In the 2020s Streaming titles came into their own… plus who made the cut in Children’s and International shows?
A list of the most iconic programs from the last 70 years, as compiled by TV Tonight‘s David Knox and TV Gold’s James Manning & Andrew Mercado wraps with the 2020s.
You can read the list for :
This list is not aiming to be the definitive word on the best Australian TV programs, but merely a starter to the discussions to be had around what deserves to be called iconic.
Today also unveils 10 iconic Children’s Series plus 10 International concepts which when produced locally added something to the format. There was much argument around both…..
TV Gold / TV Tonight podcast:
Across seven separate podcasts, Andrew Mercado, James Manning & David Knox discuss the shows chosen across the decades. There are further insights into which shows we fought for and some honourable mentions of those we regrettably had to leave off.
You can listen to the podcasts here.
2020s: Streaming Rules
Love on the Spectrum (2019*, ABC)
Northern Pictures reinvents reality dating shows with a sensitive, inclusive and heartfelt series about 7 young adults on the autism spectrum navigating the world of relationships. With no rose ceremonies or eliminations, the show focused on raw documentary storytelling. It highlighted real people navigating real inhibitions as they try to communicate, connect, and risk it all for love. Deeply moving, warmly amusing and always insightful, it also made a star of the very blunt, but true believer, Michael Theo, who wanted a wife who was “50 / 50 beautiful” because falling for someone who was hot would only end in tears. Theo became a sensation, even appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, prompting further storylines for Season Two before an inspired idea to cast him as an actor in ABC’s Austin. Love on the Spectrum was so successful Netflix picked it up for a US adaptation, which has already produced twice the output of the ABC original and won enough Emmys to set a record for an Australian production company. DK (*as the series premiered in Nov 2019 we felt it was best represented by the 2020s).
The Newsreader (2021, ABC)
Michael Lucas’ period drama series about the tumultuous world of a television newsroom dramatised real world 1980s news stories, including the Challenger explosion, AIDS crisis, Lindy Chamberlain case and the Russell Street bombing. Seen through the eyes of hungry journo Dale Jennings (Sam Reid), serious news anchor Helen Norville (Anna Torv) and veteran broadcaster Geoff Walters (Robert Taylor) it took us back to a time of brown furniture, misogyny, smoking, manual typewriters and network TV bosses. Overseeing the news team was roaring, tyrannical news director Lindsay Cunningham (William McInnes in an AACTA winning performance), surrounded by an excellent ensemble in Stephen Peacocke, Michelle Lim Davidson, Chai Hansen, Chum Ehelepola and notably Marg Downey in a dramatic role. Lucas heavily researched the machinations of 1980s TV newsrooms without ever divulging who his characters were based upon, but watching it all meticulously being recreated (including the 1989 Logie Awards at the Hyatt ballroom where it originally took place) was memorable television. A hit both in Australia and the UK, it blazed gloriously like Halley’s Comet for just three seasons, before it was gone. DK
Fisk (2021, ABC)
Kitty Flanagan co-created and co-stars in this popular ABC comedy. Set in a suburban legal practice, Flanagan plays a solicitor called Helen Tudor-Fisk. Credited as co-creator is producer Vincent Sheehan, while Flanagan’s sister Penny has written the scripts for all 18 episodes so far. Helen’s colleagues in the law firm are the Gruber & Gruber principals Ray Gruber (Marty Sheargold) and his sister Roz (Julia Zemiro), and probate clerk George (Aaron Chen). The show is set and filmed in inner city North Melbourne. In the third season the name of the law firm is changed to Gruber & Fisk as Helen is made a partner. One feature of the three seasons of six episodes has been the constant parade of guest stars which has included a who’s who of the entertainment industry from Sam Pang, Rob Sitch and Dave O’Neil to Marg Downey, Justine Clarke and Gina Riley. New episodes launch on ABC in Australia, but they are also available on Netflix in Australia and worldwide. More recently ITVX also carried the comedy in the UK. JM
Bump (2021, Stan)
Premiering on New Year’s Day, Bump would later release each season on Boxing Day, which became something to look forward to every year. Kicking off with student Oly (Nathalie Morris) giving birth to a surprise baby in the school toilet, this family comedy was never short of laughs … until mother Angie (Claudia Karvan) got cancer. While her offbeat family struggled with that diagnosis, teenage dad Santi (Carlso Sanson Jr) had a Chilean family who brought a cool South American vibe to the show. Bump ruined its ending, by playing its final episodes out of sequence, but many of John Edwards’ dramas have suffered a similar stumble at the finish line. So ignore the ending (and that spin-off Christmas movie) and remember Bump for its hilarious moments and memorable multi-generational characters. AM
RFDS (2021, Seven)
The Flying Doctors was a 1986 mini-series on Nine that became a top-rating series that ran for 221 episodes. Faced with declining ratings in 1993, the show was disastrously revamped as R.F.D.S. and its location moved from the fictional Coopers Crossing to Broken Hill. It lasted just 13 more episodes but continued to run for years and years afterwards on UK and European networks. This all-new version, also set in Broken Hill, had a very different look thanks to a more authentic cast which included multicultural characters and even a male nurse who became a drag queen. RFDS was so good, it even won its 7.30pm timeslot on Wednesdays, which is usually reserved for tired reality formats. It also won two Logies for Best Drama but, incredibly, there are no plans for a fourth season and the show seems to have ended with a measly 24 episodes. Sigh. AM
