Prime's candidates

Prime television is unleashing its ambitious new Paul Holmes-assisted schedule today.

The hype certainly suggests that 2005 will be a crucial year for Prime: Paul Holmes, Alison Mau, Charlotte Dawson and Temuera Morrison in the can. Hot new international drama series on the horizon. A brand new logo. And a celebrity-studded, upmarket function to launch it to advertisers and media all tonight. No wonder new programme director Andrew Shaw, the tough-talking former producer of NZ Idol, is like a kid in a candy store.

Before he headed off to the party, we asked him to explain his programming decisions, how they might solve the channel's problems and what they mean for viewers.

Problem: Prime lacks New Zealand identity and a strong lead into primetime.
Solution: Buy a celebrity. At $1 million a year, Paul Holmes doesn't come cheap but his current affairs show will provide credible competition for TV One's Susan Wood-fronted Close Up At 7 and TV3's upcoming vehicle for John Campbell. And hey presto, Prime has a profile.
Shaw: "This is not about winning at all costs with TVNZ or TV3, it's about growing the number of viewers on Prime and building with Paul a brand-new current affairs programme that we can be proud of and that viewers get a buzz out of watching. It's designed to be topical, controversial and outspoken."

Problem: Prime's target demographic usually watch TV One's Sunday Theatre at 8.30pm.
Solution: Offer a competing line-up of quality drama and don't confuse viewers with the name. Masterpiece Theatre will include acclaimed BBC series The Long Firm and England Expects (about a control freak whose life is falling apart), crime shows The Murder Room, Blue Murder 2 and Miss Marple and Granada's Birthday Girl (about a woman living with leukaemia).
Shaw: "I don't wish to play older, re-run feature films on a Sunday night. I want to offer choice to an audience that's only ever had whatever it was that TV One chose to play. This is no longer the case. Strong cast, good writing credentials, compelling story. Those are the criteria on which you judge any one-off or short series drama. [The Long Firm] for example is a very cool show. It's set in the 60s, the music's fantastic and it's beautifully written. It's a great piece of television."

Problem: Prime has no stand-alone drama series with any buzz.
Solution: Buy Deadwood, HBO's latest critical hit and a western riddled with so much profanity that fans of EastEnders and The Bill are going to need smelling salts.
Shaw: "I'm sure some viewers will not be able to see past the language but I expect it to get critical acclaim in its home territories as it has overseas."

Problem: Not enough Daleks on TV anymore.
Solution: Bring in the new series of Dr Who, starring the young and um, fresh former pop star Billie Piper.
Shaw: "Audience-wise, this is fathers and sons, this is family. I think an older audience will bring younger people to it because of the history, about which the younger people go, 'Duh, what are you talking about?' You don't need to have been a hard and fast Dr Who fan to get this."

Problem: Prime screens some excellent foreign documentaries but who knows when they're on?
Solution: Guide viewers in the right direction with a weekly instalment - The Prime Documentary, Tuesdays, 8.30pm. Weekly docos include BBC series One Life, focusing on an extraordinary life each week (a mother's battle with alcohol, for instance), Emmy-winning The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off, The Colour of War: Adolf Hitler, Nile, The Iceman and the Psychiatrist, Our Daughter Won't Eat, Death in Gaza, Louis Theroux.
Shaw: "Over the course of the week people become a little more fatigued, so when you're offering them challenging programming you want to make sure that it's at a time or on a night when they might be open-minded to it. You would never do such a thing on a Friday. There are a lot of very well-made documentaries in the market and there's an obvious appetite for it in this country. I'm not talking about A Day in the Life of A Supermodel. I'm talking about proper documentaries."

Problem: Prime isn't known to tickle the funnybone.
Solution: Make Wednesday a strong comedy night with King of Queens, (in the vein of Everybody Loves Raymond), Burn It, (about three misbehaving young bachelors) Residents (about intolerant neighbours) and Peep Show (about an odd couple who share a flat).
Shaw: "When I noticed Ricky Gervais had said [Peep Show] was the funniest show of the year I thought I'd better have a look at it. We've paired it with Residents so that there are two well-written, unusual, British comedies back-to-back. It's a good option for an hour's entertaining viewing at 9.30."

Problem: Some great series go by the wayside.
Solution: Grab the new series of Reno 911, which used to screen on TV One at the obscure time of 11.10pm and give it a better position, closer to 9.30 or 10pm.
Shaw: "It always looked like it stood out to be unusual on TV One. But I don't think it'll be unusual on us. We have a reputation for playing interesting things. Season two seems to be a little bit more outrageous than season one."

Problem: Prime's late-night viewing is often tarnished by reality shows about sex-crazed Brits on holiday.
Solution: Tone down the sleaze and introduce more family-friendly series, such as parenting show Who Rules the Roost? Wife Swap, Holiday Showdown, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Hollywood Dream Chasers, My Family and Growing Up Gotti (about a rich socialite's family in New York).
Shaw: "Sex does sell, let's not sound like we're reformed alcoholics. But you're not going to find those shows at 9.30 at night, not in the long term. We have one show which is an information show about sex but it's not going to be on before 10 and you won't find very much of this at all throughout the year. I want positive, entertaining reality. I don't want stuff about negative behaviour."

Problem: Nothing for the kids to watch with mum and dad when the week is up.
Solution: Introduce Friday Family Feature movie slot at 7.30pm, showing old favourites such as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Beetlejuice, Superman, Father of the Bride, Star Trek First Contact, The Avengers, Jack, My Favourite Martian.
Shaw: "Not everybody wants to watch sport on a Friday night in this country, which might come as a shock to you and the shareholders of Sky. We want to appeal to that audience. Friday night is an ideal opportunity to provide something to families with a 7.30 feature. They need to be known titles so that the parents know what they are."

Problem: Lack of local entertainment.
Solution: Introduce New Zealand comedy, drama or variety programme, such as light-hearted The Tem Show fronted by Temuera Morrison, which is about to go into production and will be on air by the end of the year. United Travel Getaway with Charlotte Dawson also returns.
Shaw: "We have some initiatives under way with regards to the development of a comedy and our drama series with South Pacific Pictures, all dependent on NZ On Air funding, and a little bit of work with other documentary and factual producers. It's small steps and a slow process."

Potential problem: The 6-7pm slot. Why lead into primetime with the Suzy Aiken-fronted news show First At 5.30 if you're going to screen the gameshow The Price is Right before Paul Holmes at 7pm?
Potential solution: Amp up local news coverage between 6 and 7.
Shaw: "Every timeslot is under constant study, and that extends to the 6-7pm hour. If I've got plans, there's no way I can tell you."