RTÉ has turned to home-grown talent for much of its Autumn schedule highlights with new Irish drama, sitcoms and documentary series featuring strongly. But in sport, the hole left by The Premiershipis apparent.
Comedy and drama underpins the output of RTÉ’s Irish prouctions for the new season with two new home-produced dramas and a new situation comedy.
RTÉ said the schedule shows the station's commitment to invest as much resources as it can in home production and developing drama that reflects Irish life in the 21st century.
"No other broadcaster is doing this or is likely to - and we are continuing to explore further ideas in this crucially important area," said RTÉ’s Director of Television, Mr Cathal Goan at today's launch of the Autumn schedule.
There is to be no direct replacement for Glenroe, which ended last year, instead the schedule will see "a new beginning in drama and comedy", a spokeswoman said today.
Sunday nights will see a new eight-part contemporary drama series, On Home Ground, following the fortunes of the fictional Kildoran GAA Club - the Kils- which has not won anything since 1962. The hour-long drama, in striking similarity to Dream Team, hinges on the interaction of the players, officials, their families and the local community.
Switching to urban life, the national broadcaster will begin two new urban comedies: Bachelor's Walk, an eight-part comedy drama and The Cassidys, a six-part sitcom.
The already widely-publicised, Bachelor's Walkrevolves around the experiences of three thirty-somethings trying to prolong their bachelor-pad existing against a tide of commitments and couplings.
Network 2 will scren its first Irish produced sitcom The Cassidys, the story of three young-adult siblings living together in their suburban Dublin home after the death of their parents. Starring comedian Ed Byrne, it will be shot in front of a TV audience - the angle being "human humour" in today's Ireland.
Continuing in the comic vein, Irish comedian Jason Byrnewill host his first TV show on Network 2 with PJ Gallagher providing assistance and Spitroast providing the soundtrack.
RTÉ's weekly comedy content will also include Colin Murphy's Blizard of Ozand Scare at Bedtime.
Arguably as important for some viewers as gripping drama is sports coverage, and in this RTÉ suffers from the loss of The Premiershipon Saturday evenings.
In a statement today, RTÉexplained it had arranged to screen an hour-long highlights programme, at 7 p.m. each night on the condition ITV's new highlights programme would not be shown before 10 p.m. Following ITV's decision to advance its weekly football transmissions to 7 p.m., RTÉcancelled its plan for The Premiership.
Instead it said it will "invest the significant revenues and resources involved into other more competitive programming".
Football disappointments aside, RTÉ is to screen Breaking Ball, The Soccer Show, The Sunday Gameand coverage of World Cup Qualifiers, Six Nations; Heineken European Rugby Cup; and Apres Match.
Documentaries, however do get a big portion of the new schedule as the station has invested about £2 million into documentaries from in-house productions to independent and acquired programmes. Next season sees three new documentary slots - True Livesa social affairs series tackling a range of issues from male suicide to girl bands; Love Bitesa frank documentary slot on at sexual and social mores in Ireland 2001; and Saddle Soapwhich examines the racing community in Co Kildare.
Other highlighted documentaries to be screened include Seán Ó Mordha's Portrait of the Irish Artiston the relationship between Ireland's artists and officials and The Battle of Kinsale.
While Ireland’s foremost singer/songwriter, Christy Moore, is to be given special treatment in an "uncovered" six-part series on his career.
The Autumn will also see the launch of a new lifestyle programme: The Health Show, presented by Fiona McCarthy. It will follow the format of day-time TV shows with live phone-ins and programmes from around Ireland, and updates on health-care developments.
Lifestyle specials will also include Ten Of The Best, an new cookery series with ten of the country's top chefs presenting four programmes and a documentary series on the history and evolution of Irish food, A Little History of Irish Food.
Of course the schedule will include the usuals: The Late Late Show; Gaybo's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?; and Fair Cityas well as Off The Rails; About The House; Nigella Bites; and Den 2.
While Irish talent is being mooted, popular imports will be returning in the form of ER; The Sopranos; Friends- the final series; Eastenders; Home and Away; and Neighbours.
With blockbuster competition snapping at its every turn, over the Autumn RTÉ intends to run such movies hits as Armageddon, Shakespeare in Love, Saving Private Ryan, There's Something about Mary, Toy Story, and Antz.