JOHN PEARSON | Television | Contact
Some Australians are mortified this evening, other’s were entertained after the Nine Network’s ‘Married At First Signs of Mental Illness’ concludes.
The nightly offering from Nine in this post-apocalyptic post-sporting cricket stretch of television has broken records as the first show on local screens to feature people that are almost completely detached from reality.
“We wanted to make a television show that would’ve given Kerry Packer cause to sigh,” said Nine’s content director Edward ‘Ned’ Blue.
“Something that would appeal the bottom drawer of society. You know, those people who are self-absorbed enough to tweet their opinion live during an episode. Those are the people that keep us afloat.”
And Married At First Signs of Mental Illness was born.
Using a smorgasbord of young Australians with blaringly obvious mental health problems, Nine has been able to pull a ratings hit out of nowhere.
However, community groups and mental health advocates have lashed out at the show, explaining to The Advocate that some of these people need to be institutionalised, not exploited for our entertainment.
“There are some people on this show that don’t harbour the mental capacity to function on a day to day level,” said Jenny Nabi from North Betoota rights group BrainWave.
“This is nothing short of exploitation,”
The Advocate reached out to a family member of a contestant on the show for comment but did not receive a reply.
More to come.
