Canceled quickly, this turned into forever-TV

Long ago, Stefan Dennis showed his limited ability to prophesize the future.
He had been cast in a new soap opera, he recalled. “I said it probably wouldn’t last six months …. I pretty much got that right; it lasted seven months.”
Dennis paused, then added: “Or 40 years.”
The show is “Neighbours” (shown here with Dennis), now a rare examples of forever TV. Canceled after seven months in Australia, it was soon revived by adding a British connection. Canceled again after 37 years, it was revived by adding an American connection.
That’s where it is now, almost 39 years after its Australian debut. Its U.S. home is Amazon Freevee, a streaming service that uses ads rather than subscription.
That doesn’t make its stars famous here. When visiting the U.S., actress Annie Jones said, they’re recognized only “by tourists from the UK (United Kingdom).”
But it did make them eligible for the Daytime Emmy Awards. “Neighbours” was nominated for best soap (officially “best daytime drama series”) and best guest performance (Guy Pearce).
It keeps having an impact, especially on Dennis. “It has enriched my life in unthinkable ways …. We performed for the royal family. I was Princess Diana’s favorite actor.”
There’s no way to prove that last part, but some sources have said Diana would try to manipulate her schedule so she could see the show – sometimes with her mother-in-law, the Queen. When she did miss it, she would sometimes ask the BBC to send tapes. Dennis has said “a very reliable source” has told him he was Diana’s favorite.
None of that is what he’d expected when the show started. He was 27, up for a movie role and not interested in soaps. “I was a ‘true thespian,’” he said, self-deprecatingly
He had auditioned for other roles, but was offered one as Paul Robinson, an arrogant businessman. Urged by his agent, he took it, expecting the show to be canceled.
It was … by one network, then was taken by another, which cut a deal to have this Aussie show also air on the BBC, where it became a hit.
Unlike some frantic soaps, tis started with an everyday emphasis on three families in a suburban cul-de-sac. It was able to keep up with issues and societal changes.
Georgie Stone said that’s what caused her to contact the producers in 2019. She had begun her transition to female almost a decade earlier, at 11.
“I pitched this character to them,” she said. “I didn’t hear back for seven or eight months.” Then she became Mackenzie Hargreaves, the show’s first trans character.
At first, “Neighbours” centered on the Robinsons, Ramsays and Clarkes. It soon added Charlene Mitchell, a schoolgirl turned garage mechanic. Kylie Minogue, 18, got the role and soared. The next year, Charlene’s marriage to one of the Robinson boys drew 20 million viewers; by then, Minogue was also a pop star.
Jones had auditioned for that part and soon got another. She was Jane Harris – “Plaine Jane,” before a makeover. The young characters clicked: In 1987 and ‘88, Minogue won the Logie Award as Australia’s most popular TV actress; iu ‘89, Jones won.
Minogue was the first of many “Neighbours” people to find broader fame. Other regulars have included Margot Robie, Alan Dale, Pearce and pop star Natalie Imbruglia. Liam Hemsworth did 24 episodes, Russell Crowe did four, Chris Hemsworth did one.
Actors came and went. Dennis was gone for 12 years, returning in 2005. Jones was gone for 29, returning in 2018. Pearce was gone for 33, but has done 10 guest shots lately.
Then there are the others … including the man who first canceled “Neighbours” after seven months. “It was like the guy who didn’t sign the Beatles,” Dennis said.