Sorry, I appear to have missed something vital in the staffing news at Channel Nine.

Last I heard was that Eddie had been boned and with him went the stupid decisions made under his rule.

There was a brief point in time when Channel Nine appeared to be making smart decisions, like Underbelly.

Then they made another really good decision by blessing us with Canal Road.

Sure they backed it up with a dumb decision by whacking it on late at night on a school night, but that can almost be overlooked because it is a sensational show.

But surely, the plonkers who make programming decisions at the embattled network would realise that if you put something new on late at night on a school night NOT MANY PEOPLE WILL WATCH IT.

But no, the new boning going on at Channel Nine is actually the boning of people's brains.

That’s right, thanks for your service, you have provided us with some excellent television … get out.

I have come to this conclusion because the programming people (sans brains) were actually surprised when the ratings for Canal Road were low. So instead of rectifying their mistake immediately and putting Canal Road on at a decent time … they have decided to put it on later. SURE, more people are going to watch it then … idiots.

I really can’t cope with stupidity and I don’t think the viewing public can either which is why they have been tuning off Channel Nine faster than the network changes its staffing.

Sure they had a few weeks at the top, but if they keep making dumb decisions then they can look forward to a few more years as the poor country cousin of the other (read: better) networks.

Nine may have made a good decision with Underbelly which was an awesome piece of television … it was nasty, it was dirty and it was brilliant.

But they have made a bad decision with Canal Road, because it is even better.

While it is a big call to say it is better than Underbelly, I am going to stand by that. Underbelly is a dramatisation of something that really happened. It isn’t exactly a stretch to come up with that storyline and at least the actors had someone else to base their characters on.

Canal Road is completely fictional, I’m not sure a facility quite like it actually exists anywhere so everything that happens is complete creative genius by the creators.

Set in a medical/legal/parole facility in Melbourne, Canal Road not only takes a voyeuristic look at the clients that trundle through Canal Road but also gives us a deep (and often dark) look into the personal lives of the staff.

Canal Road has pulled together some amazing Australian talent. Paul Leyden, who plays the lead role of Spence, is a NIDA-trained actor who has spent much of his career appearing in top rating American dramas.

Brooke Satchwell has shed her Neighbours skin and has been busily appearing in some of the best Aussie dramas we have had in the past few years like Tripping Over and Dangerous.

Diana Glenn is possibly one of Australia’s most undervalued actresses. Having had smaller parts in shows like The Secret Life of Us and White Collar Blue and major roles in Neighbours and Satisfaction, she has mostly existed under the radar, probably because she hasn’t married a tennis star or got her gear off for FHM (although most of the male audience would probably appreciate it if she did).

And then there is some newer faces in the way of Peta Sergeant and Sam Anderson who are both NIDA graduates already putting their stamp on the industry.

Aside from the casting, the scripting in this show is brilliant.

It is funny, sad, witty, dirty, raw and interesting - everything that is needed to make a great show.

There have been some solid gold lines in the two episodes that have screened so far, my personal favourite being when Spence (Paul Leyden) asks Henry (Sam Anderson) to help him get his hands on some drugs and Henry replies “If I lose my job over this I will tell them you paid me for sex”. The delivery of that line shows exactly why NIDA graduates get so much work overseas, and why we need our own television stations to start investing in Australian drama series.

While the programming genies at WIN/Nine may have thought it a clever idea to whack it on after Underbelly in the hope that viewers won’t switch over or off, the reality is that new shows in Australia (particularly new Australian dramas) don’t get a great deal of audience support, particularly when they are based on a theme we aren’t familiar with (let’s face it, unless it happens on a beach we don’t want to know about it).

They have taken a risk with Canal Road, it is very dirty and a little violent, but that’s what we love. Channel Seven’s rating-o-meter went into overdrive when the hurricane hit Wisteria Lane, proving there is nothing TV viewers love more than a bit of devastation.

And while there hasn’t been a hurricane whirring through Canal Road just yet and no one has been impaled on a fence post, there is plenty of devastation.

As we delve further into the characters lives we learn more about Spence loosing his family, Olivia’s (Diana Glenn) personal struggle with supporting a friend, Holly (Peta Sergeant) has a gripping storyline with one of her parole officers. We learn more about Bridget’s (Brooke Satchwell) sex obsession and party animal behaviour and ultimately find out who the serial killer is at Canal Road.

This show is brilliant and deserves a second series, if you missed the first two eps you can download them for free from the Channel Nine website www.channelnine.ninemsn.com.au so you can catch up before the next episode airs tonight.

But please people, vote with your remote, if you want Australian stories to have a voice … if you want Aussie actors to stay in this country and continue to bring us top quality drama then don’t let the network get away with this.

We deserve shows like Canal Road and shouldn’t be punished because Nine couldn’t figure out their timeslots.

­­- NATHANAEL COOPER