Weekend Rewind: The TV shows we loved to hate

Sports broadcasters Glyn Tucker and Ernie Leonard in The Club Show. Photo / NZ on Screen

Opinion

The TV broadcast of this year's NZ Music Awards has recently taken some heat, but it's not our first local TV show to draw comment. NZ On Screen's Nicky Harrop looks back at some of our more celebrated screen mis-steps.

While there are always some TV shows that don't strike the right note with viewers and critics, often a strange phenomenon can occur over time. Passing over in to pop culture legend, they become retrospectively remembered with quite some fondness and nostalgia. Here are some of the shows we've loved to hate.

The Club Show

Sports broadcasters Glyn Tucker and Ernie Leonard were popular TV talent back in the 70s and when they moved to fronting variety series The Club Show, producers no doubt thought they could be onto a winner. But critics were brutal and the show is now remembered as one of NZ TV's great fiascos.

The Listener Gofta Awards

In the 1980s, the TV fiasco mantle was passed and ably received by the Gofta Awards. The disastrous event saw hosts Leeza (Entertainment this Week) Gibbons and Nic Nolan clad in silver space suits, while attempting to wrangle a "tired and emotional" audience. Special guest John Inman (Mr Humphries from UK sitcom Are You Being Served?) was repeatedly heckled; and timing issues saw winners turned away as they tried to collect their awards. The result - a broadcast that has become the stuff of legend.

Melody Rules

TV3 sitcom Melody Rules arrived in 1995, and was swiftly delivered a critical beating. Initial signs were promising - it had a prestigious American TV comedy consultant, and was a vehicle for a hot talent of the time (Belinda Todd) - but for whatever reason, it just didn't fire. Arguably our most celebrated TV miss, it has now become the object of quite some affection.

City Life

New Zealand's answer to Melrose Place, City Life also appeared mid 90s, and also became something of a media whipping boy. Twenty years later, the show scrubs up well, a victim of perhaps being a little ahead of its time. Certainly the casting was prescient - many of the actors involved (among them Lisa Chappell and Charles Mesure) went on to big things.

Face to Face with Kim Hill - John Pilger

Last but not least - and proving even the best shows can have bad days - Kim Hill's infamous 2003 interview with John Pilger. Facing off with the award-winning journalist and documentary-maker, Hill cops accusations of question leading and unpreparedness, culminating in Pilger's proclamation "This interview frankly is a disgrace." Her collected response: "It's been interesting to speak with you."