What a year it's been in telly-land. There were highs and lows and troughs, and we endured them all. It didn't seem right that we should let the year pass over
without recognising the best, so the Herald's writers, columnists and reviewers have mentally channel-surfed through 2000 to pick our favourites.
Other people got in first and took names like the Oscars, the Tonys, the Emmys and the Logies, but that isn't why we're naming ours "the Suzys." It's in honour of our very own Suzy Aiken, who won an American Emmy for standing-in for ABC anchor Diane Sawyer during the US network's millennium coverage.
So, the envelopes please:
Super Supreme Award for best television contribution in 2000:
The Sydney Olympics opening ceremony. Why? We felt we should stay up for the millennium coverage, but we wanted to see the Games ceremony unfold, from the dancing lawnmowers to Nicky Webster and Cathy Freeman.
Best drama (local):
Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell delivered a powerful performance in Staunch, a compelling one-off drama screened on TV3.
Best drama (foreign):
The Sopranos — it's disturbing, it's funny. What else?
Best documentary/series (local):
Getting To Our Place, about the meetings and wheeling and dealing to get Te Papa off the ground, another superb story told by Gaylene Preston.
Best documentary/series (foreign):
Walking with the Dinosaurs. They were big. It was big.
Best comedy (local):
Havoc and Newsboy's Sell-Out Tour 2, the stand-out in a thin field.
Best comedy (foreign):
The Games, John Clarke's satire on the organisation of the Olympics, didn't draw a huge audience (it was on One, somewhere, late, then on Prime) but it should have.
* Okay, that's the really serious, worthy stuff. Now the bits that you remember from the year's telly — even if you don't want to ...
Marian Hobbs/Boo-boo award for seeing more of New Zealand On Air:
McCormick "$50,000 of taxpayers' money an episode" Rips.
"The red light means it's on" award:
Joint winners — Paul Holmes and TVNZ's sports commentators during the Olympics for their insightful remarks during commercial breaks broadcast to devoted fundamentalist Christian viewers around the Pacific.
David Attenborough award for putting small, furry animals in the news on weekends:
Darren McDonald, TV3
Best cooking show:
Survivor
Topp family entertainment:
The Topp Twins for their indefatigable ability to produce a never-ending stream of double entendres from the mouths of such innocents as the bowling ladies Lorna and Mavis — and all in family viewing time.
For fighting the hand that feeds you:
Bill Ralston
Best television vehicle for Jay Laga'aia:
Street Legal's pick-up truck.
Best kid's programme:
Malcolm In The Middle
The Mike Moore Memorial Award for newsreader ad-libbing:
Liz Gunn
Straight answer:
Mark "that's a curly one, Paul" Todd.
Best reality television:
The latest salary round for TVNZ's presenters.
Biggest television non-event:
TV One's low advertising zone.
"Isn't the millennium over yet?" Award:
To the TV3 and TVNZ teams who proved that, even over a long, very long 30 hours of live television, you can't take the perk out of a telly presenter.
Christmas ham:
Marc Ellis on Sports Cafe. Oh, and give that man an orange juice too.
Herald Online features:
2000 - Year in Review
2000 - Month by month
The year’s best TV
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