Does H&A need an overhaul at the moment?

[Dag Dog]

  On 21/04/2025 at 22:23, joany208121 said:

I think the difference was that there was a shock factor, plus there were multiple lives on the line. Some of the more recent ones (Eden missing, Cash blacking out after arguing with Tim, Chloe killing her dad) have been about one (lesser) character the audience hasn’t been fully invested in, or it hasn’t been at the height of the drama. 
 

The better cliffhangers of the past have involved a “who will die” type element with multiple characters at risk together where viewers are left on the edge of their seat to see if their favourite will come out unscathed, or changed forever - like the bus crash, hospital bomb, John Palmer’s fire, the Sutherland’s mine shaft collapse etc. When the show picks the favourite, it makes it harder for everyone to connect. 
 

The show managed to do this jeopardy for Heather’s kidnapping of the heritage cast, and when Salt had the toxic gas… but is it too hard for the show to do these for the Aus finale, now that they are focusing on the UK finale?

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You make an interesting point about eh UK finales which broadens to a much larger question: are the UK finales serving one purpose - putting the focus on the mainstays? Looking at those examples you’ve named, they all involve those that have been on the show forever…

Australia, lets have a look:

* Cash with Tim in 2024
* Eden/Remi in the boot in 2023
* Felicity/Eden with the cut brake lines in 2022 (and not really a cliffhanger at all)
* Mia with a body in the boot (plus Ryder buried alive) in 2021

* Colby and that god awful prison story in 2020

It’s very obvious that someone is playing favourites. Gone are the days of the numerous threads all culminating, with 3 different cliffhanger vibes. It’s now just “who is the flavour of the day?” And let’s face it it’s been Cash and Eden either in the thick of it or on the fringes for 3 years (snore!)

I think you answer your own question - is it too hard to follow the UK finales? Yes. Because they do it for a different audience. And if they wanted to really utilise it well, they could set up the UK finale to thrust forward to a bigger Aus finale. But no, that would be too difficult. And let’s face it, it’s clear there is no forward planning at all.

[Luigi Severus Fletcher]

We need a main character who is Asian, an Asian family would be better. We had Jai Fernandez in 2008 - 2009 and Stevie Marlow was a guest character with various Asian characters as guests throughout the series, but I think an Asian family would be a cool move, especially if we can see some Asian culture on Home and Away.

[adam436]

There was also Charlotte Adams in the early 2000s, but she was gone within a year or so too.