''The Cheap Seats'' is an Australian comedy

panel Panel may refer to: Arts and media Visual arts *Panel painting, in art, a painting on a wood panel (as opposed to canvas, a wall etc) *Panel (comics), a single image in a comic book, comic strip or cartoon; also, a comic strip containing one ...

television show on

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...

, which premiered on 20July 2021. ''The Cheap Seats'' features selected clips of the previous week's news and television shows accompanied with humorous commentary delivered by the hosts,

Melanie Bracewell Melanie Rita Bracewell (born 19 July 1995) is a New Zealand comedian, actress, and scriptwriter. In 2018, Bracewell won New Zealand's Billy T Award. She has hosted '' The Cheap Seats'' on Network 10 in Australia since its debut in 2021, and was ...

and

Tim McDonald Tim McDonald may refer to: * Tim McDonald (American football) (born 1965), American football safety * T. J. McDonald (born 1991), American football safety * Tim McDonald (comedian) Tim McDonald (born 24July 1993) is an Australian comedian. He is ...

. The show returned for a second season on 26April 2022, and a third season on 9May 2023. Season4 premiered on 30April 2024, and season5 began airing in 2025.

Hosts

''The Cheap Seats'' is hosted by

and

. Segments are co-hosted by presenters including Mel Tracina on entertainment and Titus O'Reily on sport, however since May 2023, O'Reily has taken an extended break from the show for an undisclosed period of time.

Recurring segments

* Entertainment: Mel Tracina talks about events which occurred in entertainment during the week. * Sport: Rotating guests, formerly including correspondent Titus O'Reily, talk about events that occurred in sport during the week. * Across the Ditch: Unusual news from New Zealand. * Archipelago of Love Islands: Mel Tracina shares the funniest moments from international versions of ''Love Island''. * What's on ''What's on in the Warehouse'': The hosts comment on out of context clips from the show ''What's on in the Warehouse'', created by Australian

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

chain

Chemist Warehouse Chemist Warehouse Group (owned by Sigma Healthcare Ltd) is an Australian company operating a chain of retail chemists both locally and internationally. The company is one of Australia's largest retailers with over 500 stores in Australia, and em ...

to promote its products. * ''Pacific Update'' Update: The hosts comment on clips from the

TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news se ...

news show, ''Pacific Update''. * Crop This!: Unusual tidbits from the world of gardening, usually featuring reports by ''

Seven News Seven News (stylised 7NEWS) is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in South Eveleigh, Sydney, while its flags ...

'' reporter Penny McKinlay. * Mel's Markets: Funny news relating to the

financial market A financial market is a market in which people trade financial securities and derivatives at low transaction costs. Some of the securities include stocks and bonds, raw materials and precious metals, which are known in the financial marke ...

. * Pencil It In: The hosts highlight strange and unusual events taking place across Australia * Crime Time: Lighthearted and funny clips of minor crimes across Australia. * ''House of Bracewellness'': The hosts comment on clips from the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

morning lifestyle show, ''House of Wellness''. * Reporter of the Week: Introduced in 2023, Mel and Tim recognise a reporter who has been funny, surprising, or overly dedicated in the past week. * Regional Roundup: The hosts highlight unusual news and events that are taking place in regional towns around Australia.

Episodes

Season 1 (2021)

Season 2 (2022)

Season 3 (2023)

Season 4 (2024)

Season 5 (2025)

Season five premiered in 2025, featuring revamped graphics and a re-worded intro.

Awards and nominations

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Logie Awards of 2022 The 62nd Annual ''TV Week'' Logie Awards ceremony was held on 19 June 2022 at Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Queensland and broadcast live on the Nine Network. It is the first ceremony to be held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pa ...

, Most Popular New Talent , Melanie Bracewell , , rowspan="2", , - , Most Popular Comedy Program , ''The Cheap Seats'' , , - , 2023 ,

Logie Awards of 2023 The 63rd Annual ''TV Week'' Logie Awards ceremony was held on 30 July 2023 at The Star, Sydney, and broadcast on the Seven Network. The ceremony was hosted by Sam Pang, making it the first time in eleven years that the event returned to having a ...

, Most Outstanding Entertainment Program , ''The Cheap Seats'' , ,

References

External links

*
Production website – Working Dog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheap Seats 2021 Australian television series debuts 2020s Australian comedy television series Australian English-language television shows Network 10 original programming Television shows set in Melbourne