Best Oceanian soap series
Get ready to binge. We've found a collection of must-watch soap shows from Oceania, now streaming on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, and other top services!
A Country Practice (1981)
A Country Practice (1981)
Follow the highs and lows of the townsfolk of Wandin Valley. This series revolves around the daily happenings of a 'small town' rural Australian hospital, its doctors, nurses, patients, and pretty much everyone else in the locale. A heart-warming Australian drama series that at times will see you laughing hysterically and at other times crying rivers. Well worth watching.
headLand (2005)
headLand (2005)
Headland is an Australian drama television series produced by the Seven Network which ran from 15 November 2005 to 21 January 2006. The Seven Network filmed 52 episodes in the first series. Production on the second series had begun before any episodes were aired.Set in a university, Headland premiered in Australia on Tuesday, 15 November 2005 at 7.30pm. On 23 January 2006, the Seven Network officially announced that the series has been cancelled. The show aired on weekdays at 7.30pm in the United Kingdom on E4, re-formatted as half-hour episodes. E4 eventually dropped the show but episodes continued to be broadcast on Channel 4 at 12:30pm, this time in the original hour-long format.
The Sullivans (1976)
The Sullivans (1976)
The Sullivans is an Australian drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 1976 until 1983. The series told the story of an average middle-class Melbourne family and the effect World War II had on their lives. It was a consistent ratings success in Australia, and also became popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Gibraltar and New Zealand.
The Young Doctors (1976)
The Young Doctors (1976)
The Young Doctors is an Australian early evening soap opera. The series was set in the fictional Albert Memorial hospital and primarily concerned with romances between younger members of the hospital staff, rather than typical medical issues and procedures. It screened on the Nine Network from Monday, 8 November 1976 until Wednesday, 30 March 1983.
Punishment (1981)
Punishment (1981)
Punishment is an Australian television soap opera made by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the Ten Network in 1981.Set in a fictional men's prison, the series attempted to present a male version of the successful soap Prisoner. Attempts by the show's makers to differentiate the series from Prisoner saw Punishment imbued with greater realism; however, the formula did not attract high viewing figures. Network Ten deemed the new series a failure after only three episodes had gone to air, and it was quickly removed from the schedules. The remainder of the 26 episodes produced were shown out-of-ratings later that year. Unusually for a soap opera, the series was taped using the single camera technique.The regular cast featured many notable Australian actors including Brian Wenzel, Barry Crocker, Michael Preston, Ross Thompson, Anne Haddy, George Spartels, Cornelia Frances, Lisa Peers and Julie McGregor. Mel Gibson played a prisoner in the first episode. Kris McQuade played the girlfriend of Gibson's character and was phased out of the series after the first few episodes due to Gibson's departure. The programme was produced and directed by Alan Coleman.
Out of the Blue (2008)
Out of the Blue (2008)
Set in Sydney beach suburb of Manly, New South Wales, Out of the Blue is a drama about a group of thirty-year-old friends returning home for a high school reunion, which is brought to an end when someone is murdered. An investigation follows as the group attempts to discover which one of them was the killer.
Chances (1991)
Chances (1991)
Chances was an Australian evening soap opera, produced from 1991 to 1992. It told the story of the average middle-class Taylor family whose lives are transformed by winning $3 million in the lottery. The series was broadcast by the Nine Network, initially as two one-hour episodes each week.Principal cast members included John Sheerin and Brenda Addie as Dan and Barbara Taylor, Jeremy Sims as their mischievous son Alex, Deborah Kennedy as Dan's sister Connie Reynolds, Tim Robertson as Dan's brother Jack, Anne Grigg as his wife Sarah, and Michael Caton as neighbourhood friend Bill Anderson. Originally, creator Lynn Bayonas pitched the show as a family-oriented drama; however to help ensure the program's success, Channel Nine asked for nude scenes and risqué elements to also be included in the series. Initial publicity for the show focused on the sex angle, and it was for this that Chances was chiefly known.
Pacific Drive (1996)
Pacific Drive (1996)
Pacific Drive is an Australian television series The series was conceived as a flamboyant, melodramatic soap opera and dealt with the lives of wealthy Australians living on the Gold Coast. Although criticised for being an Australian copy of the American soap opera Melrose Place, its outrageous storylines - including corporate scheming, various affairs, serial killers and a lesbian love triangle - saw the series gain a cult reputation.
E Street (2002)
E Street (2002)
E-Street follows the lives, loves, losses & triumphs of the various citizens of the fictional suburb of Westside of Sydney, Australia. At first the show was predictable and boring, standard fare by Channel 10 to compete with Home & Away but Channel 10 had faith and, in a bid to increase ratings, killed off perennial favorite, Sarah McKillop in a shock murder. Soon After, the Soap regained viewers by serialising the drama. Then with the arrival of Sonny Bennett in 1990 began a 3 Year High for the Australian Production, helping to encourage Young Talent (Toni Pearan & Melissa Bell to name just a couple) and really introducing the term "Plot Twist" to Australian Dramas (Werewolves and 3 Main Characters Being Blown Up In Their Car). So Sit back (Maybe not at 4am in the morning!) and relax with the Highs & Lows, Highlights & Tragedies, Comings & Goings of E-Street!
Paradise Beach (1993)
Paradise Beach (1993)
Sean Hayden and his younger sister Tori convince Sean's bestfriend Roy McDermott to escape from the rat-race which is the city. They end up in a seaside town called Paradise Beach where they settle down and start relationships but not all is paradise in Paradise Beach.
The Box (1974)
The Box (1974)
The Box is an Australian soap opera that ran on ATV-0 from 11 February 1974 until 11 October 1977 and on 0–10 Network affiliates around Australia.The Box was produced by Crawford Productions who at the time was having great success producing police drama series in Australia. The Box was Crawford's first soap opera, and was launched as a reaction to the enormous success of the rival adult soap opera Number 96.The Box was a drama set in fictional television station UCV Channel 12. It featured elements that satirised the Australian television industry. Characters in the series were said to be modelled on Australian television figures of the day, and many self-referential elements featured. Like Number 96 the series was famous for its adult storylines, frequent nude glimpses, and sexual content.603 episodes were produced. It ran from February 1974 until 1977.
Gloss (1987)
Gloss (1987)
Gloss was a television drama series in New Zealand that screened from 1987-1990. The series was about a fictional publishing empire run by the Redfern family.It was a starting point for many actors who went on to many productions in New Zealand, Australia and around the world including Temuera Morrison, Miranda Harcourt, Peter Elliott, Lisa Chappell, Danielle Cormack and Kevin Smith.Writers for the show included James Griffin, who went on to write Outrageous Fortune, Rosemary McLeod and Ian Mune.The show's title theme song was performed by Beaver Morrison.The show has not been rescreened since its original screening, but selected extracts have been made available for viewing on NZ On Screen.
The Unisexers (1975)
The Unisexers (1975)
The Unisexers is an Australian television soap opera made by Cash Harmon Television for the Nine Network in 1975.The series was produced by the same company that had made the smash hit soap opera Number 96. The Unisexers focused on a group of young people - both male and female - living together in a commune arrangement in the old house of a retired elderly couple whose children had left home. The youngsters set up a business making denim jeans to be worn by both sexes, hence the title of "Unisexers".The cast included: Tina Bursill, Josephine Knur, Steven Tandy, Tony Sheldon, Delore Whiteman, Walter Pym, Jessica Noad and Patrick Ward.The series, hampered by an early evening time slot, failed to find an audience and was cancelled and removed from the television schedules after three weeks on air. A one hour premiere episode and fifteen thirty-minute episodes were broadcast.