Frontline (season 3)

Several years after season 2, Frontline has become the highest-rated current affairs show in the country, under the guidance of an experienced and smooth-operating Executive Producer (Alan Dale). The show, however, still targets the lowest common denominator, and continually airs manipulative pieces instead of hard-hitting journalism. When the executive producer retires, however, his replacement Graham "Prowsie" Prowse (Steve Bisley) proves to be a chauvinistic manipulator who doesn't care at all for Mike's desire to focus on important issues. As a result, Mike begins considering moving to the ABC.

• Steve Bisley joins the cast. In most episodes he is given top billing.
• From this episode onwards Jase (Torquil Neilson) now speaks. In the first two seasons, he never said a word.

After listening to Pauline Hanson's maiden speech, the Frontline crew join a media frenzy attacking her Nativist and Protectionist policies as racist until finally Hanson agrees to be interviewed. At the same time, however, Frontline runs a swathe of stories about various ethnical groups, which clearly divide racial lines and are designed to appeal to racist prejudices.

• Mike's interview with Pauline Hanson parodies a 1996 interview Hanson gave on 60 Minutes with Tracey Curro.
• For this episode only, Steve Bisley is second in the opening credits.
• Although this season is supposedly set several years after the previous seasons (set in 1994 and 1995 respectively), this episode is very clearly set in 1996, as evidenced by Pauline Hanson's maiden speech.

Marty is suspended for a month after he fakes a story on Christopher Skase when he cannot get real footage. Mike begins receiving threatening phone calls and being trailed by suspicious cars after he runs a story about a corrupt businessman. Believing that someone is out to get him, Mike hires a personal security guard to tail him everywhere. As the controversy surrounding Marty's light punishment grows, Mike finds everyone – including his security guard – questioning journalistic ethics.

• This episode is based on a real-life incident that took place in 1996 on the current affairs program, Today Tonight, where there was a similarly made-up report on Christopher Skase.

Mike's recent investments and large salary become public knowledge, threatening his image as a 'man of the people'. To get this back, Trish and Prowsie attempt to convince him to become a philanthropist, and shoot a promo advertising Mike as a common man. Meanwhile, the rest of the office – particularly Marty – attempt to make Mike's life hell, now that they know his worth. Brooke and Emma clash over a story on youth unemployment when it becomes an attack on three unemployed teenagers whom the Frontline audience are growing to hate, and tuning in more passionately each night to do so.

• Torquil Neilson's last episode.

Steve Barrett (Jeremy Sims), an old friend of the office staff, gets promoted to executive producer of Sunday Forum, and seeks out Prowsie for advice on what to do. With the help of Emma and Marty, Prowsie explains the tips and tricks of interviews – using examples from Mike's career to illustrate them – which include fuelling emotional fires instead of listening to logic, entertaining the audience, and making sure the presenter feels that he's remaining independent.

• This is the only episode of all three seasons where the journalists are not covering stories. It is also shorter than all other episodes, at only 19 minutes.

When Kate (Trudy Hellier) resigns, her replacement Carla quickly starts learning the tricks of the trade from Emma: particularly that in current affairs, it is not the story that's important, but the reporter. Before long, however, her efficiency and refusal to be trampled over by the credit-hungry reporters sees her offend Mike – who is dedicating all his time to writing his autobiography (Mike Moore, by Mike Moore), and is thus embarrassed on television and radio for not checking information that Carla prepared for him; Brooke – who attempts to claim the credit for the work that all the office staff do; and Marty – who sees the others' egotism, but not his own. Before long, it becomes clear that all of the reporters suffer from what Prowsie calls "'I' Disease", and they're the only important one in the room.

• Trudy Hellier's last episode.

When an influential ABC journalist dies, Mike attends the funeral where he realises that he hasn't inspired anyone, and has never championed a cause without cheap concessions for sponsors and network cross-promotion. Determined to make his mark as a journalist, and to leave an epitaph that will be respected, Mike decides to tackle the problem of Aboriginal health by visiting a remote Aboriginal settlement in northern Queensland to do a week-long series of specials. His plans are complicated, however, by his own ego, his complete lack of awareness on the issues, and the fact that – back in the studio – Marty, Hugh and Prowsie are doing everything in their power to cater to the racist prejudices of the viewing audience. Stu and Trev suffer when they are forced to spend the week roughing it in the outback while Mike is flown from location to resort in his private plane. Back in the Frontline studio, Brooke gets engaged. While reluctant maid-of-honour Emma begins to suspect that Brooke doesn't have any real friends, Brooke herself finds it hard to navigate between the "necessary" publicity for her wedding, and her fiancé's demand for a private relationship.

• This was the longest episode of the series, with a running time of 30 minutes.