What can you expect from TV2 in 2011
Go Girls
Neighbours at War
Rescue One
Shortland Street
It's more solid programming from TV2 in 2011 with some excellent content. The only thing obviously missing was any sign of new local shows on TV2.
Check out the list of shows and trailers below.
Returning Shows
Returning Local Shows
Shortland Street (With another feature length episode)
The Vampire Diaries on TV2
By TV2
8:30pm Thursday, October 28 on TV2
Nina Dobrev stars as Elena Gilbert, a beautiful young girl caught between two vampire brothers – one good, one evil – in TV2 drama The Vampire Diaries.
Excited by the vampire phenomenon herself, Dobrev believes it's the whole mysterious, sexy, scary and dangerous vibe that attracts people to them. "A lot of girls like a bad boy," she says. "And I think that's part of it, because if you look back at the vampires of 20 years ago, they were scary and crazy and you didn't want them to bite you. Whereas now, every girl wants a vampire to."
Initially intrigued by the concept of The Vampire Diaries, Dobrev was thrilled to learn the series was a whole lot more than your average love story. She says, "once you get past the initial high school girl meets vampire boy and they fall in love, it evolves, and every episode gets better and things get introduced and there are many different aspects – including the witches. There are a lot more vampires too."
It's a series that just keeps you guessing she says: "There's a cliffhanger after every single episode, and I think that I read or Julie [Plec (writer)] was saying in the final episode there will be nine cliffhangers or nine 'ah-hah, oh my God' moments. So it's definitely the one to wait and watch for, watch and wait for."
In this week's episode of The Vampire Diaries, at the Founder's Day Gala, Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Caroline (Candice Accola) compete for the title of 'Miss Mystic Falls' against other girls from town, including Amber Bradley (guest star Spencer Locke, Resident Evil).
Elena is happy to have Bonnie (Katerina Graham) back in town, but Bonnie still has issues to work through. John Gilbert (recurring guest star David Anders) attempts to intimidate Damon (Ian Somerhalder), but his plan doesn't have the desired effect. Damon discovers that Stefan (Paul Wesley) is hiding a dangerous secret that could impact everyone in town.
An Idiot Abroad trailer
The first trailer for Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's new series An Idiot Abroad has been released, which centres on collaborator Karl Pilkington's hilarious adventures in foreign lands.
More Billy Joel music to feature on Glee
More Billy Joel music will pop up in the second season of Glee after the singer agreed to its use. Joel's Piano Man featured in the first season in a duet sung by guest Neil Patrick Harris and Matthew Morrison.
Miller for The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries has signed Simon Miller to appear in the drama's second season to play a character called George. Miller, whose previous TV credits include Gossip Girl and CSI: Miami, will make his debut on the show's fourth episode in a flashback scene.
Brothers & Sisters casts Soto
Actor Bobby Soto has been cast in Brothers & Sisters for the show's upcoming season. Soto, who has appeared previously in the likes of Cold Case and The Closer, will play a character called Mateo.
The Vampire Diaries continues on TV2
8:30pm Thursday, August 19 on TV2
Stefan (Paul Wesley) learns the reason Damon (Ian Somerhalder) returned to Mystic Falls, tonight on The Vampire Diaries.
Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) gets a break from the mysterious new history teacher, Alaric Saltzman (recurring guest star Matt Davis – Legally Blonde, What About Brian), and introduces Alaric (Matthew Davis) to Jenna (Sara Canning).
Elsewhere, Bonnie (Katerina Graham) is having terrifying dreams about one of her ancestors and, despite Elena's (Nina Dobrev) efforts to smooth things over, Bonnie and Caroline (Candice Accola) continue to argue over the medallion.
When the girls hold a s�ance to help them decide what to do, the results are stranger than any of them expected.
Producer of the show, Julie Plec, thinks the series has been successful because, "vampires are the new James Dean".
"They're like the guy that's on the outside: a little bit of a loner, a little bit moody, a little bit dangerous. There's an allure to that, in great love stories throughout time, and literature, and everything. And then also just the idea of that crazy, mysterious, scary guy liking you, and picking you. I think that's part of the fun."
Plec thinks the brooding, existential predicament of vampires makes for compelling drama.
"They've been suffering for centuries; they're the loneliest people on the planet. Some of them revel in it, and some of them, like Stefan, try very hard to re-engage with humanity, to be part of it. The pain and suffering of vampires internally is as profound as any pain and suffering they can put on anybody else."
