Melody Rules

Melody Rules
Created by	Geoff Houtman Mihera Paterson
Developed by	Geoff Steven
Written by	Kathryn Burnett David Geary
Directed by	Michael Robinson
Starring	Belinda Todd Susan Brady Alan Brough Alistair Douglas Jodie Rimmer Elliott O'Donnell Iain Chapman
Country of origin	New Zealand
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	44
Production
Executive producer(s)	Geoff Steven
Producer(s)	Ross Jennings
Location(s)	Auckland, New Zealand
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Ross Jennings Productions
Distributor	TV3 Network Services
Release
Original network	TV3
Picture format	576i 4:3 (SDTV)
Original release	1993 – 1995

Melody Rules was a New Zealand sitcom created by Geoff Houtman and Mihera Paterson for TV3. It featured former Nightline host Belinda Todd as Melody, a hard-working solo mother surrounded by a gaggle of eccentric friends and family. The series was structured in a similar manner to an American sitcom, containing elements such as a laugh track and vaudeville-esque humour.

Although it ran for 44 episodes over two seasons, it was neither a critical nor commercial success. It has been named one of the worst sitcoms of all time.

Melody Rules centred on Melody Robbins (Belinda Todd), a conscientious and mild-mannered travel agent attempting to rein in her wayward siblings while her mother is off on an archaeological dig in Malaysia. She is aided and abetted by Fiona (Susan Brady), her ditzy air hostess best friend; Brendan (Alan Brough), her hapless co-worker; and Neville (Alistair Douglas), her nosey, filthy, and unkempt neighbour with the catchphrase "Ya decent?".

At the time, Todd was best known for her role as co-host of TV3's late news programme Nightline. She had little acting experience and was known more for her sexy, outrageous on-screen persona.

Melody Rules was fledgling broadcaster TV3's first attempt at a sitcom, and it was hoped the show would form one of a number of flagship productions for the station. They received $1,262,990 funding from NZ on Air for production.

TV3 paid an American television writer to hold workshops in New Zealand, teaching hopeful writers how to script an American-style sitcom. This influenced the style of Melody Rules.

Critical reception for Melody Rules was poor, and it is considered in New Zealand to be one of the worst sitcoms of all time. It has also become part of the lexicon within the Kiwi television industry to describe an unsuccessful sitcom; for example, "That show will be the next Melody Rules." The series has been labelled as "cringeworthy" and "atrocious" by The New Zealand Herald, one of New Zealand television's "disasters" by Scoop, and "awful" by the Waikato Times.

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Wikipedia