The best-award winners were decided by a combined score as determined by judges, according to the assessment criteria (30 per cent), supplied audience data (20 per cent), and the number of Australian public votes (50 per cent).
Based on results alone, Boys Swallows Universe is the best we had to offer this year, hijacking the narrative on a night typically reserved for free-to-air success.
But perhaps more tellingly, in addition to dominating the categories, the Netflix series also created the most memorable moments. Award shows live and die on buzz, and besides a 10-second cameo from Raygun, all the shareable bits belonged to Boy Swallows Universe, a show watched by millions.
Felix Cameron, the 15-year-old star, is the toast of the internet following two charming (and tear-soaked) acceptance speeches, while Trent Dalton stole the show with his shoutout to the forgotten mums of suburbia.
Changing of the guard
The global success of shows like Boy Swallows Universe (which hit number one in Australia, number four in the UK and number six in the US) and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (which reached Prime Video’s top five in 78 countries) contributed to what felt like a palpable changing of the guard this year.
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The Logies were still the Logies, hours too long and packed full of familiar faces with presenters and performers primarily hailing from commercial networks. Cue: Ray Meagher, Kate Ritchie, Guy Sebastian, Chris Brown, Scott Cam, Carrie Bickmore and Jessica Mauboy.
And as a broadcast production, the ceremony still feels obsessed with its own legacy. A full 20 minutes were dedicated to Rebecca Gibney’s induction into the Hall of Fame, and a further five minutes were given to Red Symons, eulogising the late John Blackman at the top of the In Memoriam segment.
And yet, the post-Logies wash-up had a distinctly different feel, a shift in the air as the TV industry and – by extension – the awards dedicated to celebrating it moved with the times.
A common complaint for casual observers is that the Logies are “irrelevant”, an opportunity for a no longer dominant industry to pat itself on the back.
However, if last night was anything to go by, the Logies are being forced into accepting and embracing change. It may have taken 64 years, but it seems Australian TV’s night of nights is finally looking forward.
Find more of the author’s work here. Email him at thomas.mitchell@smh.com.au or follow him on Instagram at @thomasalexandermitchell and on Twitter @_thmitchell.
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