Seven Unveils 2015 Lineup with Slew of International Dramas

October 29, 2014 World Screen Top Stories

SYDNEY: A host of new series are headed to Australia's Seven Network in 2015, among them the David Duchovny-led Aquarius and the Vince Gilligan/David Shore collaboration Battle Creek.

Also new in the way of international drama for 2015 are Heroes Reborn, a reboot of the hit series Heroes; Houdini, a two-part miniseries; Shonda Rhimes' How to Get Away with Murder; the action drama Odyssey; and Red Band Society, from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television. The drama slate also includes State of Affairs, starring Katherine Heigl, and The Whisperers, a psychological drama that also comes from Amblin. In the way of entertainment, there's Katherine Mills: Mind Games, featuring the eponymous female magician. The comedy Marry Me is on the roster as well.

There are a number of Australian originals lined up for Seven. This includes 800 Words, Australia: The Story of Us, Gallipoli: The Power of Ten, Catching Milat and Mesmerised. The domestic lineup also includes My Ireland with Colin, featuring My Kitchen Rules judge and renowned chef Colin Fassnidge; Restaurant Revolution, a multi-night reality show that is building on the success of My Restaurant Rules; What Really Happened in Thailand; and the crime drama Winter.

Seven West Media’s CEO, Tim Worner, said: “At Seven we are constantly looking at the speed of change in our marketplace and asking ourselves what we have to do to keep pace with it. This is not a 12-month plan. This is a path that keeps us number one until 2020.”

Seven’s chief revenue officer, Kurt Burnette, added: “We aren’t just about setting up for next year, but for Destination 20/20 and beyond. We have a clear strategic plan and we are executing it. The 2016 Olympics in Rio, the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo along with the Winter Olympics in between will be delivered on all platforms by us. We own them and we will use them with one objective in mind—to enhance the story telling like never before.”

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. In fact, we’re younger than ever. At the same time, we’ve retained the consistency of audience delivery people have come to expect.

“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 U.S. programming, we’re confident we will continue to deliver Australia’s largest audiences.”