Compiled by Andrew Bailey, Sofcom
Neighbours
and Home and Away
continue as local and overseas success stories, but there is a struggle
to keep viewers interested in soap drama. Preferences are moving towards
weekly one-hour dramas but networks are not about to give up on the great
Aussie soap:
Family and Friends (Nine, 1990)
Nine's ill-fated attempt to do what Neighbours and
Home And Away had done for Ten and Seven.
Chances (Nine, 1991-1992)
Twenty years after Number 96, Nine tried to shock
the nation with this one. But as time went on, the storylines got more
bizarre and only succeeded in getting a cult late-night following.
Paradise Beach (Nine, 1993-1994)
Filmed up on the Gold Coast, and including a star studded cast. But
it was only marginally more popular than Ten's monumental flop
Arcade over a decade earlier. International sales kept
it going just a bit longer.
Echo Point (Ten, 1995)
Another sun-and-surf soap initially programmed against Home
And Away but poor ratings led to two further timeslot changes.
Axed after six months.
Heartbreak High (Ten, 1993-1996 and ABC 1997 onwards)
The spin-off to the popular film The Heartbreak Kid.
After a rough treatment by Ten, ending up in a late-night timeslot, it
moved over to ABC's prime time schedule.
Pacific Drive (Nine, 1995-1997)
Australia's answer to Melrose Place turned out to be
little more than Chances on valium. Nine took the
unusual step of launching this soap in a late-night timeslot - which is
where it mostly stayed except for a brief run in the afternoons.
Breakers (Ten, 1998 onwards)
The story of life around Sydney's Bondi Beach. In the same way that
Nine launched Pacific Drive, Ten scheduled
Breakers into a late night timeslot, but with the
addition of re-runs the following weekday afternoon.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes this brief trip down memory
lane and the tribute to forty years of Australian TV soap. But what will
the next decade in Aussie soaps bring..? Tune in to the next exciting
episode on a TV near you.........
