It's been a monkey on his back for 25 years. It's time to try to understand what happened to bring about such a monstrous failure.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Kiwi TV show 'Melody Rules' came out in the 90s and is widely regarded as one of worst sitcoms ever made. But just how bad was it? Geoff Houtman - one of the show's original writers - embarks on a quest to find out what went wrong.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Geoff and some of the original writing group talk about the 'odd' way Melody Rules came to be chosen, and how micro-management from the outset set the course for sitcom-disaster.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Even a badly chosen idea and a micro-managed script needs someone to play it. And casting is crucial... especially with inexperienced actors.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Geoff tracks down the man who directed all 40 episodes of Melody Rules and hears about the challenges he faced: inexperience, arguments with the actors, news cameras on loan, making a sitcom in a broom closet.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Geoff tracks down John Vorhaus, the sitcom guru. How did John get the job of training the young writers and what did he make of it all?Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Melody Rules is finally unleashed on a hyped-up New Zealand public and is greeted with virtual (and actual) hostility.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
What were the Network people thinking when they made Melody Rules? Geoff gets their - surprisingly positive - take on the experience.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
So how did the failure that was Melody Rules affect the people involved? In this final episode, Geoff's on the road to find out and to discover what he's learned about himself and his perceived failure. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Gina Boosey
5 stars. amazing. such a good feel to this podcast, and so interesting. unique
Jason D'Mello
7
Kiwitones
So good to see Geoff grapple with his own failings. A lesser man would have moved country!