It's easy to forget that when The Block launched 12 years ago, it aired for just one hour each week.
Since then, the franchise has become Channel Nine's sacred cash cow. Viewers keep demanding more – and the network, of course, keeps obliging.
Which is why, in 2015, there will be up to five versions of the series.
Fairfax Media has confirmed Nine will launch a spin-off series called The Block Open House on Friday, February 13. The following week, it will move to its regular Thursday timeslot, while the main version of the show, The Block Triple Threat, airs Sundays through to Wednesdays (at least once the cricket finishes).
A second season of the main series will air later this air, and – assuming it rates well – a second season of Open House.
There's also Renovation Rumble, which will debut later this year. While not technically a Block-branded series, it's made by Block producers and features former Block stars – who will compete against former constants of House Rules, Channel Seven's renovation reality show.
It's a clever move by Nine; a cheeky grab for fans of a rival program.
But the smarter move is the launch of Open House on Thursdays, a traditionally weak night in terms of ratings.
The show is basically The Block on speed, with a big dollop of Better Homes and Gardens.
Instead of dragging out a "room reveal" over multiple episodes, we get to see multiple makeovers in one episode.
In the first episode, former contestants Alisa and Lysandra – officially known as The Twins – are given a $10,000 budget and absurdly short-time frame to spruce up a depressing, dark brick 1970s abode that got passed in at auction. And no wonder. It's the kind of place one used to see Lisa McCune wandering around as host of the true crime show Forensic Investigators. ("The body was left to decompose under the smoked glass coffee table, until the neighbours noticed a smell.")
The fun, of course, is in watching The Twins work on such a limited budget. Which horrible porno-esque features will they rip out, and which ones will they overhaul with some clever design tricks?
(Side note: praise be to Lysandra for acknowledging that the modern fetish for floorboards and leather furniture has left many a room looking and feeling cold. Carpets and fabric couches are your friends, people.)
We also observe judge Darren Palmer come to the aid of a hapless couple whose guest room is best described as "Guantanamo-esque". Palmer tackles the myth that dark colours make a small room feel smaller, then proves it by painting over their white walls with an appealing, blue-green shade. Some new furniture and light fittings complete the transformation.
There's the bit in which Scott Cam swoops in and rescues a woman from the home renovation efforts of her hubby, whom they both describe, somewhat uncharitably, as "Australia's biggest knucklehead". Among the things that earned Knucklehead this title is the claustrophobic study nook he created inside the pantry, the absurdity of which Cam demonstrates by gleefully grabbing a loaf of bread while tapping on the computer.
We also learn the judges' pet design peeves (stop decorating everything with those damn birds!), and of course, we check in on the contestants.
As anyone who's ever watched one of these shows will attest, they offer a unique pleasure: order out of chaos, a sense of accomplishment, all while sitting slumped and inert with the remote on your belly. Sometimes, I let out a satisfied sigh at the end of an episode. It matters not a whit that the most I've achieved during the hour is devouring half a jar of peanut butter with a spoon. After a long day at work, it's oddly soothing to watch other people work.
Sometimes, you're in the mood for the grittiness of an acclaimed HBO drama. Sometimes, you just want to watch others fussing about with overpriced, but quite lovely, lamps and rugs and kitchen appliances.
Naturally, these programs are a unique pleasure to the networks too. There is a reason that this year, yet again, the prime-time schedule on commercial networks is essentially wall-to-wall reality.
There is a misconception that reality TV is cheap to make. It isn't. But a high-rating show gives a network bang for their buck, with up to five nights' worth of content every week.
(Last night, The Block Triple Threat launched with 860,000 viewers in the five major capitals – its lowest debut audience ever. Given the stiff competition from the tennis and the fact it launched more than a week out of the official ratings period, however, a soft start is not surprising.)
Unlike viewers of drama, many of whom record or download series to watch later, the bulk of reality fans prefer to see their favourite shows live. Crucially, this makes them much more profitable for the networks. Live-to-air TV advertising is still where most of the money is. Ads on catch-up websites and apps generate substantially less revenue.
Naturally, networks favour anything people watch live (which is why they also like sport and news, though commercial news bulletins have comparatively older audiences). As a bonus, they get to cram their reality shows with all kinds of product placements and sponsor deals, making them even more lucrative.
This year, Channel Ten's reality slate includes The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Shark Tank, Gogglebox, MasterChef, and, most importantly, I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!, the show on which it is pinning its hopes.
Seven's line-up features My Kitchen Rules, two seasons of House Rules, The X Factor, Dancing With The Stars, and a new show, Restaurant Revolution.
In addition to The Block and its spin-offs, Nine will have The Voice and The Experiment: Married at First Sight. TV Tonight has also reported it will launch a food show, produced by reality behemoth Endemol, that is set in restaurants. Conspicuously absent from its promotions, however, is Big Brother – a sign it has probably been axed.
As many have already pointed out, we're in a golden age of drama and comedy. We can watch high-quality series, whenever we want. This makes it tougher for commercial networks to compete in these arenas. They still produce some excellent scripted stuff, of course. (Offspring, Love Child and Secrets & Lies are all recent highlights.) And they need to: viewers demand it. But in the battle for live audiences – and advertising dollars – reality TV appears set to maintain its dominance.
