| # |
Title |
Original Airdate |
Overall Total |
| 1 |
One Big Family |
July 24, 1995 |
14 |
| With the ratings down, Brian is fired from his job as executive producer. Although Emma is competent in the role, she soon begins to realise that as a young woman, she has no chance, particularly when Brian's sexist temporary replacement takes all the credit. Meanwhile, Jan (Genevieve Mooy) organises the network's new promo - One Big Family - but behind the scenes, Mike is offended by the size of his role and Brooke is refusing to shake hands with Geoff (Santo Cilauro). |
|
| 2 |
Workin' Class Man |
July 31, 1995 |
15 |
| When lower-income audiences start tuning out, Jan and Sam Murphy (Kevin J. Wilson), the new executive producer, attempt to change Mike's image: to make him a more down-to-earth guy. Elsewhere, Marty tries to stop Frontline from doing an exposé on a dodgy investment he's personally involved in. |
|
| 3 |
Heroes and Villains |
August 7, 1995 |
16 |
When a humble professor publishes a book of statistical analyses, the media (and Frontline) attempt to make it into a debate on racism, and Sam manipulates Mike into passionate feelings on the issue, while the Frontline staff ignore their own racial prejudices. Elsewhere, Brooke attempts to make a heart surgeon look like a hero.
- The main storyline is a direct parallel to a contemporary book The Bell Curve.
|
|
| 4 |
Office Mole |
August 14, 1995 |
17 |
| Mike starts tiring of his job, so Sam gives him an official-sounding but easy role as 'International Story Co-Ordinator'. A series of big stories are ruined when A Current Affair happens to do the same ones each night, leading Sam and Mike to pursue an office mole. |
|
| 5 |
Basic Instincts |
August 21, 1995 |
18 |
| When Stu (Pip Mushin) captures a brutal beating on film, but doesn't attempt to help the man, Frontline becomes the centre of a debate about journalistic integrity. Mike, meanwhile, attempts to get a debate about euthanasia underway, and Brooke grows frustrated with developments in Emma's lovelife. |
|
| 6 |
Let the Children Play |
August 28, 1995 |
19 |
| Frontline sets up a community service project, having Jon English build a playground for disadvantaged inner-city youth, manipulating the audience at every step. |
|
| 7 |
Keeping Up Appearances |
September 4, 1995 |
20 |
| Mike appears on the front cover of a new gay magazine, and Jan goes into damage control to make sure that Mike doesn't appear gay in public. Frontline suffers under budget cuts; and Brooke and Sam attempt to squeeze every drop of emotion, and money, from the story of a brutal attack on a prostitute. |
|
| 8 |
Divide the Community: Multiply The Ratings |
September 11, 1995 |
21 |
| When the team get inside information on an attack at the Serbian Embassy, Frontline gets exclusive graphic film of the attack. As they avoid the police and the public, Sam and Marty attempt to incite racial violence through a series of live debates, while an oblivious Mike tries to find a way to ease the racial tension. |
|
| 9 |
All Work and No Fame |
September 18, 1995 |
22 |
| Mike's concerns about his role with the show are amplified when Brooke is given a series of nature documentaries. To calm him down, Sam forces Marty to take Mike along on a stake-out. |
|
| 10 |
Changing the Face of Current Affairs |
September 25, 1995 |
23 |
| With ratings still down, the network hires Larry Hages (Harry Shearer), an American consultant who implements a series of changes in the way that Frontline runs. |
|
| 11 |
A Man of His Convictions |
October 2, 1995 |
24 |
| Mike is accused of being a lightweight, so he sets out to have a strong opinion by joining an environmental protest. |
|
| 12 |
The Great Pretenders |
October 9, 1995 |
25 |
| Marty and Sam bail out a neo Nazi alleged murder but their attempts to pay him for his story run into trouble when they go up against the network's new legal adviser. And Mike is asked to appear on a celebrity game show special, causing the producers to worry about whether he'll look stupid. |
|
| 13 |
Give 'em Enough Rope |
October 16, 1995 |
26 |
Mike is stunned when he learns that Frontline has been used for cross-promotion of other properties owned by Lloyd Walsh, the Rupert Murdoch-esque owner of the network. When Walsh is suspected of breaking the cross-media ownership laws, he decides to appear on Frontline to save his reputation. But when Mike thinks (rightly) that the interview is really a puff piece and not hard-hitting journalism, he decides to set things right - with disastrous results for Frontline.
- This is Kevin J. Wilson's last episode. Although it is never mentioned what happened to Sam, it is likely he was fired for his role in the Walsh interview.
- This is also Genevieve Mooy's last episode. In the third season, the producers decided to go with a more down-to-earth publicist, who could conceivably be friends with the on-air talent.
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