The TV Set: Five Shows We Shouldn't Have To Wait For

You know the story: traditional TV broadcasting networks still dominate the way Australians are forced to consume TV. And no matter what they promise, or do, we are usually just left waiting for international programming to make it here - hence the Australian love for torrenting. The waiting list is growing daily; here are the five shows (six, actually) we most desperately want to get our hands on - legally, of course.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (US - Netflix)
What's The Rush? If you don't understand the need to see this show without a moment's delay than you've obviously never seen a chicken dance cluster.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Every guffaw-inducing scene will be meme'd by week's end (it was available from Sunday in America). And we won't be in on the joke.

Where's It At? The revived US sit-com is rolling out as an original on-demand series through Netflix in its homeland. Networks here have carried Netflix productions previously. SBS screened Norwegian drama Lilyhammer while Showcase is currently showing House Of Cards in two-episode blocks (neither went out close to overseas' air dates). It is also unlikely that Arrested Development will appear here as it was intended to be seen, binge-watched on demand. With the roadblocks confronting local on-demand service Quikflix in its attempts to acquire Australian rights to Game Of Thrones, it is likely that the old school network-network will do what they can to keep us from accessing TV without their involvement.

Whatever the outcome, the time wasted now does not bode well for our chances to remain up-to-date with the flurry of quality programming now promised by producers of on-demand TV.  Netflix's much-hyped Eli Roth horror series Hemsworth Grove has already begun in the US and prison comedy Orange Is The New Black, from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan has a July start date. Hulu, another overseas on-demand service, are launching James Corden's odd-looking comedy/mystery The Wrong Mans and Seth Meyer's animated series The Awesomes.

BROADCHURCH (UK - ITV)
What's The Rush? This British crime drama was a phenomenon when it aired earlier this year. It attracted the type of adulation and obsessive fandom normally reserved for very non-British dramas The Wire and The Killing. Its finale was so shrouded in secrecy that even cast members were kept in the dark as to whodunnit.  

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? It's going to near impossible to avoid spoilers - especially given its finale was headline news in the UK press. That means you MUST NEVER google 'Broadchurch'. All you need to know is that its ensemble cast features David “Doctor Who” Tennant, one of the doc's old TARDIS companions, David Mitchell's ex-wife from Peep Show and the only woman from Birds Of A Feather who still gets acting work.

Where's It At? It's missing in action. According to a Who fan site it's been bought by a local network that's not UKTV. We suspect it will turn up midweek in SBS2's evening line-up. No one will know about it until after it's screened and you stumble upon the boxset for sale in the SBS Shop trying to order the Letters & Numbers puzzle book for your  grandfather at Xmas.

THE TOMORROW PEOPLE (US - CW)
What's The Rush? Interest in this remake of '70s UK sci-fi hit is fuelled purely by nostalgia. Tomorrow People are a group of evolved humans with paranormal powers. Though they fight evil-doers, The Tomorrow People was no X-Men or Heroes - it was more Henderson Kids With ESP as it was cobbled together as a quick cash-in on early Doctor Who mania.

Now it's in the hands of Executive Producer Julie Plec, who schooled under Kevin Williamson (Dawson's Creek, The Following) on his Scream films (sidenote: MTV are developing a Scream TV series, rumours are Wes Craven was mentioned as director of the pilot). Plec then created the once-intriguing CW series The Vampire Diaries with him. If Plec can convince CW to not let their tween demographic dictate the show's direction, they might be onto something.

It's slotted in for a fall debut in the States, no word on a broadcast date here. The nerds are already preparing their Time Travelling Torrent Machines. While Fox8 and Eleven express the CW shows they carry, 9 have found success with CW's Arrow despite a six-month lag, we have to hope they aren't interested.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Plec's Executive Producer partner is Greg Berlanti. He wrote the big screen Green Lantern.

Where's It At? Casting's complete and production is underway with Mad Men's Peyton List (a former Mrs Stirling) and Home & Away's Luke Mitchell (sidenote: the show was also revived for three seasons in the '90s with Neighbours' Kristian Schmid in the lead role). CW has also broken from its mostly-white/one-token-non-white casting tradition by adding Aaron Yoo to the show. And, with new Vampire Diaries spin-off The Originals set in New Orleans, CW might this year start looking less like a Young Republicans fraternity.

