Seven fronts up with new dramas

Australia’s Seven Network unveiled two Australian dramas, a spin-off of My Restaurant Rules and a raft of fresh US and UK shows at its upfronts presentation today.

The network’s Seven Productions and South Pacific Pictures are coproducing 800 Words, which stars Erik Thomson as a guy who moves to New Zealand with his two teenage kids after his wife dies. The creators are James Griffin (Outrageous Fortune, The Almighty Johnsons) and Maxine Fleming.

Rebecca Gibney will return as homicide detective Eve Winter in Winter, a sequel to Seven Productions’ The Killing Field, created by Sarah Smith and Michaeley O’Brien. Peter O’Brien also reprises his role as Eve’s former boss and love interest as they investigate the murder of a 23-year-old mother at a fishing town south of Sydney.

Restaurant Revolution will give people the opportunity to road test their restaurant dream and make it a reality, combining the country’s obsession with food and renovation.

In Endemol Australia’s Mesmerised, hypnotist Peter Powers will unleash his subjects on an unsuspecting Australian public.

My Ireland with Colin will follow My Kitchen Rules judge Collin Fassnidge as he takes a motorcycle journey around the country he left 15 years ago.

The factual slate includes Eyeworks Australia’s What Really Happens in Thailand, the follow-up to What Really Happens in Bali, which will depict Australian holidaymakers in emergency rooms, cosmetic surgery centres and party hot-spots.

Seven’s current affairs show Sunday Night will present Gallipoli: The Power of Ten, which will profile the ten ANZACs who were awarded the Victoria Cross.

Returning local shows will include My Kitchen Rules, House Rules (two seasons), The X Factor, Dancing with the Stars, Winners & Losers, Anh Does Italy, Better Homes and Garden, Border Security, The Force and Highway Patrol.

Among the crop of new US series are NBC’s espionage drama State of Affairs, Heroes sequel Heroes Reborn and political thriller Odyssey.

The imports also include BBC Worldwide’s Katherine Mills: Mind Games, as reported yesterday; ITV Studios’ 1960s cop show Aquarius; and Houdini, Lionsgate’s two-parter starring Adrien Brody as the great illusionist.

Seven’s director of network programming Angus Ross said: “We’re number one again now for eight years in a row and, as we promised, we’ve reshaped our audience younger.

“We’ve invested in the content Australian viewers love: live sport, live news and public affairs and Australian-made programming. Combining these strategies with the pick of US programming, we’re confident we will continue to deliver Australia’s largest audiences.”