thing but it seemed way too flashy at times for what they were trying to convey. The comedy sketches were disappointing, one in particular I'm pretty sure was based on a 'Hamish and Andy' thing from a few years ago. Having said all that, the show is an interesting experiment and will no doubt produce some great moments in the coming weeks. It certainly presented a contrast with 'Hey Hey' on Channel 9. In the same Wednesday evening, the ABC was exhibiting what might be considered the future of Australian television while on Channel 9, it was the past re-booted.