4.8 /10 1 Votes
Country of origin Australia Running time 30 minutes First episode date 1990 Executive producer Bruce Best | 4.7/10 TV Original language(s) English Original network Nine Network Network Nine Network | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Written by Bevan Lee
Greg Haddrick Starring Roxane Wilson,
Renato Bartolomei,
Jonathan Hardy,
Dinah Shearing,
Rachael Beck,
Simon Westaway,
Ross Newton,
Sean Myers Cast Justine Clarke, Abigail, Alyce Platt, Jonathan Hardy, Diane Craig | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Family and Friends was a short-lived Australian television soap opera debuted on 7 February 1990.
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.
Synopsis
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, Diane Craig, Anne Phelan, Justine Clarke, and Alyce Platt, the series failed to catch on with the viewers. Episodes were initially broadcast in one-hour installments up against Ten's E Street but ratings were disastrous. The show was promptly reformatted as half-hour episodes stripped at 5.30 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.