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Official: All Saints to end 11 year run

It's official. Seven finally confirms that All Saints will not return in 2010, to end with episode #493 at the end of the year.

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allsIt’s official. All Saints will end its long run on the Seven Network at the end of the year.

Seven has confirmed the end of the show after a stellar 11 year run as the country’s top medical drama, to wrap at episode #493.

Speculation has surrounded the status of the show for some time, triggered by a trimming of episodes to around half its annual slate and word that it had not yet been renewed for 2010.

Seven Director of Programming and Production Tim Worner said: “All Saints is a show which viewers and Seven have loved. However, an audience shift and increased production costs are behind this decision.

“The cast and crew deserve the highest admiration and respect for what they have achieved. All Saints has made a significant contribution to the rich history of Australian drama.”

When production ends in late August, cast and crew will wrap one of Australia’s longest running drama series, capping 12 seasons and nine Logie Awards. It is just topped by the 13 seasons of Blue Heelers. Serials Neighbours and Home and Away are now both in their third decades.

This year the show underwent a revamp with its Medical Response Unit, the second major overhaul in its long history. When it first aired in 1998 with Georgie Parker as Nurse Terri Sullivan, it featured the ‘garbage ward’ of the All Saints Western General Hospital. In 2004 it shifted the focus from Ward 17 to the emergency department.

Actress Judith McGrath remains the sole original cast member still working on the show, a terrific run in Aussie drama.

With filming well in advance of on-air episodes, the series will remain on screen until the end of the year.

71 Responses

  2. I quite enjoy All Saints – It didn’t go off the rails like ER did… ah well, and all good things must come to an end…
    Thanks for the memories…

    I wonder what’s in the mix…. humm…

  3. Sad news, this is my favourite Australian show. The MRU was the stupidest idea they ever had though. It would be nice if they could bring Terri back for the final episode, but I doubt they will. Pity they couldn’t extend it just a bit longer, so it could reach 500 episodes!

    I’m going to miss my weekly dose of Von :\

  4. It was time. At least they have been able to remain in their Tuesday night slot for their last season and havn’t been shunted to Saturday nights, the way Blue Heelers was.
    David, i hate to be picky, but I think neighbours and H&A are now in their third decade.

  5. I’m pretty sure if All Saints was moved to another day it would do much better.

    Still, eleven years is an amazing run. Though I was never a big fan of the show, it was something you had to respect in the Australian entertainment industry.

  6. I enjoyed the show and l always watched over the 11 yr run,damm shame its ending.Judith McGrath was amazing in this show a bloody great performance from her every week …thanks Judith

  8. I’m not surprised. After all of the speculation of the possibility that there wouldn’t been enough room at the new studios for AS due to PTTR, and then the announcement of the episode reduction which I think was a good idea and they should have stuck with it before axing the show.
    I think they should have somehow this series got rid of the MRU, and move back to the ED. Introduce a new area like a ward or something but not as big as Ward 17. This means that you can follow the treatment in emergency where they come in and follow the patient up to the ward where they recover with the doctors from the ED involved. This would have given Frank a good storyline with a rivalry with the NUM on the ward. But this whole “increased production costs” is their own fault. They could have reduced them easily by getting rid of the MRU, and adding another feature to the show like a transition to the ward or something (yes like I had said in my other post). Then also try the show on another day like Saturday or something as they don’t really have any spectacular on Saturday nights.

    Anyway it’s a sad day as it is/was one great Australian drama. I feel sorry for the entire cast especially Tammy & Judith as they are the ones that have been on the show the longest and it has been a big part of their lives. One thing I do hope is that they don’t stuff around with showing the episodes – like what Nine did to McLeod’s daughters. I hope they have some dignity for the 11 years that the show has been on air and stick with having it in an appropriate timeslot and day even if it is moved to Saturdays if they want the 9.30 Tuesday slot.
    They do say all good things must come to an end but if more opportunities and proper thought was put in I think they could have saved the show and moved from the whole “increased production costs” rubbish.

  9. A sad day indeed. I doubt we will ever have another weekly drama series that will achieve a run exceeding 11 years like All Saints and in the past Blue Heelers. In this day and age we will never experience a series with the longativity of All Saints.

  11. The blame lies with increased production costs, but those increases would be based on the format change. If they wanted/needed to change the format to gain ratings why not attempt to cut costs?

  14. $93 episodes. Is it really that hard to do 7 more episodes? Not that i care never watched the show. I want to see the return of the Aussie sitcom though. Hey Dad, All Together Now, i used to love them growing up.

  15. i thought it was going well. i went through a bad patch but gained some strength. not like blue heelers. all the good aussie drams are going to be gone soon

  16. Maybe if they added another subtitle it would have rated a bit better. Maybe “All Saints: Medical Response Unit: Divisional Emergency Tactical Paramedic Expedited Taskforce”

  18. It is a shame. I don’t actually watch it but have seen the occasional show and it’s a shame when Aussie dramas is axed. What bugs me is, it was doing really well in the ratings (over a million viewers – how many shows are much over this really??) and then Packed the the Rafters took it’s spot. PTTR should have had it’s own night. So AS got moved backwards and forwards. A lot of elderly people can’t stay up that late to watch it when it is on at 9.30. Channel 7 needs to think of their demographic when they move shows around all the time….

  23. how sad, i wonder if they will be making a new drama with the budget?

    i also wonder if in the last few episodes they will dump the MRU and they will have a return of an original cast member?

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