In each vampire story, the mythology is slightly different, and Plec was keen for The Vampire Diaries to avoid the traditional references to garlic, crucifixes and holy water.
"If you go back and track vampire mythology and folklore throughout literature, everybody's got a different set of rules, but [in our show] there's not a whole lot that can hurt them. So it's going to be an interesting journey in the series, figuring out, for Stefan especially, how to stop his brother, who is so much stronger than him. How do you bring that guy down?"
If you have missed an episode, full episodes of The Vampire Diaries will be available free online 12 hours after the show has aired on TV2. Go to tvnz.co.nz and click the 'ondemand' button.
The Vampire Diaries cleans up at Teen Choice Awards
It appears that vampires are still very much in when it comes to teenagers judging by the way The Vampire Diaries cleaned up at the Teen Choice Awards overnight.
The new drama series took out seven awards at the event which celebrates the most popular TV shows, movies and music according to teenage voters.
The show took out major awards in categories such as Breakout Show, Fantasy/Sci-Fi, as well as best actor and actress in Fantasy/Sci-Fi.
Gossip Girl collected four awards at the ceremony, including Best Drama series and best actor and actress in Drama.
Surprisingly, Glee managed only three wins, taking home awards in Comedy, Scene Stealer and Parental Unit.
Below is the full list of TV award winners.
Choice TV Show: Drama — 'Gossip Girl'
Choice TV Actor: Drama — Chace Crawford, 'Gossip Girl'
Choice TV Actress: Drama — Leighton Meester, 'Gossip Girl'
Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi — 'The Vampire Diaries'
Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi — Paul Wesley, 'The Vampire Diaries'
Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi — Nina Dobrev, 'The Vampire Diaries'
Choice TV Show: Action — 'NCIS: Los Angeles'
Choice TV Actor: Action — Zachary Levi, 'Chuck'
Choice TV Actress: Action — Yvonne Strahovski, 'Chuck'
Choice TV Show: Comedy — 'Glee'
Choice TV Actor: Comedy — Jonas Brothers, 'JONAS'
Choice TV Actress: Comedy — Selena Gomez, 'Wizards of Waverly Place'
Choice TV: Animated Show — Family Guy
Choice TV: Reality Show — 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians'
Choice TV: Reality Competition Show — 'American Idol'
Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star — Lee DeWyze, 'American Idol'
Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star — The Kardashians, 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians'
Choice TV: Villain — Ian Somerhalder, 'The Vampire Diaries'
Choice TV: Personality — Ryan Seacrest
Choice TV: Breakout Show — 'The Vampire Diaries'
Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer — Hilary Duff, 'Gossip Girl'
Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer — Chris Colfer, 'Glee'
Choice TV: Female Breakout Star — Nina Dobrev, 'The Vampire Diaries'
Choice TV: Male Breakout Star — Paul Wesley, 'The Vampire Diaries'
Choice TV: Parental Unit — Mike O'Malley, 'Glee'
Choice Summer TV Show — Pretty Little Liars'
Choice Summer TV Star: Male — Ian Harding, 'Pretty Little Liars'
Choice Summer TV Star: Female — Lucy Hale, 'Pretty Little Liars'
8:30pm Thursday, July 29 on TV2
Tonight on The Vampire Diaries, Stefan (Paul Wesley) reveals to Elena (Nina Dobrev) the Salvatore family history, including how his rivalry with Damon (Ian Somerhalder) began.
When Elena demands that Stefan explain the frightening events that have been happening in Mystic Falls, viewers are taken back through flashbacks to discover how the rivalry first began.
Executive producer Julie Plec says the flashbacks enabled the producers to reveal more of Stefan and Damon's characters.
"At a moment in 1864, Stefan and Damon woke and discovered that they had become vampires. In order for them to both be walking the earth today, they both fed. So what was Stefan like at that moment that made him feed on human blood for the first time?
Paul Wesley describes his character's obsession with Elena as a rebirth. "He's been alone, isolated. And all of a sudden, this girl he falls in love with is the 'first love' that he has been lacking for hundreds of years. So it's not like he's putting on a facade and he's a conman. It's not some pervy thing."
Back in the present, Damon continues to make things very difficult for Stefan.
Executive producer Kevin Williamson explains: "Once Damon is there, he's there. He has no intention of leaving Mystic Falls. He has an agenda and it's huge and goes actually beyond Elena and it is a lot of fun. So he is the devil. He comes into town and he just makes everyone's life hell."
