To the hundreds (maybe thousands) of Offspring fans who took to social media overnight demanding that Ten order another season of their favourite Australian drama: do you really want to see Nina get screwed over again? Do you really want to see Billie and Mick break up again? Do you want to see Geraldine and Darcy in another feud over 40-year-old indiscretions? Do you really want there to be another medical crisis involving one of the main characters’ “offspring”?
Because that’s basically what series creator Debra Oswald would have to do to justify another season. Hasn’t this family had enough misfortune inflicted upon them in the name of quality television?
The finale of the fifth season of Offspring aired last night on Ten, and as the future of the show is still up in the air, Oswald wrote a modest, but joyous episode which saw every loose end tied up, and every character reaching a place of satisfaction. It was the kind of finale most dramas dream of, and not really one that’s conducive to a “but then this happened” following season.
Ten says it’s currently in discussions with the producers Imogen Banks and John Edwards about the possibility of a sixth season, but there are a number of financial hurdles. As the series has crossed the 65-episode threshold, it no longer qualifies for a Screen Australia rebate, and as all the actors’ contracts have expired, they’d probably be negotiating for some hefty pay rises. But there are mixed messages out there, with Oswald thanking fans for sticking by for five years last night, and another crew member declaring last night’s finale the “end of an era”.
Since its debut in 2010, Offspring has been a solid ratings winner for Ten, hovering around the 800,000 and 900,000 mark over the course of the five seasons. And it’s not hard to see why. As much as we like to mock Offspring for its overt sentimentality and the way it explicitly yanks at heartstrings, the characters are instantly recognisable. Yes, it was essentially a beautifully shot, well-acted and written soap opera. But it spoke to who so many Australians are, with their work and family lives tangled.
There are a number of reasons why it’s time to bid farewell to the Proudmans. Firstly, for purely dramatic reasons – I’m not sure Offspring has anywhere new to go. And I’m not sure I’d want it to go anywhere new.
But most importantly, so long as the spectre of Offspring looms, Australian television drama mightn’t be able to move on. Whenever you hear someone say, “There are no good Australian dramas on commercial free-to-air”, you can always respond: “What about Offspring?”
Because, sorry Underbelly. Sorry Puberty Blues. Sorry (but not sorry) Packed to the Rafters, but none of you had an ounce of the charm, intelligence or humour of Offspring. I don’t think it’s overstating the case to claim that Offspring was a watershed series in Australian television. That the premier drama on the ailing Ten took any risks at all and managed to consistently draw in viewers over five years is near miraculous.
Offspring spoke to many, many Australians. But there are even more who it left out in the cold – there’s no such thing as a universal Australian voice. It’s time to see what other voices are out there and give them the attention that Offspring had. Without Offspring hanging overhead, we might just find something new. Something exciting. Maybe something better.
I think the end of Offspring is a cause for celebration. The show maintained its dignity right until the end, and we stayed with it right until the end. It showed what creatives working on an Australian commercial network can do, over the course of 65 drama-packed episodes. Let it shine as a beacon of possibility, rather than letting it slowly become a disappointment. Nobody wants to see Offspring jump the shark. Especially when there’s no clear replacement waiting in the wings.
To everyone at Ten: it’s time to let go.