this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2024
42 points (95.7% liked)

Australia

3520 readers
128 users here now

A place to discuss Australia and important Australian issues.

Before you post:

If you're posting anything related to:

If you're posting Australian News (not opinion or discussion pieces) post it to Australian News

Rules

This community is run under the rules of aussie.zone. In addition to those rules:

Banner Photo

Congratulations to @[email protected] who had the most upvoted submission to our banner photo competition

Recommended and Related Communities

Be sure to check out and subscribe to our related communities on aussie.zone:

Plus other communities for sport and major cities.

https://aussie.zone/communities

Moderation

Since Kbin doesn't show Lemmy Moderators, I'll list them here. Also note that Kbin does not distinguish moderator comments.

Additionally, we have our instance admins: @[email protected] and @[email protected]

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

I’m trying to download, archive, and upscale as much older Australian TV content as I can, and would love to see what other people watched or enjoyed so I can try to preserve it as well.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 31 points 7 months ago (2 children)

The Chaser’s War on Everything

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

Yes!! I miss it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

CNNNN forever!

[–] [email protected] 19 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Round the Twist was 4 seasons of straight bangers

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago

Have you ever, ever felt like this?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Bluey is a parenting program cleverly disguised as a kids' program. It's my favourite show on TV at the moment.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

This. I know OP asked for old shows, but Bluey is so good you can (luckily) watch the same episode a hundred times over and still enjoy it.

Skip the first season though - it was clearly run on a shoe string budget and doesn't have nearly the same quality as season two onwards. Go back and watch it when you're a fan.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

My daughter is 9yo, and well and truly no longer watching Bluey. But I still download it...

[–] [email protected] 12 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Anyone remember water rats? Peak 90's crime of the week show with as much drama off the set as on.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

Bloody loved Water Rats! Aaron Pedersen was fantastic.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

That whole era of Police Rescue / Water Rats was such a good time for TV!

Edit: oh! Something in the Air!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago (1 children)
  • The Curiosity Show
  • Skippy
  • Ask the Leyland Brothers
[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

There's quite a lot of Curiosity Show clips on YT, with more being added all the time. Brings back great memories...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

The Big Gig

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

Rake is excellent, and pretty grounded in real events, boy eats universe is new, and they're probably cultural relevance to some of the dozens of reality and daytime/morning shows out there, and the chaser for the same reason. I also think a lot of kids' stuff is worth archiving - some because it's great, others because it's bizarre, others because it's a cultural touchstone that'll almost certainly be lost - round the twist, Liftoff, Aggro, cheez TV, ship to shore, ocean girl, the ferals... I'm showing my age.

I think the ABC have some kind of archive that's probably a great start for home grown content.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Ones I already have:

  • Acropolis Now
  • Bush Tucker Man
  • Kingswood Country (missing 15 eps)
  • Mother and Son (the original, not the shithouse remake)
  • Rake
  • The Hollowmen (only have shitty DVD rips, would love something better)

Ones I want, but haven't started looking for:

  • Stingers
  • The Late Show
  • Hey Hey
  • Full Frontal
  • Fast Forward
  • Comedy Company
  • The Big Gig
  • Good News Week
  • Front Line
  • Russell Coight's All Aussie Adventures (I have the 2018 eps - not the early 2000s ones)
  • All Together Now

Ones I enjoyed, but am on the fence about committing storage space to:

  • Kath and Kim
  • Caron's Law
  • The Sullivans
  • Blue Heelers
  • Rafferty's Rules
  • Cop Shop
[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

How embarrassment I don't know if I should watch it again or just hold the happy memory of acropolis now.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I think Kath and Kim is a keeper. Like Kingswood Country, the suburban social commentary runs deeper than the gags make it appear. Based on your mention of The Sullivans, I would also recomend Power Without Glory if you can find it. That is a largely true story from that era which was very well done.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Ah, I forgot Power Without Glory. Good memory!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Let the Blood Run Free

A pisstake of A Country Practice. Comedic gold adapted to TV after an improv theatrical run.

A phone-in Choose Your Own Adventure style narrative from show to show, was cutting edge interactivity in the 90s.

