Family and Friends (Australian TV series)

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.

External links

• Family and Friends at IMDb