ABC

Excellent range of Australian children's programmes, documentaries, dramas, comedies, news and current affairs shows. No commercials.
Click here for TV Guide

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Schools Spectacular 2010 7.30pm, Sunday.

The world's biggest youth variety extravaganza celebrates its 27th year. ABC3's Kayne and Amberley join forces with John Foreman to bring you all the colour and excitement.

Much like the Rock Estedford's, this is young kids doing things that - at any other time in their schooling life - would have them beaten to a bloody pulp by the school bullies. Luckily for them, TV and fame goes a long way and the Schools Specials is the first step in the right direction.

Sure, some of it is terrible. In fact, it's like a mini-Eurovision but with more cheaply made props.

- Frankie J.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Black Books, 8.08pm, Tuesdays, ABC2

While most the of the attention these days rests firmly with it's follow up series The IT Crowd, as a comedy fan from way back, there is simply nothing that compares to the brilliance of Black Books.

It's quirky and weird and displays some of the finest "drunken hobo" comedy performances the TV box has ever seen thanks to one of the writers of the show Dylan Moran.

He, on the surface, is repulsive as Manny - yet somehow each episode he manages to become more charming and likeable. It simply doesn't make sense.

In this episode, Manny becomes sick and tired of Bernard bossing him around and decides to walk out. Comedy ensues

- Frankie J.

Channel 7

Strong on Australian drama, lifestyle shows, popularist news and current affairs, game shows. Commercials.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Family Guy, 8:30pm, Wednesdays, 7mate.

If you're easily offended Family Guy is probably not the best choice of viewing on an idle Wednesday night. However if you don't mind a touch of irony and lashings of extremely politically incorrect gags, this adult-oriented cartoon will leave you doubled over in laughter.

For those who have never tuned into this wickedly funny animated series, think The Simpsons on acid. It revolves around the Griffin family, who's patriach, Peter Griffin, is one of the oddest (but extremely amusing) characters ever created for television. His day dreams are often so bizarre it boggles the mind how the show's creators come up with the ideas...

Probably not what you'd call 'family' viewing (hence the timeslot), Family Guy is nevertheless one of the most provocative and indeed hilarious shows on commercial TV at the moment. 

If only an Australian version was commissioned...

- Frankie J.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
How I Met Your Mother, 7:30pm, Monday.

Without doubt, How I Met Your Mother is the single most inventive and impressive "Traditional sitcom" to air since Friends left our screens. It's consistently funny, fresh and displays a cast with more chemistry than most scientific labs.

Over the summer it will get a long run, the "Two and a Half Men" theory of flooding the public with the product until they love it.

In this episode, Ted prepares for a date with the doctor who's going to remove his tattoo, Barney and the gang try to warn him that he may be breaking a cardinal rule of dating - don't poop where you eat.

Meanwhile, Lily and Marshall do the unthinkable and befriend a new neighbour couple. 

- David Lennox.

Channel 9

Lifestyle shows, popularist news and current affairs, game shows, reality TV. French Open tennis. Rugby League State of Origin. Commercials.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Two and a Half Men, 7:00pm. Weeknights.

This is a bare-bones sit-com that just works. The sets, the production, almost everything about it is sub-par, but its the characters that give provide the charisma.

Chuck Sheen is excellent the cynical John Landers, who rears dinosaurs in his spare time while solving mysteries under the guise of Pablo Kleebold.

- Lebron French

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Conan, 11:30pm. Weeknight, GEM.

Conan O'Brien hosts an hour of laughs with some of the biggest names in entertainment and music, with regular funny segments and musical acts.

For far too long, Australians without cable TV have been deprived of the bevvy of Tonight Shows on offer from the USA.

I will love Letterman to my grave, without doubt, the man is an icon and is still as sharp and witty as ever  – but the question has to be asked : if there was another option over the last 10 years, would I love him as much?

Finally – we can test the theory.

- Lebron French

Channel 10

Programmed for a younger audience, US chat shows, lifestyle shows, popularist news and current affairs, reality TV. Commercials.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Andrew Bogut Presents NBA Primetime, 7:30pm. Tuesdays.

With 16 wins from their first 20 matches Dallas made an even better start to the season than the Lakers. Andrew Bogut takes Milwaukee on the road as the Bucks face Nowitzki, Kidd and the Mavericks among others.

Addmittedly, the Bucks are hardly the team you want to be watching on a regular basis, especially when there is so much quality floating around the NBA (none of it at the Bucks).

That said, it's just good to see NBA back on commerical TV. It'll hopefully wet our whistles for more NBL (which, while fairly poor quality at the moment) should hopefully be able to rebuild it's audience to the size that it was during the 1990s.

- Lebron French

Wombat TV Hit Picks
The Simpsons, 7:30pm. Fridays.

Looking through the weeks TV guide, I couldn't help but notice that channel 10 is running low on quality TV shows. Struggling to find a show to recommend I had to go with the ever reliable Simpsons. 

Now, dont get me wrong, there are still a few good shows on Ten.

But The Simpsons is the backbone for Ten, and the only consistently good show. 

Catch Homer, Marge and Co as Channel 10 takes us through reruns of season 9, a very good season.

- Frankie J

SBS

Excellent range of non-English speaking programs, strong coverage of soccer, terrific overseas news, documentaries and foreign movies. Limited commercials.
Click here for TV Guide

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Mythbusters, 5:30pm, Saturdays.

This show never loses it's appeal. Much like Man vs Wild, it reaches into our hopes and dreams and goes to the trouble of doing the stuff we all secretly want to do but never get around to actually doing.

Over the years Adam and Jamie have tested some absolute corker myths. Some with explosions, some with pigs exploding... other with fire... exploding.

Adam and Jamie also test a myth spread over the internet that suggests an aeroplane cannot take off from a runway that is moving backwards at the same speed the plane is moving forward. Before they are able to assess the plausibility of the myth, they must first run a small-scale test using a model aeroplane on a treadmill.

They then hit the runway with the world's largest makeshift conveyor belt. It's this sort of elaborate fun that makes it such fun!

- David Lennox.

The show centres on Vincent Chase, a high-profile movie star and the people in his life. The close friendships he has, the lovely women he meets, and the life of a movie star at the peak of his career. A great ensemble of cast members, with a great storyline, and hilarious situations, Entourage is fantastic.

- Rosko Coldchain.

Wombat TV Hit Picks
Mythbusters, 5:30pm, Saturdays.

This show never loses it's appeal. Much like Man vs Wild, it reaches into our hopes and dreams and goes to the trouble of doing the stuff we all secretly want to do but never get around to actually doing.

Over the years Adam and Jamie have tested some absolute corker myths. Some with explosions, some with pigs exploding... other with fire... exploding.

Adam and Jamie also test a myth spread over the internet that suggests an aeroplane cannot take off from a runway that is moving backwards at the same speed the plane is moving forward. Before they are able to assess the plausibility of the myth, they must first run a small-scale test using a model aeroplane on a treadmill.

They then hit the runway with the world's largest makeshift conveyor belt. It's this sort of elaborate fun that makes it such fun!

- David Lennox.

The show centres on Vincent Chase, a high-profile movie star and the people in his life. The close friendships he has, the lovely women he meets, and the life of a movie star at the peak of his career. A great ensemble of cast members, with a great storyline, and hilarious situations, Entourage is fantastic.

- Rosko Coldchain.