The day after the 13th episode of Micallef Tonight, 10 years ago today, Shaun’s Channel 9 variety show was axed. The show itself had started to gather some momentum with its irreverent humor, and had been extended from the original 12 week run by 20 weeks. So it came as a complete shock to the whole production team, especially Shaun, when it was cancelled – never to return to our screens.
At the time, it probably created a low point in Shaun’s career, and it wasn’t until Thank God You’re Here, three years later, that Shaun was again making regular TV appearances, leading of course to Newstopia in 2007.
Shaun himself had a little nod to the show in the fifth episode of Mr and Mrs Murder, “Lost Soul”, with Charlie whistling the theme tune while he worked.
The Expurgated Micallef Tonight DVD was released a few years later, with the 13 episodes condensed down into eight.
I still love the fact that Channel 9 cancelled it due, aparently to lack of popularity, but the DVD release of Micallef Tonight won an ARIA for Best Comedy Release.
I guess if Micallef Tonight has become really popular and stayed around as long as Rove we wouldn’t have had Newstopia, TAYG, Mad As Hell, Mr and Mrs Murder or Aquamarine (haha) so it all worked out good in the end.
I think it was less of a case of “lack of popularity with the viewing audience as a whole” and more of a case of “lack of popularity with a single member of the viewing audience”, that single member being Kerry Packer who did not take too kindly to Shaun taking the piss out of his friend Alan Jones.
That certainly is one of the suggestions, that Kerry had a hand in the cancellation. Would explain the suddenness. Still glad Shaun did thoses sketches, they are still pretty funny.