We loved this show in the ’90s. The reboot is a sad reflection of TV in 2025

2 hours ago 2

By Debi Enker

October 14, 2025 — 5.00pm

Seven’s revival of ’90s lifestyle show Healthy, Wealthy & Wise inadvertently illustrates how times have changed for commercial free TV over recent decades. It’s not a pretty picture.

For anyone harbouring a shred of hope about the future of this once-central sector of our television landscape, what it suggests can only be seen as worrying.

The 2025 reboot of Healthy, Wealthy & Wise, hosted by Chrissie Swan.

Seven’s new venture, described by host Chrissie Swan as a “revitalised” version of the format, is very different from the original, a popular lifestyle program that ran on Ten from 1992 to 1998. Then, it was a prominent and prestigious player in the “infotainment” boom of light-entertainment programs that swept into the nation’s lounge rooms offering tips on renovation, gardening, money matters, motoring, travel, pet care and cooking. And it occupied pride of place in a plum, prime-time Monday night slot.

Different from the shows that catered to single-interests – including Getaway, Money and Our House – it gathered a range of them in one bright and breezy program. Some of the presenters, such as chef Iain Hewitson and craft queen Tonia Todman, became household names.

Alongside its array of subjects, HW&W was also distinctive for its impressive production values. The series was shot entirely on location, initially around the country and later roaming the world, so it had the advantage of visual variety in ever-changing backdrops.

In addition, camerapeople could be more creative in their choices as the show’s magazine format – with stories stretching longer than they might, say, in more straightforward news bulletins – allowed some latitude. Several capable and highly regarded camerapeople trained in news departments moved on to the show as it allowed that scope, and their expertise was evident in its pictorial richness.

The new version is a different proposition. While it shares a title with its predecessor and touches on some of the same subjects, there are telling additions and variations. Now it seems an odd hybrid, a pale shadow of the original that speaks to its times, but not in edifying ways.

Iain Hewitson on the original Ten version of Healthy, Wealthy & Wise.

For starters, it’s anchored in a studio, from the outset suggesting an eye on economy: cheaper than shooting on location. The talk-show set-up, with an armchair and couch, requires the host to do a lot of the heavy lifting. Swan, who’s genial and chatty, interviews presenters and guests and banters with one of the new additions to the format, “info wiz” and comedian Ash Wicks.

He sits at a standard-issue office desk to the side and seems to fill in for the non-existent studio audience. Their presence is evoked using canned applause. Beyond that, he serves as the kind of sideman that late-night hosts routinely bounce off, while playing the role of “in-house facts whisperer”.

When it ventures out of the studio, the new HW&W has a shooting style that could be described as serviceable, graced by none of the creativity that distinguished its forerunner and prioritising product placement. Like a number of its contemporaries, such as The Block, this is a show that offers generous promotion for its sponsors. It’s easy to imagine the sales department getting excited about its possibilities when the project was proposed.

The 2025 reboot of Healthy, Wealthy & Wise.

Among the new segments is a personal makeover for deserving recipients conducted by former Melbourne “Real Housewife” Chyka Keebaugh. She’s introduced as a “creative force, entrepreneur and styling icon” and initially arrives with throw cushions to zhuzh up the couch. “I’m here to help people reconnect with themselves,” she explains about her segment’s goodwill mission. It’s a charitable motivation that also drives Aimee Stanton’s “room rescue” contributions. While Keebaugh’s stories feature lavish promotion for a clothing-store chain, Stanton’s renovation segment plugs furniture and flooring companies.

The health spots, presented by Dr Mike Mrozinski, caution about ailments affecting vision that can sneak up, sometimes without noticeable symptoms, potentially resulting in permanent damage. Regular eye checks are recommended – which is useful for the optical retail chain also sponsoring the show.

You get the drift: this cut-price revival appears to be less concerned with the quality of its content and more attuned to its viability as a financial proposition for the network. An economical show to exhume from the vaults as the already basic production costs can be offset by sweet deals for the sponsors.

TV has always been about the “business” of show business, and light-entertainment commissions are on the rise as the free-to-air commercial networks have almost entirely stopped investing in local drama. But now the quality of the content seems to come a distant second to commercial considerations.

And Seven’s not alone in adopting this approach for comparable programs. Travel shows, such as Nine’s Postcards, are routinely sponsored by tourism agencies keen to promote their area’s assets, while The Brighter Side, which launched last year on Ten and focuses on finances, is entirely funded by a bank.

Healthy, Wealthy & Wise travel presenter Jim Brown in Belfast trying the Guinness at the Crown Bar for an “Ireland special” in 1998.

Beyond the in-your-face indebtedness to its sponsors (far more than the original version), the HW&W revamp also operates at breakneck pace. Perhaps mindful of an era characterised by shortened attention spans and habitual second-screen activity, some segments are jammed into a few scant minutes, as if the producers fear viewers might be bored if they last any longer.

Motoring man Adam Morris, delivering tips on buying a used car, and money expert Rachel Cole, on hacks to reduce spending, sound like they’re presenting their advice on fast-forward. Swan was actually required to cook a pot of two-minute noodles as a timer for Morris. And, in the cooking spots, Vincent Lim sounds like he’s getting the wind-up as soon as his hotplate heats up.

Moving things along at this speed doesn’t suggest confidence in the presenter or the material as it serves only to undermine and undervalue the content. Yes, interested viewers can follow up and check info online, or rewind, but it doesn’t make for a satisfying TV experience.

While Wicks has been added to the format to enhance the comic possibilities, another innovation is the “box of death”, a segment in which a guest is required to choose between holding a snake, a big spider or whatever’s in the box while answering questions from Swan. Comedian Dave Thornton, the first guest to take up the challenge, might’ve been speaking about the show and for its audience when he joked while holding the snake, “This doesn’t feel healthy, wealthy or wise. This doesn’t hit any of the KPIs.”