Ten bringing back Offspring for sixth season
One of Network Ten’s most popular shows Offspring is set to return to screens next year after a near two-year hiatus.
Kat Stewart and Asher Keddie will return as the Proudman sisters
The series, which stars Gold Logie winner Asher Keddie, was consistently one of Ten’s best rating shows in its first five seasons, but reports last October suggested its fifth season would be its last with all its creators and actors working on other projects.
However, this morning Ten confirmed it has commissioned production company Endemol Shine to create a sixth season which will star Keddie as Nina Proudman and Kat Stewart as her sister Billie to air next year.
The announcement will be a boon for the broadcaster which has enjoyed vastly improved ratings and audience share in the last 12 months with shows including Masterchef and The Bachelor consistently outrating primetime rivals on Nine and Seven.
The improved ratings have also lifted revenues for Ten, with the extra cash helping make up the loss of government tax rebates which the show lost at the end of series five when it hit the limit of 65 episodes, hiking costs by around 30 per cent.
The last series of Offspring wrapped last August with 992,000 viewers where many of the key storylines were wrapped up.
Beverley McGarvey
Ten’s chief programming officer Beverley McGarvey said in a statement: “It was no secret that we wanted to continue Nina’s adventures and we are thrilled to announce that Offspring will return to TEN for a sixth season in 2016.
“There are so many more chapters left in Nina’s life. We paused her story just as she had bravely navigated motherhood as a single parent rediscovering the joy and romance of life, while dealing with her fabulously messy family as they went about their unpredictable daily lives.
“The strength and appeal of Offspring lies in the ability of its producers and writers to marry conventional narrative drama with flashbacks and fantasy sequences. We can’t wait to start production on the sixth season.
“We are very proud of everything that Offspring has achieved and we are very excited about bringing the new season to all Australians.”
Endemol Shine Australia CEO Mark Fennessy said: “We’re enormously proud of this beautifully crafted drama by the very fabulous John Edwards and Imogen Banks. Offspring is universally loved and we’re delighted to continue the story.”
Alex Hayes
I know Offspring is meant to be fiction but Kat Stewart and Asher Keddie look nothing like sisters.
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Spellchecker: “Asher”
User: Ignore all
Result: “which will star Keddie as Nina Proudman and Kat Stewart asher sister Billie to air next year”
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Viewer – it came out a few seasons ago that they are half sisters… maybe that can help you suspend belief about them not looking alike.
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