★★★★★ 0/5

Axed: The Time of our Lives

Updated: ABC says "We are in the enviable position of having a rich slate of successful local drama" as it confirms the end of ensemble drama.

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2014-09-04_2357ABC’s The Time of Our Lives is the latest drama to fall victim to television’s axe, not proceeding to a third season.

Shane Jacobson, who plays Luce Tivoli, tweeted the news yesterday:

The ensemble drama, which featured Claudia Karvan, William McInnes, Justine Clarke, Stephen Curry, Michelle Vergara Moore, Tony Barry and Sue Jones was critically acclaimed. The contemporary drama by producers Amanda Higgs and Judi McCrossin which looked at modern family life was also a winner at the AACTA Awards and a Logie nominee.

Season Two ratings hovered around the 600,000 mark in Overnight ratings, lower than the first season which was often above 700,000. But of course in Timeshifted ratings, it regularly scored another 160,000, while iview numbers are counted separately.

It’s proving to be a tough year for Drama fans with Seven already having axed A Place to Call Home, igniting a viewer backlash and online petitions.

TEN is yet to confirm new seasons for both Offspring, which it says it wants to return, and Puberty Blues.

Updated: In a statement Brendan Dahill, Head of Programming, ABC Television said:

We don’t normally get drawn into discussions about which shows will be returning until all of our locally commissioned and produced dramas have been to air and the last of our locally produced dramas (The Code) is due to start transmission in a few weeks time.

We are in the enviable position of having a rich slate of successful local drama.  Sadly with finite funding levels not all of them can return.  The Time of Our Lives has been a fresh and important drama. However, we’ve decided it won’t be returning in 2015.  We would like to thank the producers Judi McCrossin and Amanda Higgs as well as the stellar cast for all of their hard work over the last 2 years. 

Over the next few weeks we will be deciding officially which shows we can progress into 2015 and they will be announced alongside our new drama at our Up Fronts. 

 

36 Responses

  5. I’m hugely disappointed. Probably one of my favourite shows this year. It was great watching such good actors ply thier craft. Another Australian story gone from our screens.

  6. A real shame – one of the better dramas around, with a top shelf cast of fine Aussie actors.
    Although I do feel that perhaps it had run its course, The finale wrapped things up well and did feel like the end of a chapter.
    Really hope the ABC will replace it with a similar local drama just as good.

    Agree with others here that Wonderland, House Husbands are far inferior.
    Is this the best the commercial stations can do?
    Viewers are crying out for more quality drama like TTOOL, Puberty Blues and Offspring.

    I really hope this isn’t the end of the wonderful Puberty Blues as well but sadly I suspect that it will not return…

  7. I am a regular ABC watcher, but this show was a soapy. No more no less. I really couldn’t feel any empathy for any of the characters.

    Hopefully a new drama will replace it, with stronger story lines and less focus on the mundane.

  8. This is so disappointing. Don’t TV networks understand that ordinary people want to see themselves on screen and that doe not mean 18 year olds in a bikini prancing about in a televised share house on the Gold Coast/breaking a nail while renovating a freaking bathroom/or cooking snail porridge with enoki foam.
    Time to boycott TV!

  9. So A Place to Call Home, Puberty Blues and now Time of our Lives dosen’t get a third season. I echo the sentiments here, good show, very fine actors. Leaving only Love Child on of my list of this years favorite Aussie drams. A Big Loss. I didn’t know many people who watched it, but Mum and I loved it. Definately one of our most underrated gems.

  10. I never watched The Time of Our Lives, but I am sorry that it’s being axed. And I really hope that Offspring and Puberty Blues are not facing the axe either. They are great shows and I really hope new episodes are coming back in 2015 on TEN.

  11. If people keep on watching reality TV in their droves, something has to give and unfortunately it is drama.

    Which is sad for Australian actors and crews.

    I enjoyed this show, and really ABC TV what are you thinking of , yet another reboot of Spicks and Specks……..oh I forgot you are still replaying the original series for the what the third time now.

  14. This is bad news – yes, the writing was disjointed at times, but there were some fine Aussie actors in that cast who delivered, like Claudia Karvan and Justine Clarke.
    It looks like the ABC reduced drama budget next year is going on Dr Blake and Miss Fisher.
    Any chance that Janet King might return? It rated very well for the ABC in that Thursday night slot.

  15. One of the better Australian productions. Acting, writing and directing was always top notch.

    I’ll miss this quality little show, especially when compared to other rubbish filling our screens.

  16. It took me a little while to warm up to it,but it kept growing.It had at least another season or two to go in my eyes.It was filmed well and most actors were super.Some of the situations that took place in each episode made so much sense because we have been there or wondered what would happen if we were.I can think of at least two shows on the ABC that could be chopped to allow the budget to include this going ahead,but being ABC, they love to play other things that have a certain audience in the mind and maybe this was not that,bloody shame, There is no point on the thought of going commercial as once they move they lose the feel.I will say this though, get rid of Wonderland,Winners and losers,househusbands (oh god,like watching tomatoes grow) and Offspring,well it would be nice if it went back to original format,which is being repeated each day and a true delight to watch the old…

  17. The show appealed neither to the younger viewers the ABC wants or the 500k of older viewers who will watch anything half way decent without ads on the ABC. It wasn’t strong enough to do well on Sunday night and moving it to Thursday night guaranteed it would lose a couple hundred thousand viewers.

    It did have a good cast but they were often wasted because the writing was poor.

    This has nothing to do with the 1% budget cut. The ABC just wants to try another drama in the future. Given that TOOL didn’t find a very large audience and has had 2 season to say what it had to say, a sensible decision.

  18. Not great to see another local production bite the dust but l always found it disjointed and uneven which made it hard to watch. Some great performances, some at the other end of the spectrum. Also story lines ho-hum which made it a bit beige.

  19. I hope there is a future for Australian drama? Can we keep talent and skills here? It’s not looking good ATM. For a better future, we all need to step up and tell anyone who will listen, that we need to keep our Australian culture.

  20. The last episode of the series squared a few things away, and is a good a place as any to stop.

    I think we need to get over the notion of ‘a continuing drama’, and instead be concerned with drama production overall.

    That said, if the decision is driver by budget considerations, then it’s unlikely we’ll see a drama produced in place of ‘Time of our Lives’.

  22. Such a shame, as it was a quality production with some fine performances. I can’t help but think it would have found a wider audience in the Friday 8.30pm position which has proved so successful for other local ABC productions.

  24. No!!!! Sad for the ABC. I liked this show a lot – it had an amazing cast. What will I watch next year? If Offspring & Puberty Blues do not return that’s four shows from my list of shows I like gone. Probably more reality into the mix!

  25. Get stuffed!!!! This is another one of the best dramas on TV and they go and do it in too! What is wrong with this country’s TV channels at the moment?!?! Even though the ABC is facing budget cuts this shouldn’t have been the first to go.

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