Also tonight, Damon impulsively takes control of Vicki's (Kayla Ewell) future, and a confused and frightened Vicki runs away. Meanwhile, Sheriff Forbes (guest star Marguerite Macintyre – Kyle XY) and Mayor Lockwood (guest star Rob Pralgo – Army Wives) take steps to protect the town.
TVNZ's lineup of shows for 2010
Leigh Hart's Mysterious Planet
This Is Not My Life
It was TVNZ's turn to show off which series they'll be screening in 2010 at their new season launch today in Auckland. As you'd expect, there's a fairly solid line-up.
TV One has a new goal: to be a little edgier. One might assume: a little less safe. It will be interesting to see how this transcribes into ratings.
TV One should dominate Mondays with The Pacific, an HBO series from the makers of Band of Brothers. This will be followed by the multi-Emmy award-winning series Generation Kill. However, as it aired in the US in 2008, it can be bought on DVD here for about $40 .
On TV2 Monday night kicks off with Supernanny followed by Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters.
Before Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice screen, Tuesday nights on TV2 will have New Zealand's version of The Apprentice. No doubt Terry Serepisos should do quite well now that some of the boys from his club are heading to the World Cup.
Speaking of which, unlike other major sporting events, TVNZ has chosen not to relinquish the free-to-air rights for the football World Cup in South Africa which will screen on TV One.
Wednesday will see the local version of Masterchef New Zealand on TV One, confirming that the format won't follow the highly successful Australian version. This will be followed by the second season of Packed to the Rafters that is about to finish in Australia.
The final season of Lost has been promised to be aired as close to its US release as possible. The word simulcast was used but no one expects the show to air at 2pm. TV2 has it listed in a Wednesday timeslot which means the best we can hope for is that ABC in the US move the show to a Tuesday so that it will air here within hours. If not, one can only assume that New Zealand internet traffic will be incredibly low for the six days post the season finale in the US as kiwi fans avoid websites spoiling the mystery.
The lead in to Lost is the new sci-fi thriller Flash Forward.
Coming to TV One on Friday nights is Leigh Hart's Mysterious Planet which will be up against a tough comedy line up on TV3. TV2 will screen the ninth season of American Idol after Two and a Half Men and The Middle, a show that is scarily reminiscent of Malcom in the Middle.
TV One is bringing the Bond-a-thon to Saturday nights with all 22 Bond movies.
Marcus Lush will be back with South, as will Matthew and Marc's Rocky Road and the Amazing Race for Sunday evenings. Sports fans will also be introduced to a new show on TV One for Sunday's lineup.
The spaceships were shown but the cult remake of V wasn't mentioned specifically.
The show of the preview though had to be This is Not My Life from the makers of Go Girls and Outrageous Fortune. It looks hot. The brief snippet made me think of Minority Report and the cult series Nowhere Man from the nineties. It stars Charles Mesure (Gerard from Outrageous Fortune – does this mean he's dead and not in Season 6?) and Tania Nolan (Angelina from Go Girls). Of everything I saw, this was the one I'm most looking forward to. Hopefully we'll get a copy of the trailer soon.
The Apprentice New Zealand
Masterchef New Zealand
Leigh Hart's Mysterious Planet
Real Life: Are You My Tribe
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
Packed to the Rafters
Beyond the Darklands
Gangs of Oz
Sunday Theatre
Piha Rescue
The Politically Incorrect Parenting Show
Rescue 1
America's Funniest Home Videos
Matthew and Marc's Rocky Road
One News
Fair Go
New Pilot Watch: The Vampire Diaries
Earlier today, The Vampire Diaries premiered on the CW in the US. Is this just yet another thing cashing in on the vampire-supernatural-horror craze (Twilight, True Blood, Buffy, Supernatural)?
Based on a series of books (actually written before Twilight), the show is full of teen angst, love triangles and good versus evil.
The show stars Nina Dobrev (Mia on Degrassi – not that we get that here?), Ian Joseph Somerhalder (remember Boon from Lost?!) and Paul Wesley (Tommy on Everwood). Judging by the buzz on Twitter, the show may just convert quite a few "I love Edward" groupies into "I love Stefan" or "I love Damon" ones.
The general consensus was that it was better than people expected but you definitely have to be in the right demographic – I guess I'm just a wee bit too old for broody teens, "scary" scenes in the dark and smoke machines hard at work.
Here's the first nine minutes of the pilot:
Update: The Vampire Diaries is the CW's most-watched series premiere ever with 4.8 million viewers.