Ice As, in its various forms, has been around long enough to be showing its age. But its holding up better than newcomer Space, RUSSELL BAILLIE finds.
The long winter weekend evening stretches in front of you. You've already checked the answerphone eight times for signs of a social life. Nothing doing.
You are, as they say, having a quiet night in.
It's time to curl up in front of a roaring television and let the nice young people on those late-night "youth" shows - Space (10.30 pm, Friday, TV2), Ice As (11 pm Saturday TV3, repeated 9.40 pm Sunday TV4) - show you a good time.
Now a month old and seemingly settled into its format, the music-oriented Space is effectively a drastic retooling of last year's Ground (and now a word from our sponsors) Zero.
But judging on the evidence of recent weeks, Space's attempt to be hip, tasteful, credible and down-with-the-kids seems to have wrung any fun out the exercise. More of which later.
Ice As is the long-running Ice TV under a new name, some new faces, a new, grown-up style. Actually, Ice As seems to have developed into bit of a mutant - a hybrid of yoof telly, late-night chatshow, all with a smart sideline in satire on the week that was.
By rights, Ice has been round long enough to be showing its age. Heck, one of the presenters is even married now (Petra Bagust's honeymoon has made for some amusingly indulgent "satellite link-ups" to "Italy").
But the changes, including a studio-setting switch from its cosy three-flatmates-on-the-couch to a grander affair which includes a house band and small live audience, have helped to reinvent the look and sound of the show into something rather classy.
Even Jon Bridges isn't trying quite so hard to get a laugh, new boy Hugh Sundae (replacing the departed Nathan Rarere) is a droll foil to Bridges' hyperactivity and what we've seen of Bagust so far suggests neither matrimony nor stints presenting dull primetime fare has stopped her from being perky, funny Petra.
Ice As sure does cram a lot into its hour. Last week a piece on Bardot's New Zealand visit was better telly than the last Popstars show itself. And a series of sketches featuring TrueBliss' Joe Cotton and Bagust sharing a cell was hilarious evidence that the Ice As team sure can write funny material as well as act funny.
There's not much funny about Space. It's a music show and determinedly so.
Unfortunately, that urge to play it straight for much of its hour and a half, mixing half a dozen or so video clips (astutely chosen, it must be said) with as many live performances, as well as interviews, reviews and the ring-in parody segment Arts Whole can make Space feel too long, too cold, and quite uninvolving.
True, it looks better than Ground Zero, with no sponsor-dependence problem and a colour coordination which extends to the matching dress sense of presenters Dominic Bowden (cheerful but nervous) and Jaquie Brown (smart but muddled).
That visual sleekness extends to a set resembling a walk-in fridge. Oh, and the live acts sound better, too.
But watching Space can be an odd mix of irritating and nerve-wracking.
Yes, apparently Space has a Website. Actually it was plugged so often last week, you started wondering if the show was an add-on to the cyber-Space rather than vice-versa.
Interviews with musicians are never going to be edifying television but Space's efforts can border on the excruciating.
Bowden's job, it seems, is to ask the same opening question: "So you've been going for X years then?"
No, so far Space isn't working, seems a victim of its own good taste and frontpeople who still seem a little lost in their roles.
But it's doing a worthy job on the local music front in two ways - it's giving those struggling Kiwi musicians some exposure and providing a very good reason to go out on Friday night and see a band.
TV: Age wins out over youth
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