"Bring back The Project!": Viewers divided over new Channel 10 show

Just weeks after Channel 10 confirmed the shock axing of The Project, its replacement show 10 News+ made its prime-time debut – and reactions have been anything but quiet.

The new current affairs program, hosted by seasoned journalists Amelia Brace and Denham Hitchcock, launched Monday night with bold promises and a serious tone, setting itself apart from its long-running predecessor.

“Firstly, we’re not here to tell you what to think. We’re not here to scare or depress you,” Hitchcock told viewers in the show’s opening minutes. “We will give you facts, information you can trust, the truth,” Brace added, outlining the show’s mission for “digging deeper with investigations and original reporting you won’t see anywhere else”.

Despite landing a world-exclusive with convicted drug smuggler Debbie Voulgaris – speaking from a prison cell in Taiwan – and featuring an interview with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the show failed to win over many of The Project’s former fans.

“Seriously Channel 10!” one viewer wrote on social media. “There’s enough depressing news already out there and now you’ve brought it to us at 6pm! Bring back The Project.”

Another slammed the show as “A Current Affair, yawn!” while one frustrated viewer branded it “a SNOOZE FEST of a show with NO SOUL”, accusing the network of underestimating its audience.

“Cut and paste of Channel 9’s A Current Affair. Not interested. Already changed channel,” another viewer declared.

The comparisons to A Current Affair – and the shift in tone from The Project’s lighter, panel-style format – were a recurring theme in the online backlash.

“Genuine feedback and not at all a criticism of the hosts,” one person commented, “but this show is so vastly different from The Project and more like A Current Affair. It’s not unique... Was it just a cost-cutting measure all along?”

Others went even further, suggesting the show might not last the year. “Give it a month,” one viewer said. Another quipped, “Are the hosts AI-generated?”

Still, 10 News+ wasn’t without its defenders. Some viewers praised the show’s content and approach.

“Loving @10NewsPlus – strong launch story. Is this the new Schapelle Corby story we all need to know about?” one user posted on X (formerly Twitter). “10 News should be very proud.”

“I liked 10 News+. It was very interesting and I liked the interview with the astronaut,” another added.

For now, Channel 10 is betting on its revamped format to reinvigorate its 6pm slot. Whether audiences warm to the serious tone – or keep demanding the return of The Project – remains to be seen.

Images: Network 10