‘Neighbours’ Canceled Again, This Time By Amazon
Australian soap Neighbours has been canceled — again.
Nearly three years after the the daily drama was first axed, Amazon has confirmed it is being “rested” again from December this year.
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News of the cancellation first emerged yesterday, and the Neighbours X account today confirmed the news. New episodes from the 40th anniversary season will continue on Prime Video four times a week until the end of the year.
Existing eps will remain on the service and it will continue to play on Network 10 in Australia until its end. Producer Fremantle Australia has advised Network 10 that production will end in July.
The show had originally been canceled in 2022 when UK network Channel 5 decided to stop funding episodes, amid declining ratings. Former Neighbours stars such as Margot Robbie, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce returned for an emotional finale.
Amazon’s Freevee then rescued the show, striking a deal with program maker Fremantle. Freevee, Amazon’s ad-supported free streamer itself was axed in November last year, as Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva revealed at the time. The show then transferred to Prime Video.
An Amazon spokesperson said: “Neighbours has brought so much joy over the last 40 years to its fanbase globally and in the UK. Forty years is an incredible milestone and we are proud that Amazon MGM Studios was able to have a small part of bringing further episodes to Freevee and Prime Video customers over the last two years, spanning over 400 episodes.”
Jason Herbison, Neighbours‘ executive producer at Fremantle Australia, said: “Audiences all around the world have loved and embraced Neighbours for four decades and we are very proud of the huge success over the last two years including often appearing as one of the top ten titles in the UK and the show’s first ever Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Daytime Series in 2024.
“As this chapter closes, we appreciate and thank Amazon MGM Studios for all that they have done for Neighbours – bringing this iconic and much-loved series to new audiences globally. We value how much the fans love Neighbours and we believe there are more stories of the residents of Ramsay Street to tell in the future.”
A Network 10 spokesperson thanked the cast, crew, production team and Fremantle for “everything they had done to bring the perfect blend of soap and sunshine to audiences in Australia and around the world,” and the audience.
“We are grateful to all those who worked so hard to keep Neighbours on air for more than 400 episodes,” they added. “It is a mighty achievement that the series will reach the 40-year milestone next month. The program will be missed by the fans and the people who have been part of this amazing journey. We wish them well.”
The news comes in the same week it was reported in Australia that Netflix will not renew big-budget drama series Territory for a second season. No official word there yet, but Matthew Deaner, CEO of Screen Producers Australia, released a statement bemoaning the cancellation of “discontinued Aussie productions.”
“The news this week that at least two incredible Australian productions will not be renewed is a stark warning of what’s at stake if the government does not modernise what is now an outdated Australian screen industry framework,” he said.
“We cannot sit back and hope that cracks in the industry’s foundations will fix themselves. Our industry needs key issues to be addressed swiftly. Businesses, jobs and our Australian identity are all at risk.”
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