Offspring cancelled: Asher Keddie has played beloved character for last time
|
Version 0 of 1. It’s the news Offspring fans have been dreading: confirmation that there will be no sixth series of Ten’s hit series starring Asher Keddie as the loveable obstetrician Nina Proudman. Channel Ten and the production company Endemol have fudged the painful truth since the August finale, refusing to rule out another series about the Proudman clan and insisting talks were still under way for a sixth series. But Endemol’s head of drama, John Edwards, the co-creator of Offspring, confirmed to Guardian Australia the much-loved series would not be coming back. Edwards is on the publicity trail for Party Tricks, his new series for Ten, also starring the Gold Logie-winning Keddie. Party Tricks, a star vehicle for Keddie and Rodger Corser, premieres on Ten on Monday night. “We’re very busy with Gallipoli and another secret project,” Edwards said. “We’re developing scripts for Party Tricks and we’re well under way with the second series.” Edwards, whose recent television credits include Puberty Blues, Offspring, Tangle and Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo is arguably Australia’s busiest and most successful television producer. And therein lies the problem for more Offspring: all the creatives are busy with other projects. The clues have been there all along. When series five wrapped in August it felt like more than just a series finale. All the storylines were tied up. It felt like goodbye forever as Nina said to her one-year-old daughter on her birthday: “Yes, Zoe, this is your family. And it’s always going to be like this.” But Ten’s chief programming officer, Beverley McGarvey, wasn’t conceding the dream was over: “We want Offspring to return in 2015. We are in discussions with the producers and they are, in turn, in discussions with the key creatives and cast.” Publisher Mia Freedman reflected the feelings of many fans when she wrote on Twitter at the time: “As devo as I feel about saying goodbye to the Proudmans after 5yrs, it’s time. Let them go @channelten. It’s ended perfectly. #Offspring” There is a prosaic reason why Offspring can’t proceed to another series and it’s all about money. Under local content funding rules, once a show has surpassed 65 episodes it no longer qualifies for a Screen Australia rebate making it 20% more expensive. Created by Edwards along with writer Debra Oswald and producer Imogen Banks, Offspring debuted in 2010 and has won seven Logie awards as well as countless other accolades. |