Dunno about you, but my greatest primary school memories were sick days.
It wasn’t because I got to skip maths. It wasn’t even because mum would be waiting on me hand and foot. It was because I’d get to watch a full day’s worth of daytime television.
In the glory days, you’d kick off a day of viewing with some action via Aerobics Oz Style. Up next was ya boy Bert Newton shining on Good Morning Australia. A quick break to devour some dippy eggs and boom, Dr. Phil arrived to teach you a thing or two about the perils of underage drinking. Of course, this was all fluff before the main course: Oprah.
The second act had a more local flavour. Game shows abound, and they were a nice way to pass the time before The Simpsons. You had Ready Steady Cook, Deal or No Deal, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
One of the most iconic late afternoon programs of recent years was Family Feud, hosted by the unnervingly chipper Grant Denyer.
But, as Nelly Furtado will attest, all good things come to an end, and today Channel Ten has announced it’s axing the nightly 6PM program.
“I have a big announcement, guys. Family Feud is wrapping up,” Denyer said on his brekkie radio show on 2Day FM this morning.
“It’s a bit sad. It’s been a huge success for Network Ten, it obviously reinvigorated that 6pm time slot, which was dead for about five years and it increased all the night-time programming.
“It did good things but we are probably guilty of driving it into the ground a bit too early, we gave it a bit too much. It’s six days a week, twice a day, plus All Star episodes.”
Denyer went on to say the cut meant he’d be able to devote more of his time to “big new projects”.
A spokesperson for Ten confirmed the news.
“Family Feud has been an important part of our schedule for the past four years, but we feel it is time to rest the show.
“It will be put on hold later this year and we will be announcing an exciting new game show very soon. We will also have some exciting news about Grant Denyer’s new show on Ten soon.”
Please, please, please be another dating show involving ex-Bachelor contestants, tropical islands and rooting. Please. It’d be the only worthy consolation prize.
