The Briefcase
Logo
GenreReality
Created byDave Broome
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Running time60 minutes
Original release
NetworkNine Network
ReleaseJune 20 (2016-06-20) –
August 9, 2016 (2016-08-09)
Related
The Briefcase

The Briefcase is an Australian reality television program, based on the American program of the same name, which airs on the Nine Network. Each episode sees two Australian families, struggling financially, each given $100,000 in cash that they must decide either to keep for themselves or to give all or in part to help out the other family, unaware that their counterparts are also faced with the same dilemma.[1][2]

The six episode program[3] debuted on 20 June 2016.[4] It received a generally negative reception from audiences and critics both before and after its premiere broadcast, with one commentator calling it "exploitative poverty porn at its worst".[5] After two episodes, the program was moved from its 7:30pm timeslot to after 9:30pm following low ratings which also resulted in a poor lead-in for Nine's marquee drama Love Child which followed immediately after.[6] The last episode was burnt off as counter-programming against the 2016 Summer Olympics.[7]

Development and production

The Australian rights to the show was secured before the American program began broadcasting.[8] The Nine Network's Head of Development later criticised the American version for its "stunt" casting and called it a "freak show", saying the Australian version will be "fundamentally different" and feature "average families", following negative reaction and the ultimate cancellation of the original US version.[3][8]

The contestants on the program were initially not informed about the true nature of the show. Instead they were informed that they would be appearing on a programme titled Making Ends Meet, and would receive financial advice about their situation. The contestants had mixed feelings over being misled, but ultimately had a positive experience filming the show.[8]

Episodes

Episode 1

Details Families
The Carter Family The McCracken Family
Money Received $100,000
Money Given Away $100,000 $100,000
Given to McCracken Family Carter Family
Conditions none none
Money Kept $0 $0
Money Given $100,000 $100,000

Episode 2

Details Families
The Richmond Family The Hockley Family
Money Received $100,000
Money Given Away $25,000 $50,000
Given to Hockley Family Richmond Family
Conditions none none
Money Kept $75,000 $50,000
Money Given $50,000 $25,000

Broadcast

No. Title Original air date Australian viewers
1"Carter/McCracken"June 20, 2016 (2016-06-20)733,000[9]
2"Richmond/Hockley"June 27, 2016 (2016-06-27)491,000[10]
3TBAJuly 4, 2016 (2016-07-04)303,000[11]
4TBAJuly 11, 2016 (2016-07-11)327,000[12]
5TBAJuly 18, 2016 (2016-07-18)317,000[13]
6TBAAugust 9, 2016 (2016-08-09)N/A

References

  1. ↑ Knox, David (19 February 2016). "Nine reboots 20 to 1". Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Vickery, Colin (18 February 2016). "Channel 9 reveals four new shows". Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 Chung, Frank (6 June 2016). "'Controversy is an important thing on TV': Nine defends 'poverty porn' show The Briefcase". news.com.au. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. ↑ Knox, David (9 June 2016). "Airdate: The Briefcase". TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  5. ↑ Bond, Nick (21 June 2016). "The Briefcase is exploitative poverty porn at its worst". News.com.au. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Vickery, Colin (30 June 2016). "Channel 9 has dropped controversial reality show The Briefcase from its Monday 7.30pm timeslot after two episodes". news.com.au. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  7. ↑ Knox, David (3 August 2016). "Nine avoids Olympics clash". TV Tonight. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Quinn, Karl (20 June 2016). "The Briefcase families: We were tricked into Nine's show, but don't feel sorry for us". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Knox, David (21 June 2016). "Monday 20 June 2016". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  10. ↑ Knox, David (28 June 2016). "Have You Been Paying Attention? up, Briefcase down on Monday". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Knox, David (5 July 2016). "Monday we have politics on our mind". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  12. ↑ Knox, David (12 July 2016). "TEN titles top Demos, Seven wins Monday". TV Tonight. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  13. ↑ Knox, David (19 July 2016). "TEN, ABC rise on Monday". TV Tonight. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
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