| Family and Friends | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Bevan Lee Greg Haddrick |
| Starring | Roxane Wilson, Renato Bartolomei, Jonathan Hardy, Dinah Shearing, Rachael Beck, Simon Westaway, Ross Newton, Sean Myers |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Bruce Best |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nine Network |
| Release | February 7 – December 27, 1990 |
Family and Friends is a short-lived Australian television soap opera which debuted on 7 February 1990.[1]
The series was intended to be the Nine Network's response to the already successful soaps on the rival channels - Neighbours and E Street on the Network Ten and Home and Away on the Seven Network.
Set in a suburban community the series focused on two families - the Chandler and the Italian-Australian Rossi families - who were linked by a long-standing vendetta stemming from an accidental death in the 1950s. Old enmities were renewed by the Romeo-and-Juliet style romance between Jennifer Chandler (Roxane Wilson) and Robert Rossi (Renato Bartolomei).
Despite a strong cast which included actors known for previous soap roles: Abigail (Sons and Daughters), Diane Craig (Prisoner), Anne Phelan (Prisoner), Justine Clarke (Home and Away), and Alyce Platt (Sons and Daughters), the series failed to catch on with the viewers. Episodes were initially broadcast in one-hour installments up against Ten's E Street on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 19:30–20:30, but ratings were disastrous. The show was promptly reformatted as half-hour episodes stripped at 17:30 weeknights, but ratings remained very low. And now that it was lead-in to National Nine News's 6pm bulletin its low ratings meant it remained in a precarious position.
The series then underwent a major revamp which included the loss of six cast members and addition of new cast members including Rebecca Rigg. A week's worth of episodes were produced in the new format, when the series was abruptly cancelled on 26 April 1990. The final episodes went to air in a late-night timeslot during the 1990-1991 summer non-ratings period. In total 96 episodes had been produced.[2]
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