IT'S KEVIN (UK - BBC2)
What's The Rush? Well, there's no rush now, is there? Clips from Kevin Eildon's sketch comedy are all over the internet.

From the punk cabaret opening song to the list of high profile comedy talent who have lined up to work with Eildon, It's Kevin is a 2013 highlight (or maybe, a 2015 ABC2 filler by the time it's broadcast here). If Bill Bailey, Julia Davis, Harry Enfield, Stewart Lee, Simon Munnery, Johnny Vegas and Paul Whitehouse think it's worth their time, surely at least Comedy Channel might be sniffing around.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? It's highly unlikely that enough Australians will be aware of Eildon's quality back catalogue of TV as most of it has suffered the disinterest here that It's Kevin is also being met with. Eildon appeared in classic UK comedies Knowing Me Knowing You With Alan Partridge, Brass Eye, Smack The Pony, Nighty Night, Big Train and whole lot more that you would lucky stumble upon at your local DVD store's closing down sale.

Where's It At? So far, it looks like it's in line behind his mate Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, still not seen here three years since it began on the BBC. UK sketch comedy falls between the arse cracks of Australian programmers these days. Even broader British sketch shows That Mitchell & Webb Look and The Armstrong & Miller Show have struggled for attention here. It would seem even those UK comedians with rock star-type recognition must be relegated to the ABC2's alternative-to-Lateline slot, where Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy found itself. So just pump 'It's Kevin' into the search engine of your choice and you won't even have to contemplate stealing a car if you want to watch it.

AGENTS OF SHIELD (US - ABC)/THE CRAZY ONES (US - CBS)
What's The Rush? If you are the type of Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan who still watches How I Met Your Mother just because Willow's in it or who can't quite cut Bones out of your life because, y'know... the Angel thing. Or, if you understand the preceding sentence without having to consult The AV Club, you know that neither of these shows can land here fast enough. SHIELD, of course, is Buffy creator Joss Whedon's spin-off from his Avengers box office takeover while one of The Crazy Ones is Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Whedon knows the whole movie-to-TV spin-off so well, that he's even done it the other way around just for the heck of it. He wrote the original Buffy movie and then helmed the TV version for seven seasons. When his Firefly series was axed after one year, he took that to the big screen as Serenity. Whedon is even a dab hand at network interference - when Fox meddled with Dollhouse, he somehow still produced a smart and original futuristic thriller. He's probably penning a Dollhouse movie script during toilet breaks.

And Gellar. Well, she's playing Robin Williams' daughter in the ad agency sit-com The Crazy Ones. Come on, you gave Gossip Girl a go just because Buffy's little sister was in it...

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Is it too soon for a Whedon backlash? Over-stimulated online fan chatter is predicting SHIELD guest appearances from Spider-Man and Wolverine. There is risk of some angry YouTube reaction clips being posted before the show's first ad break now that Whedon has reiterated SHIELD is not about superheroes... AT ALL.

And Gellar. Three words: Mork & Mindy. Last time Williams did a regular TV comedy double act, his female acting partner was left behind in a cloud of coke dust. Oh, and three more words: David E Kelley. The Crazys' creator is responsible for nearly three decades of televisual schlock. Kelley is an expert at heavy-handed office-located dramedy. And his shows always outstay their welcome while bogging down in schmaltzy storylines posing as deep and moving dialogue.  

Where's It At? Both shows are on their way to American fall debuts. Both are no doubt being chased by every local network who can afford them. Both will probably be 'expressed/fast-tracked' to premiere close to US dates. Both will likely end up on free-to-air here. But if either succeed they will be put on hiatus during our summer and Australian viewers will be left to fall behind. But if either falter, they will be quietly moved to a lesser digital network and relegated to a it-will-be-on-if-the-intern-remembers-to-enter-it-in-the-database timeslot. Let's hope subsciption networks, iTunes and DVD distributors are lining up secondary deals for both shows - we need back up.