Network 10 (or Channel 10 as many of us still call it) and Paramount+ have hosted their 2025 “upfronts” in Sydney to announce all the big shows coming our way in 2025. And it’s safe to say that there are a few surprises in the mix. Along with some exciting new offerings, there are a few overdue returns!
Read on for everything we know so far…
New shows
Sam Pang
The TV WEEK Logies ceremony master will no doubt hope to pick up a gong of his own with a new, as yet untitled, show next year. Already a long-standing favourite on Have You Been Paying Attention, he’s now receiving his own weekly series.
“Sam’s quick wit has kept Aussies laughing for years, and we know his fresh new program will give audiences exactly what they want,” Daniel Monaghan, SVP Content and Programming, Paramount Australia, says.
“We are currently in the final stages of development, and we can’t wait to share it with viewers in the new year.”
Ghosts Australia
First, it was a hit in the UK. Next, America gave it a spin. Now Australia will be the latest nation to adapt BBC’s hilarious comedy Ghosts with a local spin.
The original was set in a crumbling country mansion Button House, inherited by Alison Cooper (Charlotte Richie) by a distant relative. Arriving, she and her husband are charmed. But when a bump to the head has Alison seeing the dead she is tasked with helping centuries worth of ghosts unbind themselves and ascend to the afterlife.
No news on if the characters or storylines will stay the same however Ghosts Australia is set to commence production next year.
Staycation
Fans of Bluey rejoice! Ludo, the producers of smash series are working on a feature-length, live action Christmas movie before the end of 2024.
“This madcap comedy sees a dysfunctional middleclass family attempt to survive their Christmas break at home, only to find themselves accidentally mixed up with some very dangerous characters indeed,” says the press release, which promises more than a nod to the much-loved National Lampoon films.
House Hunters Australia
Having begun life in 1999 in America, House Hunters has had over 16 spin offs and counting. Now Australia is about to get its own local version.
Following real people as they search for their dream homes with the help of a real estate agent, each episode sees the wannabe buyers being presented three unique properties before deciding which one they’ll decide to make their offer on.
“From humble surburban homes to high-end city pads, House Hunters Australia pairs potential buyers with agents in the quest for a win-win deal,” says the press release of what we can expect. Looks like casting has started too!
Airport 24/7
Melbourne Airport is getting its own reality show. Promising unfettered access to the air traffic control tower, the show will focus on “the firies, Feds, border patrollers, air traffic controllers and baggage handlers on the frontlines.”
There are over 700 flights and 90,000 passengers who pass through the airport each days so expect a little drama!
Todd Sampson’s Why?
Award winning documentary maker Todd is on a mission to find answers to a range of questions in his latest TV offering, which is due to air next year.
“‘Why?’ It’s our very first question,” said Todd of what drives the new series. “Our way of understanding the world. This series explores the ‘whys’ of some of the most fascinating people on the planet. We’ll dive into the death-defying desires of base jumpers, explore the forward-thinking doomsday preppers, investigate the tangled life of a donor dad and delve into the mystical world of an alien church.
“Some ‘whys’ may never be fully answered, and some may be hard to swallow. But it’s by understanding others that we better understand ourselves.”
NCIS: Origins
The sixth spin off from the US franchise is a special one – it’s a prequel! With original cast member Mark Harmon as one of the executive producers, the series takes us back to 1991 when his character Leroy “Jethro” Gibbs was starting out as a freshy minted special agent.
Mark will narrate the series while newcomer Austin Stowell will play the younger Jethro.
The List
The duo best known as The Inspired Unemployed, Jack Steele and Matt Ford, have signed up for a job with a twist.
The pranksters will front a new comedy travel show where they journey around the globe “from Japan to South Africa, Germany to Finland and Malysia to India” and promising “an itinerary high on laughs and awward and unexpected situations.”
The show will air on both 10 and Paramount+.
Matlock
Before announcing her retirement, Oscar winner Kathy Bates took on one last role in a reimagined version of Matlock. Far from the 1980s version starring Andy Griffith, she plays brilliant lawyer Madeline Matlock who uses her unassuming demeanour to win cases.
