australian television information archive

City Homicide chopped by Seven

THE curtain is falling on Australian crime series City Homicide after a tough 2010 ratings battle.

The TV drama has won awards and resurrected the acting careers of veterans Shane Bourne and Noni Hazlehurst, while showcasing the talents of younger stars such as Aaron Pedersen, Daniel MacPherson and Nadine Garner.

But the series, which made its debut in 2007, will fail to reach 100 episodes after Channel 7 decided to drastically cut it back and re-format it.

Instead of producing more than 20 episodes a year, Seven has decided to turn the program into a mini-series next year.

This decision follows the roll-out of free-to-air digital channels that have dramatically changed the ratings landscape.

"City Homicide is a gripping drama that has continued to improve and develop through each of its 84 episodes," Seven programmer Tim Worner said.

"In days of old, its renewal would have been a no-brainer. But in this multi-channel environment, such decisions aren't as clear-cut as they once were."

City Homicide will remain in Channel 7's prime-time schedule until the end of the current ratings period.

But next year, it will be cut back to a six-part mini-series titled City Homicide: No Greater Honour.

The mini-series, starring Claire Van Der Boom, Marcus Graham, John Howard and Graeme Blundell, follows a brutal murder from the past that returns to haunt the squad.

October 25, 2010
The Daily Telegraph