Cover: Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210)

Heaven can wait!
ABC has decided to put on hold plans to produce a local adaptation of the BBC series Waiting For God. The series, to star Ruth Cracknell, was due to begin production in April. Putting the project on hold has now made it possible for ABC to proceed with production of the sixth series of Mother And Son, starring Cracknell and Garry McDonald, which is now set to air in 1994 instead of 1995 as originally planned.

Nine courts young stars
Casting is finally complete for the Nine Network’s new legal drama Law Of The Land.  Joining Lisa Hensley, David Roberts and Debbie Byrne are Angelo D’Angelo, Shane Connor, Wynn Roberts and David Walters.  The 13-part series is scheduled to debut in April.

Werewolf of Westside
Despite cast outrage over plans for a bizarre werewolf storyline, E Street producers are pressing ahead.  The story sees Constable Max (Bruce Samazan, pictured) turn into the horror creature and terrorise Westside. “When the concept was first proposed, I thought, ‘Hang on, what’s going on here?’,” Samazan told TV Week. “But I found out the storyline was in the spirit of fun, so that was okay.”

Briefly…

• This week ABC debuts its seven-part drama series Seven Deadly Sins — with a cast including Hugo Weaving, Gia Carides, Colin Friels, Kim Gyngell, Frank Gallacher, Liz Alexander, Judy McIntosh, Victoria Longley, Beth Champion, Andy Anderson and Pamela Rabe.  Barbara Masel, who devised the series and co-produced it with Bob Weis, describes the production as a celebration of bad behaviour.  She said these sinners enjoy their crimes and generally get away with them.
• E Street star Melissa Tkautz (pictured) might be on a career high at the moment, with her return to the series plus the release of a new single and a trip to London to promote her music, but she admits that there are times that she genuinely struggles to be happy amid the bright lights of showbiz. She is careful to keep things in perspective and draws on her faith to get her through the tough times. “Praying and thanking God makes me realise what I’ve got and shifts the focus from what I wish I had,” she says.
• Actors Tony Martin (E Street) and Robert Grubb (The Flying Doctors) have signed to play the male leads in Harry M Miller‘s stage production of M. Butterfly.  The production is due to start in Melbourne in late March.

Garry Shelley: The View From Here:

“The cardinal sin of Seven Deadly Sins is there is not one likeable character in the whole shebang.  The writers obviously believe that nice people don’t sin.  Take it from me, they do. To be fair, Seven Deadly Sins has some of the best acting you’ll see in a long while. There’s a tour de force from Victoria Longley as a walking blotter, squelchy with gin.  With a hair-don’t rather than a hair-do that could have been styled by Stevie Wonder, she looks like a moody old funnel web ready to pounce.  In (episode) Sloth, Robyn Nevin is a delight as a visitor to a health farm where she meets up with her ex-husband and his new, younger wife.  Robyn will probably jolt your great-grandmother out of her rocking chair with her opening line.  You’ll enjoy Elizabeth Alexander as an actress of great talent in Pride.  And what Gia Carides (pictured) is doing in Gluttony… may it never happen on the dance floor!”

Loose Talk

• “Ramsay Street just isn’t the same anymore.” — Jim Robinson (Alan Dale), Neighbours, Ten.
• “We met around a piece of hardboard… it was nice.” — Julian Clary, Tonight Live, Seven.

Program Highlights (Melbourne, February 21-27):
Sunday:  Sunday night movies are 3 Men And A Little Lady (Seven) and Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (Ten) up against the first part of mini-series Diana: Her True Story (Ten).

Monday:  Current affairs program Dateline (7.00pm, SBS) returns for the year.  In Healthy Wealthy And Wise (7.30pm, Ten), Lyn Talbot visits the historic WA town of York, and Ronnie Burns meets Ian Kiernan who is leading the clean up the world campaign.

Tuesday:  In A Country Practice (7.30pm, Seven), Bernice (Judith McGrath) tries to give up coffee and becomes addicted to carrots.  In All Together Now (8.00pm, Nine), Bobby (Jon English) is convinced he has seen the late Buddy Holly‘s ghost.  Drama series GP (8.30pm, ABC) returns for its fifth season, followed by Seven Deadly Sins (9.30pm, ABC) featuring Hugo Weaving, Heather Mitchell, Andy Anderson and Victoria Longley (pictured) in debut episode Lust.

Wednesday:  In Neighbours (6.30pm, Ten), Doug (Terence Donovan) discovers the shocking truth about his father’s (Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell) illness, while Rick’s (Dan Falzon) clever scheme to get him out of the family trip to Italy backfires.  Seven crosses to Waverley Park, Melbourne for the Foster’s Cup (8.30pm) featuring North Melbourne versus Adelaide.  In Pride, the second episode of Seven Deadly Sins (9.30pm, ABC), Jill and Roger (Liz Alexander and Colin Friels) are a successful theatre team whose 20-year marriage is threatened when they are invited to host a presentation to a class of acting students.

Thursday:  In RFDS (7.30pm, Nine), Leanne (Lydia Miller), the radio operator at the RFDS base, is harassed by her ex-boyfriend Cowboy (Julian Branagan).  His behaviour reaches the point where something must be done.  Seven has a delayed coverage of the 35th annual Grammy Awards (8.30pm) from the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles.  Adults-only magazine program Sex (9.30pm, Nine) returns with a new series.  Robyn Nevin, Frank Gallacher and Vince Colosimo star in Sloth, the third episode of Seven Deadly Sins (9.30pm, ABC).

Friday:  In The Great Outdoors (7.30pm, Seven), Ernie Dingo visits Sydney’s Centennial Park, Sofie Formica visits the Fairy Tree in Melbourne’s Royal Botanical Gardens, Penny Cook looks at kookaburras and Rex Hunt goes fly fishing.

Saturday:  New Faces With Bert Newton (6.30pm, Ten) presents a country music-themed special. In Beyond 2000 (7.30pm, Seven), Simon Reeve finds that photos might come back on compact disc and Tracey Curro drives a car that navigates itself. The Foster’s Cup (8.30pm, Seven) features Essendon versus Brisbane Bears.

Source: TV Week (Melbourne edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.  20 February 1993.  Southdown Press