Why are so many tv dramas Australian now?

[NoMoreNoisePlease]

Have continental European dramas gone out of fashion? I always watch shows years after everyone else so I don’t know if shows like The Killing or The Bridge are still being made but it seems like all of the shows that my friends recommend that I watch are Australian. I won’t watch Australian shows so I won’t be joining in but I’m curious to know why there are so many suddenly?

Can’t say I’ve noticed that TV land is awash with Australian dramas.

It's practical cost-wise for channels. Buying programmes that are already made is cheaper than paying a production company to make something new for them. And if that bought content is in English then there are no additional dub or subtitle/ closed captions costs.

I find the NZ accent harder to understand than the Australian one.

I haven't seen that many Australian shows, but I've loved those I have seen.

People pick up on international shows for all sorts of reasons. I adored The Newsreader, and I heard about that in discussions about Interview with the Vampire due to a shared lead actor! I'd hate to write off a brilliant story purely because of where it was made.

BBC tend to show productions made by ABC, and I've seen a few Australian shows trending on Netflix as well in the last couple of years. I imagine they're promoting and showing what people want to see, and with the amount of international media these days it's hardly surprising that programmes from other English-speaking countries are likely to be the most accessible and popular of these. I'm always happy to see some cultural diversity on the telly, and Australia seems to have a culture both so similar and so different to our own that I really enjoy getting a glimpse into it.

I did notice there was more Australian / NZ tv during the pandemic.

me too and also Rake & Offspring, Nothing Trivial, The Almighty Johnsons, The Blue Rose..
On a more serious tv true crime drama side, Underbelly is absolutely brilliant especially the first 4 seasons.

Do you find all Australian accents grating, OP? There is quite a range. Are there any other accents/cultures that you find offensive? Feel free to share, I'm sure it will be fascinating.

The previous poster recommended two NZ shows and your exact response to their post was:

I cannot bear Australian accents or slang and I find it difficult to care about the characters so I avoid watching Australian dramas and shows. I blame Bluey

I was responding to the second part of her post. I am aware that New Zealand is a completely separate country. For one when I went on holiday to a place that was very popular with Australians and New Zealanders, the New Zealanders actually talked to people outside of their group and were incredibly friendly. Not so the Australians.

Well your average Australian who is presented on television and in film yes. I find their accents and slang incredibly grating. There also appears to be only three main accents so not what I’d call a broad range though I am aware that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples have a vast array of languages, dialects and accents but I cannot pretend to be familiar with even a fraction of those and they are exempt. But I do find the accents that I have been exposed to annoying, particularly if they include the high rising terminal.

It has been interesting however to read the reasons behind the popularity/push of/behind Australian shows and the reasonings do make sense so thank you to those who took the time to share their insights.

This thread is surely a wind-up - why would you even care why there are so many Australian dramas if you don’t watch any. Let alone start a thread. Just look harder for European ones. There are plenty of countries and channels in Europe so you’ll find some. First stop, Walter Presents?

Personally I absolutely bloody love an Aussie drama, I blame my Neighbours days, and am noting all the recommendations.

It isn’t a wind up but I have found that the algorithms do tend to suggest a lot of Australian dramas to me and also I’ve found that when friends talk about a drama that sounds interesting it often turns out to be Australian which is a little disappointing for me as I won’t watch it so I feel that there’s a lot more Australian dramas and shows around than is usual but that may be partly due to my skewed perception and it may be partly cyclical as another poster suggested. Also I am not just interested in European dramas but dramas from other countries too that I haven’t yet tried such as South Korea.

It doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be produced for others to enjoy but Australia dramas are not for me and I do find it harder to find new dramas than I used to because there are so many different streaming subscription services now and almost too much choice but I’ve received some very useful guidance on this thread.

Stv has lots of trailers for Australian dramas,I'm guessing it's because they're cheap.

I haven’t watched any Australian drama since the days of Neighbours/Home & Away. Nothing wrong with ‘Flamin Galah’ although ‘Spunk’ was a bit much as it has a totally different meaning here. My drama is pretty much 50/50 British/American.

All the channels had huge gaps in their schedules because production almost completely ground to a halt. So buying in Australian, Canadian, Irish, American etc dramas filled those gaps.

Yes
Sensible decision.

I did love that Sunday Brunch kept going. And they had a social distance shuffle when Simon would give Tim the dish he’d just made.

But I can’t find it on you tube anywhere.

I’ve seen a few Australian/NZ dramas but far more European, perhaps it’s just down to your previous viewing history. We are currently watching another Finnish crime drama, still not picked up any Finnish alas (going next summer, all I can recollect is police and hospital)

Many have been mentioned already.

Fisk
The Letdown
Deadloch
Black Comedy

So you don’t like Australians. Or the Australian accent.

And you can’t find any dramas to watch that aren’t Australian.

okay

Fact is you are still Xenophobic.

Op is allowed to like the tv she likes. Some of my circle can’t get used to Aussie accents in tv shows. Doesn’t mean anything.

How would people respond if the OP was saying.
I don't like the way Indians/ Nigerians/ South Africans/ Liverpudlians/ Jamaicans/ speak English and therefore don't engage with their cultural content?

It’s only fair- we grew up watching The Goodies, Fawlty Towers, Dr Who and Morcombe and Wise- Aussie telly was mostly British or American.
Australia has local content laws so we do churn out TV shows- exporting them generates income for our industry, just like your BBC does.

I’m a scouser. I’ve heard all kinds about my accent
and I can tell when it’s anti scouse sentiment or not.

tbh some tv based in Liverpool I find jarring because of the accent. I love my city and the people.