Watson
The American series starring Morris Chestnut as titular character John Watson, this is a modern take on the sleuth solver as he pivots to unravelling medical mysteries after the death of his good friend Sherlock Holmes.
Returning shows
Big Brother Australia
It broke the TV mold when it first hit screens back in 2001. Now Big Brother is returning to 10, the network which made stars out of complete unknowns before axing it in 2008. While rival networks Seven and Nine would both have a go at the franchise, 10 is hoping they can appeal to fans of the original version by returning to a live format.
While Gretel Killeen was synonymous with those early years, in 2025 Big Brother will have a new host as well as returning to live nominations, studio audiences and evictions.
Mel Tracina, who fans of The Cheap Seats will know as their resident cultural correspondent, has been named as host of the program.
“I was one of the millions of Aussie captivated by Big Brother when it launched on Channel 10 in the early noughties,” she said. “The show has such a loyal and passionate fan base, and I am excited to help bring back the show’s original spirit (minus the flip phones and bum dancing).”
Promising to have a cross-section of everyday and relatable Aussies, the revived series is expected to air towards the end of 2025.
Talkin’ Bout Your Gen
After a few years off (and a journey across to Nine for a while), the comedy quiz show is returning to 10 for more laughs and inter-generational fights.
Originally called Talkin’ Bout Your Generation which was written and hosted by by Shaun Micallef, the newly abbreviated version doesn’t look like he’ll be returning with it.
Instead, we’re promised a new host and three new team captains to pit Gen X, Millennials and Zoomers (bye Boomers) against each other to find out which is truly the best one of all.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Their chemistry was so hilarious last year that they were each nominated for a Gold TV WEEK Logie in the aftermath. Now Julia Morris and Robert Irwin are hoping lightning strikes twice when they return to the South African jungle for another go around.
With the series set to kick off on Sunday, January 19, there’s no word on which celebrities will be roughing it for our viewing pleasure this year but we welcome some guesses!
Australian Survivor
Once Robert and Julia have finished punishing their reality TV charges, it’s time for Jonathan LaPaglia to have his turn. And in great news for fans of the long-running franchise, we’ll have two new seasons of the show to enjoy in 2025.
The first to kick off will be Australian Survivor Brains v Brawns II which separates players with smarts from those with strength try and outwit, outplay and outlast their rivals for a cool $500,000 and the title of Sole Survivor.
Missing players of old? Then the second instalment will have not only Aussie superstars of the game, but also those from franchises around the world!
Survivor: Australia v The World will see our fan faves including George Mladenov, Shonee Bowtell and Kirby Bentley facing off against – amongst others – US favourites Parvati Shallow, Tony Vlachos and Cirie Fields, famously known as the best player to never win the game. Could this time be her redemption?
MasterChef Australia
Good news, MasterChef fans – Andy Allen, Sofie Levin, Poh Ling Yeow and Jean-Cristophe Novelli are heading back into the kitchen in 2025. And they’re not the only familiar faces we’ll see there.
MasterChef Australia: Back to Win will see more fan favourites returning for another pass at the title while Gordon Ramsey will also be back as our the first special guest judge.
Taskmaster Australia
This October, season three of the comedy (adapted from the UK format) will hit our screens with Tom Gleeson and his trusty sidekick Tom Cashman putting comedians Pete Hellier, Mel Buttle, Aaron Chen, Concetta Caristo and Rhys Nicholson through their paces.
Then, in 2025, we’ve learned the all-star cast will have Tommy Little, Emma Holland, Lisa McCune, Takashi Wakasugi and Dave Hughes up for the Taskmaster challenges. Bring it on!
NCIS: Sydney
Todd Lasance and the Aussie cast of this blockbuster spin off will return for a second season of crime busting in 2025.
Also returning…
Have You Been Paying Attention, The Cheap Seats, The Dog House Australia, Deal or No Deal, Gogglebox Australia, Neighbours, Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Australia, The Inspired Unemployed (Impractical) Jokers, The Project, plus new seasons of Law & Order: SVU, Elsbeth, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, FBI International, NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i.
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