The Hamster Wheel
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television entertainment |
| Founded | October 5, 2011 |
| Founder | The Chaser |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Julian Morrow, Martin Robertson (executive producers); Andy Nehl (producer) |
| Products | Satirical comedy television series |
| Parent | Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) |
The Hamster Wheel is a satirical comedy series from Australia, aired on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) channel ABC1. Developed and hosted by the satirical ensemble The Chaser, the program ran for two seasons comprising a total of 16 episodes.
Production
Reports in July 2011 indicated that The Chaser were working on a new television project. By August 2011, ABC confirmed the group's comeback with The Hamster Wheel. The initial season, consisting of eight episodes, debuted on 5 October 2011. In November of that year, The Chaser announced plans to return to television in 2012, although the show's continuation at that time was not officially confirmed.
On 31 August 2012, ABC formally announced the renewal of The Hamster Wheel for a second season, which began airing on 26 September 2012. Production was handled by Giant Dwarf Pty. Ltd. alongside Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder, with Julian Morrow and Martin Robertson serving as executive producers and Andy Nehl as producer.
Show format
The series takes place inside an oversized hamster cage and features a small hamster named Horace, named after the group’s desk. Horace’s whereabouts are revealed on The Hamster Wheel website shortly after each episode's broadcast.
Primary
- News of the Week (Introduction) - Julian Morrow, Craig Reucassel, and Chris Taylor gather at their hamster-shaped desk to review significant news stories from the preceding week.
- Inside the Wheel - Following the "News of the Week" segment, Andrew Hansen and Chas Licciardello deliver an in-depth exploration of current headline issues.
- Politics with Cats - In the first season, Hansen interprets political stories through selected YouTube cat videos.
- In the Media - In season two, Hansen and Licciardello examine recent developments within Australian media outlets.
Recurring
- Standby Obituaries - Julian prepares pre-written obituaries for prominent Australian political or public figures to be used when necessary.
Episodes
| No | Airdate | Viewers | Rank | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timeslot | Day | Week | ||||
| Series 1 | ||||||
| 1 | 5 October 2011 | 857,000 | 1 | 10 | 30 | |
| 2 | 12 October 2011 | 823,000 | 1 | 11 | 35 | |
| 3 | 19 October 2011 | 815,000 | 1 | 10 | Template:N/A | |
| 4 | 26 October 2011 | 866,000 | 1 | 11 | Template:N/A | |
| 5 | 2 November 2011 | 766,000 | 2 | 13 | Template:N/A | |
| 6 | 9 November 2011 | 876,000 | 1 | 9 | 24 | |
| 7 | 16 November 2011 | 920,000 | 1 | 9 | Template:N/A | |
| 8 | 23 November 2011 | 950,000 | 1 | 9 | Template:N/A | |
| Series 2 | ||||||
| 1 | 26 September 2012 | 784,000 | 3 | 12 | Template:N/A | |
| 2 | 3 October2012 | 791,000 | 2 | 12 | Template:N/A | |
| 3 | 10 October2012 | 843,000 | 2 | 12 | Template:N/A | |
| 4 | 17 October2012 | 875,000 | 2 | 11 | Template:N/A | |
| 5 | 24 October2012 | 795,000 | 2 | 14 | Template:N/A | |
| 6 | 31 October2012 | 671,000 | 2 | 15 | Template:N/A | |
| 7 | 7 November2012 | 639,000 | 3 | 15 | Template:N/A | |
| 8 | 14 November2012 | 606,000 | 3 | 17 | Template:N/A | |
Reception and ratings
The comeback of The Chaser team with The Hamster Wheel was met with a generally positive response, although some viewers noted the lack of their usual elaborate stunts. Paul Kalina from the Sydney Morning Herald described it as "among their finest efforts to date," expressing a wish for additional episodes. Conversely, David Knox of TV Tonight found the program somewhat tiring, appreciating only a limited number of humorous moments. The inaugural season attracted an average audience of approximately 860,000, regularly securing the top position in its time slot except for one installment. The second season debuted to a reduced viewership of 784,000, ranking third in its time slot and placing 12th overall for the evening.