Colin from Accounts (2022, Binge)
Australia doesn’t make a great deal of romantic comedies, but husband and wife team Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall showed how brilliantly it can be achieved with their inner-city comedy about a couple brought together through the accident of a cute Border Terrier. As they bickered, fell in and out of love, and cringed through endless awkward and inappropriate humour, we laughed out loud and fell for a supporting cast including Helen Thomson, Darren Gilshenan, Genevieve Hegney, Michael Logo, Emma Harvie, Annie Maynard, Tai Hara and Justin Rosniak. As the series progressed the writing matured to dramatic scenes, including a death in the family, a darkly comedic episode bordering on kidnapping, and an inspired sliding-doors destiny episode to wrap things up in Season 3. Having filmed with their comedy pals on the ground in Sydney, Brammall and Dyer were rewarded with Hollywood and the UK both taking notice of their ample talents. Already feels like the world is their oyster. DK
Muster Dogs (2022, ABC)
When Producer Michael Boughen made a tree change in rural Victoria in 2018 he was fascinated by the skill of farm dogs herding livestock. It would lead Ambience Entertainment to devising a format presented by Lisa Millar where farmers would train kelpie puppies, and later border collies, in a competition format that celebrated regional Australia and highlighted authenticity. When it launched Muster Dogs went up against Ash Barty in the Australian Open and it still succeeded, with avid viewers taking to social media and sharing their own pets, many of which had been adopted into households to relieve the stress of the pandemic. In addition to spin off series Muster Dogs: Where Are They Now? the format is now headed to NZ and the USA retitled as Wonder Dogs. DK
Boy Swallows Universe (2024, Netflix)
The semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Brisbane author Trent Dalton is the source material for this seven episode series with Felix Cameron playing the young character of Eli which is inspired by the author. Further into the series Eli is played by Zac Burgess as he ages. Boy Swallows Universe follows Eli’s adventures in Brisbane with his parents as they are impacted by poverty, drug addiction and petty crime. His brother was glowingly played by Lee Tiger Halley, stepfather Lyle by Travis Fimmel, mother Frankie by Phoebe Tonkin and his biological father Robert by Simon Baker. Smaller but just as memorable roles also for Bryan Brown (convicted criminal turned babysitter), Anthony LaPaglia (underworld figure), Deborah Mailman (guidance counsellor), while Rob Carlton and Kate Box also feature. Author Dalton gets a cameo as a hospital patient while his voice is also used on the red telephone. The series has won multiple Logies and AACTA awards. The book has sold well over 1m copies globally and although a stage play was staged first in 2021, the rights to a new stage adaption set to roll out globally were sold in 2025. JM
Invisible Boys (2025, Stan)
Based on the novel by Holden Sheppard, this outstanding series follows four completely different young men who are all grappling with their sexuality. Deespite the characters being very specific (Indigenous AFL footballer, socially awkward Italian etc), Invisible Boys nailed its casting with a fresh young cast. The series does not shy away from the shenanigans of horny teenagers, and the actors handle these sometimes confronting sex scenes with ease. Set in 2017, the year of Australia’s same-sex plebiscite, and filmed on location in Geraldton, WA, this is an instant classic that gives generation of young queers a multitude of characters to identify with. A sequel, Yeah The Boys, which is set seven years after Invisible Boys, is now in development as an eight-part series so, no pressure guys… AM
Dalliance (2026, Paramount+)
The prolific Australian producer John Edwards has featured in this list of 70 iconic shows six times. Two series have been chosen from each of the three decades so far in the 21st century. Dalliance is his latest and arguably one of his best. The cast features some of his usual suspects who just happen to be among Australia’s finest actors. In this case that includes Hugo Weaving, Heather Mitchell, David Wenham, Georgie Parker, Wayne Blair, Catherine McClements with great roles also for Carolyn Bock, John Doyle, Ryan Pinazza, Russell Dykstra and Kirk Torrance. The cast play a group of friends dealing with life, love and death in their 60s. When one of the friends dies there is ongoing suspense across the series about what actually happened on his final night. The rest of the group deal with their grief in different ways. JM
Children’s TV
The Adventures of the Terrible Ten 1959 Nine
Mr Squiggle 1959 ABC
Adventure Island 1967 ABC
Simon Townsend’s Wonder World 1979 10
The Henderson Kids 1985 10
Round the Twist Seven / ABC 1990
The Wiggles 1998 Seven
The Saddle Club 2001 ABC / Nine
Dance Academy 2010 ABC
Bluey 2018 ABC
International Formats
Bandstand 1958 Nine
Play School 1966 ABC
60 Minutes 1979 Nine
Sale of the Century 1980 Nine
PopStars 1999 Seven
Big Brother 2001 10
MasterChef Australia 2009 10
Married At First Sight 2015 Nine
Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds 2019 ABC
Love Me 2021 Binge
A full list of all 70 shows + Children’s / Internationals will follow tomorrow.