Seven ends development on A Place to Call Home
Seven has ended development of its third season and actor contracts have lapsed.
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Seven has ended production development on the third season of A Place to Call Home and options for cast members have not been renewed.
A decision made last week means the show’s future is now in doubt, and not expected to hit screens in 2015.
“The development of series three is off the deck,” a spokesperson told TV Tonight.
“It’s no longer on the list. It’s put aside.
“The decision not to proceed on Series 3 was a Programming decision not a creative decision.”
The drama was created by Bevan Lee, who originally spoke about a vision of the show in three stages, driven by the characters’ past, presents and future. This season has also included ‘flash-forward’ moments as part of the storytelling.
While Seven has not ruled out an open door for the drama some time in the future, it made similar murmurs when City Homicide and Packed to the Rafters ended.
Other drama projects in development, include a completed pilot called Hartman’s Solution and more of Rebecca Gibney’s Killing Field vehicle, most likely under a new name.
Filming for Season Two of A Place to Call Home has been completed and is currently airing on Seven where it is winning its timeslot.
TV Week first reported Seven had passed on the series while The Age first reported contracts had lapsed.
Updated.
54 Responses
typical Channel 7……boot out a great drama with great characters and bring in some pathetic crap like The Killing Field………..boo and hiss to 7
Given last weeks episode pulled over 1.2m viewers after timeshift I find this decision by Seven as ridiculous. Not every show should have to skew to the younger demos. Seven have plenty of other programs that do.
It does seem horrible if it doesn’t get at least a third series.
Sydney Morning Herald says…
‘Significantly, the audience is skewing to the older demographic, with the over-55s comprising roughly 60 per cent of the audience, compared to Seven’s prime-time average of 39 per cent for the 55-plus audience.’…and that may be the biggest issue…I dont know when advertiser will realise older folk have no mortgages…school fees and so on…very disposable incomes…we are good consumers…
Very disappointed by this. This was one of the only Australian dramas at the moment to tackle the things such as homosexuality and anti-semitism during the 1950’s.
Soon Winners & Losers will be gone as well because the way channel 7 stuff it up like Rafters.
I reckon Bevan Lee should move to channel 10. Yes they may doing badly in numbers, but channel 10 have been way more committed to Australian drama than channel 7. Wonderland even got a second season .
I guess the only way now is people power or another network picking it up??
Well done Bevan Lee for tacking some brave issues that are not bought to our screens because they would rather 10 spin off’s of renovating shows.
oh no..its such a great drama , particularly the gay storyline which I think its a big step in aussie drama. Did anyone watch last week episode when he confronted his wife and his father…powerful words !
So disappointing that the planned third series won’t go ahead. Just as sad as the axing of Always Greener after competition battered it in the second season.
@Cookie There is nothing mentioned on IMDB. Hope she does get something, my fave Aussie actress of the past few years!
David is Marta Dusseldorp locked into anything for 2015? If not, that makes me really sad/annoyed!
This is typical. I am disappointed as this show is great. However, I don’t like the flashbacks. Season one was much better in that regard. I remember a great show Raffertys Rules was dropped because there was no timeslot available. Just don’t rush the ending 7. Please end tastefully.
What? I’m in shock. I didn’t like the flash forward in the season opener either, but other than that I love this show. TV wise, its the highlight of my week at the moment. Its gotta have a third season.
Shame. Just about the best thing on FTA at present.
Would be costly to produce (perhaps), but the execution – speech, props & sets etc., are flawless.
I’m a little surprised about this I thought it was doing ok at home and overseas. I participate in a few forums that have a heavy OS crowd and I’ve had quite a few mention this show and Phryne Fisher so I assumed both were selling well OS and therefore we would get to keep them 🙁
It better not end on a cliffhanger 7….
What a shame. Its such a briliant and unique drama that boasts and excellent cast and covers a diverse range of issues. I hope Season 2 won’t end on a cliffhanger, but it seems doubtful.
Disappointing that an excellent show as such ends so quickly while shows like Home and Away, Winners and Losers and Killing Field keep getting commissioned, which in my opinion are same old same old.
The ratings justified at least a third final season. If they are disappointed however, they have only themselves to blame by giving drama the cold shoulder in the programming department. In my book, “After House Rules” is not a hand on the clock.
Yeah, I think this is a misguided decision. This idea that the decision is connected to story ideas makes me suspicious – really, when has Channel Seven been concerned about writing, particularly when a show is rating as well as APLH is? If that was truly the case, Home and Away would be six feet under by now.
I could see this decision being influenced by financial factors – APLH looks like it would be expensive to shoot and produce and I could see that being a motivating factor for its cancellation. The same thing occurred with All Saints. Ratings-wise, it was still doing well, but the cost of the show made it unviable for Seven (ironically, by their own actions).
This is all just speculation, but I don’t believe this line about the cancellation being connected to story ideas.
I also don’t understand how The Killing Field is continuing to series, unless it undergoes major…
I’m also very disappointed. I think this second season has been even better than the first. What a pity.
I’m angry. Its Always Greener and City Homicide all over again. This show is the best drama we have going for us right now and Seven to stop production i think is wrong. I was expecting 3 seasons and to only get 2 is a huge disappointment. The Killing Field was good but this is much better. Think Seven should re-evaluate its decision. Really really disappointed 🙁
Im really disappointed. I love this show and its a beautiful piece of australian drama. Im sick of 7 ditching all my favourite australian drama shows that I have enjoyed. Next will be winners and losers. Im a bit shocked as I thought it still had life in it. There are so many stories that can be developed.
Well I hope they wrap up the storyline nicely if it does end.
I swear I read a while ago around easter some of the actors said season 3 has virtually been given the go ahead.
Please 7 change your mind. Dont put good and talented aussie actors out of work.
🙁 I sorta love this show. The first few eps of season 2 have been great, but I had my suspicions that if it wasn’t rating over the magic million mark that it would get the chop. I see I was correct. The SMH says that the third season story arc had already been completed by Bevan Lee so obviously 7 weren’t keen on it at all, especially in light of the ratings. Still sucks though :'(
Seven drama under a bit of pressure now as Winners and Losers must be nearing the end of its run as well. As the general audience, particularly the under-60 crowd, watch the brilliant drama being made from all over the world they are becoming more discerning and demanding. Seven drama has cruised along for years offering middle of the road melodrama and I’m not sure spinning Ma and Pa Rafter out into their own equally derivative vehicles will be enough to secure Seven the ratings they have enjoyed for so long.
Oh crap!…and sorry…but I thought the 2nd series just got better….was really looking forward to the 3rd.
@ Pertinax…your opinions are just that…your opinions…
The ratings are OK but falling, the cost is high and they look to have enough drama points scheduled for 2015.
The writing for the second season hasn’t been as good as the first. It’s been rather disjointed with a different style each episode.
The flash forwards and concealing the ending to generate suspense in the first episode was poorly done, didn’t add anything and undermined its style as a period melodrama.
The flashbacks were a bit better and arranged around a theme, and added some of the back story to the characters, but they were just snippets and jumped around out of chronological order.
It would be a very bad decision If that awful The Killing Field goes ahead. Ain’t nothing contemporary about that…
Terrible decision, if indeed it is a decision. I don’t really understand if it will be back for a third, or not.
Either way, seems silly to knife the golden goose – the ratings are excellent! What the??
Third season is out unless something changes.