Showcase | idents.tv

A new Showcase for alternative television.

showcase - Twango

> Quicktime H.264
(81mb)
> iPod Compatible
(43.8mb)
> Watch in Flash
(38.2mb progressive)

showcasepromo - Twango

> Quicktime H.264
(27.1mb)
> iPod Compatible
(19.8mb)
> Watch in Flash
(10.9mb progressive)

Australian’s welcomed a new channel onto their subscription television platforms today, that new channel is Showcase. Available to subscribers of the Foxtel, Austar and Optus networks the new channel is being described as the home of “dramatically different TV” while extolling the old chestnut that “TV is the new hollywood”. I’m a huge fan of what you might call “alternative” or “cult” television, with most of my favorite shows not even airing on Australian television, at least not with any regularity or respectable time slots, unfortunately for this post though, I haven’t watched any of the shows making their local premier on Showcase.

Series like Dexter, The Riches and The Tudors are all finding their way uncut, and uninterrupted to Showcase, however I’ll have to leave it up to you guys to let me know if they’re worth a try. Documentaries and movies will also fill some of the Showcase schedule with Little Miss Sunshine and An Inconvenient Truth some of the first to air.

Showcase, along with its sister networks Showtime and Showtime Greats are jointly owned by NBC Universal Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Liberty Global International, and although this channels free to air debut would make for much more exciting news its still nice to see television being treated with a similar respect to films, even if you’re going to have to pay for it.

> Quicktime H.264
(13.6mb)
> iPod Compatible
(6.5mb)
> RealPlayer Media
(3.9mb)

I just spent the last two days watching the entire first season of the Foxtel drama Love My Way, and damn it was good. It’s been so long since I got into an Australian drama, it was almost a novelty to see Australian culture reflected in a scripted show, I’m so used to my Six Feet Unders and the like.

It was refreshing that the show wasn’t based around a profession (doctors, cops, ranch hands or whatever it is the McLeod’s Daughters are). The characters are pretty fucked up, but none of it seemed contrived, the situations and storylines grow organically.

I don’t want to spoil the plot if you haven’t seen it, but episode eight was pretty hard to watch, its very emotional, and while the plot turn that occurs may seem like a way to wrap up the season or just generate some drama, its dealt with in such a blunt and raw way it actually works.

Its only 10 episodes so if you have a spare 500 minutes I really suggest you watch it, it will reignite your faith in Australian television.

I read somewhere that the commercial stations wanted to air it, but Claudia Karvan and co said no so unless you have Foxtel, the DVD’s may be your only option.