Greatest Aussie show ever (yes, I know Big Gig, D-Gen, Late Show and DAAS were a thing).

Do yourself a favour and search out some episodes on your favourite video services.

(* I saw Peter Rowsthorn in Fremantle on the street, and I was too slow to shout out a "W W W W Warren")

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I remember it being over the top gross and phoning in after every episode.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

So hilariously and ridiculously gross. The fake blood cost must have been half the show budget!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

In case you weren't aware "The Archive" runs a pretty substantial repository of Australian TV shows. r/DownUnderTv has instructions on how to get access.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

For now, The Archive is shutdown. It's uncertain if it's coming back but, if anyone here is on their Discord, please share what you know.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Oh, that's a real shame. It's been a while since I found it and grabbed some old shows not available anywhere else ( The Chaser, CNNNN, The Mole). Hopefully it makes a comeback at some point.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I liked watching A*mazing as a kid. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A*mazing

There's a bunch of kids game shows that are very difficult if not impossible to find these days.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Mr Inbetween. First season is gold.

The girl from tomorrow. I see it's on Stan now.

Love is a four letter word.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

The one about a big city lawyer going to a small seaside town. Sea Change?

The one about a big city ~~lawyer~~ heart surgeon going to work in a small hospital in the outback. Heart-something?

The one about a big city lawyer going insane. Rake.

The one about a quirky Melbourne OB/GNY and her quirky family.

The one that had great promise, but was cancelled after one season. Oh, there are 100 of those.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I was going to suggest Plasmo, but it turns out some mad lad has already upscaled it to 4K! Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2U98Joe6Hs

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Upscaled to 4k, what's the big idea?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I remember loving the show Good Guys, Bad Guys when I was a teenager. Occasionally look for it on the torrents but never found it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Maybe it'll go on sale one day at jb - Good Guys Bad Guys.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Haha I got it on sale a JB. I should make a digital backup of it actually. Can't believe I haven't done it yet...

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

I watched a lot of crap. I didn't realise it was crap at the time, I just didn't know any better. In the 80's/early 90's I was watching:

  • A Country Practice
  • Early Home & Away
  • Flying doctors
  • Some show where Georgie Parker was a female firefighter (Gasp!).
  • Some hospital show with Georgie Parker as the main character
  • Comedy Company
  • Hey Hey its Saturday
  • Its a Knockout
  • Hey, Dad (This one has been tainted now it turned out that the Dad was not wholesome at all)

As to what to actually preserve, some of those shows likely haven't aged well. The Paul Hogan Show was great, but a product of its time. I'm sure it would never be allowed on the air today. Same with Number 96 (not that I was supposed to be watching that one).

While these are the answer to your question - what were my favourite shows at the time, I wouldn't nominate any of them for preservation.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

From a Pom:

I liked Rake .

Prisoner Cell Block H was cult here too .

Then, Angry Boys, Chris Lilleys comedy.

Um, Under Belly about Tony Mockba was good I think .

Any Ashes cricket where we didn’t lose 5-0

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Anyone remember Secret Valley? At one point my family was planning on moving to a largish property in/near bushland and me and my brothers had drawn up detailed blueprints for a fortified base complete with treetop platforms connected by rope swings, pitfall traps and catapults, inspired by the show.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

MCGLUUUUUUUUUURK!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Soup Opera and Trapdoor

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

I vaguely remember watching and liking the first couple of seasons of Underbelly.

Looking at IMDB, there were 6 seasons all up, so I missed the last 3 to 4 seasons of the show.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Silversun! All episodes have been uploaded to YouTube (though the quality is terrible).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Alexander Bunyip's Billabong! !

Before Agro there was a semi-neurotic bunyip named Alexander.

Where they dreamt up sketches like "The Muffler Bird"

Off the wall and Aussie as.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Recent show, 'Pine Gap.' US/Australian electronic intelligence monitoring station. Political drama, and interpersonal drama. Supposedly getting a second season.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

If you ever find Elly & Jools, hit me tf up.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

I totally forgot this show. If you're happy with random YouTube uploads someone seems to have created a playlist of all the episodes.

load more comments
view more: next ›