Television's best offerings in 2015 are a mixed bag of war stories, Australia's coming of age, reality TV shows that parachute celebrities into the African wilderness and a mix of strange, hilarious and brave imported dramas.
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Fairfax Media takes the remote control to channel some of the best shows on offer in 2015, from the critically exalted American drama Transparent to a pair of landmark Gallipoli dramas and a home-grown soap opera about the wealthy House of Hancock.
Glitch (ABC)
The pitch: Australia does zombies. Sort of.
Star factor: Patrick Brammall, of Offspring and The Moodys fame and who in acting terms is the man of the moment.
The plot: A small-town cop is called to the local cemetery in the middle of the night to discover that six people have risen from the dead in perfect health.
The fine print: Great writers, including Louise Fox, Kris Mrksa and Giula Sandler.
Why it will work: The time is right for smart genre stories.
The ex-PM (ABC)
The pitch: Shaun Micallef does House of Cards. For laughs.
Star factor: The brilliant Micallef.
The plot: Andrew Dugdale is Australia's third-longest-serving prime minister, grappling with the challenge of life after The Lodge.
The fine print: Australia's best comedy producer, Nick Murray.
Why it will work: The brilliant Shaun Micallef.
Gallipoli (Nine)
The pitch: "A landmark television event."
Star factor: Lachy Hulme, Matt Nable, Anthony Hayes, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, plus Kodi Smit-McPhee.
The plot: A 17-year-old boy lies about his age to follow his brother into the army and into the Great War.
The fine print: Produced by John Edwards and Imogen Banks.
Why it will work: A powerful blend of scale and soul.
Transparent (Stan)
The pitch: A jangled, jagged family drama with a twist.
Star factor: Jeffrey Tambor and Judith Light.
The plot: Retired professor Mort Pfefferman reveals to his family that he is transgender.
The fine print: The show's creator, Jill Soloway, has written a brilliant series.
Why it will work: It's breathtakingly original. And superbly bold.
Australia: The Story of Us (Seven)
The pitch: "More than 40,000 years in the making ... Australia's history, from the beginning to the present day."
Star factor: CGI sequences that offer a never-seen-before window into early Australia.
The plot: "Stories of the nation's origins and fresh insights into how Australians came to create the homeland they inhabit today."
The fine print: It's a very ABC-seeming program, on a commercial network. That's risky.
Why it will work: Because 40,000 years is a long time to wait for a definitive history of our nation.
Deadline Gallipoli (Foxtel)
The pitch: The Gallipoli story, from the perspective of Australia's war correspondents.
Star factor: Sam Worthington, plus Hugh Dancy, Ewen Leslie and Charles Dance.
The plot: Charles Bean, Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett, Phillip Schuler and Keith Murdoch bear witness to the events of 1915.
The fine print: Bryan Browne as General Bridges and John Bell as Lord Kitchener.
Why it will work: An iconic moment in history told from a new perspective.
Grace and Frankie (Netflix)
The pitch: Rivals become friends when their husbands run off together.
Star factor: Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
The plot: Long-time rivals Grace and Frankie are brought together when their husbands (Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston) announce they are in love.
The fine print: Created by the woman behind Friends, Marta Kauffman.
Why it will work: It's two-thirds of the iconic comedy 9 to 5. Can a Dolly Parton guestie be far off?
House of Hancock (Nine)
The pitch: Dynasty, Australian-style.
Star factor: Mandy McElhinney as Gina, Peta Sergeant as Rose and Sam Neill as Lang.
The plot: The true story of the Hancock mining dynasty, and the clash between daughter Gina and her father's housekeeper-turned-wife Rose.
The fine print: Produced by Michael Cordell, Claudia Karvan and Paul Bennett.
Why it will work: Pure soap, but ripped straight from the headlines.
Gogglebox (Ten)
The pitch: Watching people watching TV.
Star factor: The format, which is tricky to get your head around, but brilliant when you do.
The plot: Cameras capture ordinary Australians as they watch TV and interact with each other.
The fine print: It's a hit format elsewhere in the world, and its success depends heavily on smart casting.
Why it will work: It's brilliant. Difficult to explain clearly. But brilliant.
The Great Australian Race Riot (SBS)
The pitch: Australia's hidden history of mob rules.
Star factor: Best-selling author and columnist Peter FitzSimons.
The plot: A three-part documentary series that charts Australia's 170-year history of violent mobs and race riots.
The fine print: It will turn everything you think you know upside down.
Why it will work: A punchy approach that illuminates a provocative topic.
I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here (Ten)
The pitch: Celebrities parachuted into the wilderness and left to fend for themselves.
Star factor: Hosts Julia Morris and Dr Chris Brown.
The plot: Reality series based on a hit format, usually produced in Australia for other countries. This one is filmed in Africa.
The fine print: In this genre, casting is everything, so it needs the right mix of B- and C-listers.
Why it will work: It smells new, and the Australian market, presently, smells a little stale.
