After years in Los Angeles, three-time TV WEEK Gold Logie winner Rove McManus is back in Australia for good, raising his young family and making a television comeback.
“We [he and wife Tasma Walton] have got Ruby, who is four, and we are well and truly settled back in Sydney,” Rove, 44, reveals.
“Ruby has started preschool now, so we’re back in Australia and loving it.”
Rove and Tasma are happy to be home.
Raised in Perth, Rove later moved to Melbourne, where he became one of the most powerful men in Australian television.
His talk show Rove Live (later renamed Rove) was a runaway success for Network Ten from 2000-2009.
After Rove wrapped, Rove and Tasma moved to the US. There, he enjoyed a very successful career, including a one-year stint as the host of talk show Rove LA.
Now that the pair are calling Oz home again, Rove is back on Network Ten doing what he does best – entertaining Australians.
He’s hosting the new panel-themed quiz program Show Me The Movie!, which is produced by the team behind ABC series Spicks And Specks.
“This is a nice food back into the hosting door without diving in the deep end,” he says.
Joining Rove as panellists on the show are funnyman Joel Creasey and actress Jane Harber.
“I was in at Ten having a chat about some other stuff and they mentioned they had this show from the producers of Spicks And Specks, which is a show I was really fond of,” Rove explains.
“I was really interested when I heard that. It was something that was ready to go and it was an easy decision to make.”
The addition of Joel and Jane was a big bonus.
“We’ve crossed paths over the years, but I’ve never really worked with each of them,” Rove says.
“And when we had a day of playing dress-ups and mucking around filming the promo, it came really easy for us. It was like we’d known each other for ages.”
He adds: “I’ve always believed that if you’re having a good time making a show, it’s easy for people at home to have a good time watching.”
Terrific trio (from left): Jane, Rove and Joel.
Since Rove ended in 2009, there hasn’t been a successful locally made variety or talk show on commercial TV.
This is despite the genre booming in the US and UK, with fan faves The Late Late Show With James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Graham Norton Show.
Rove implores TV executives to listen to what the community wants – to bring back live variety shows to commercial TV.
“I get asked about it nearly every single day,” he says. “I also get asked: ‘When will you return to doing a talk show?’
“I think, until the connection is made between the people who make those decisions to people like yourself, then it just won’t happen. It’s as simple as that.”
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