When the nominations for the 51st Annual Daytime Emmys were announced last week, there was a huge and very welcome surprise: The inclusion of the reboot of the Aussie soap opera Neighbours in the Outstanding Daytime Drama category. Plus, Guy Pearce earned a nod in the Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama category. Yes, it’s the Guy Pearce from Memento and Iron Man III.
Surprise Nominations
A big benefit of the surprise Daytime Emmy nominations is the attention the show’s already getting. Social media timelines are filled with posts and comments from people beginning their Neighbours binges. After all, the show premiered on September 18, 2023. So, there are a lot of episodes ready to stream. In this shortened strike season, people may be primed to seek out long binges like what Neighbors can offer.
The Binge: Previous seasons of Neighbours and over 100 iconic episodes are currently available to stream on Amazon Freevee. In addition, the free streaming service features two series-themed FAST Channels on the service, “Neighbours – Looking Back” and “Best of Neighbours.”
The OG Neighbors Synopsis and Stats
The Synopsis: The lives, loves, and challenges of the residents who live on Ramsay Street in Erinsborough, Australia, a fictional suburb of Melbourne
The Original Run: In Australia, it premiered in 1985 and ended in 2022, so the original run of the soap aired for over 37 years.
Famous Alums: Movie stars Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce, and Russell Crowe. TV Stars Jesse Spencer (House, Chicago Fire), Luke Mitchell (Chicago Med), and Alan Dale (The OC, Lost, Dynasty reboot). Music Superstars Kylie Minogue and Natalie Imbruglia. At one point, all three Hemsworth brothers appeared on Neighbours. Although, Chris only made a cameo. His true soap claim to fame was the other iconic Aussie soap, Home and Away.
The Series Finale: Both Robbie and Pearce appeared in the series finale. Of course, it turned out the July 28, 2022, episode wasn’t actually the series finale after all. Three months later, Amazon decided to reboot the soap and place it on its Freevee channel.
The Reboot
The Premiere: September 18, 2023
The Synopsis: The continuation of the long-running series—about the lives, loves, and challenges of the residents on Ramsay Street in Erinsborough, Australia, a fictional suburb of Melbourne—picked up two years after the finale in 2022, which was watched by millions of adoring fans.
Where to Watch: New episodes are released Monday-Thursday, at 7 a.m. BST, on Amazon Freevee in the UK and the U.S. The series streams on Prime Video in Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Australia’s Network 10 will retain first-run rights in Australia for the new chapter of the series.
The Heather Locklear as Special Guest Star Role Goes To: Mischa Barton of The OC fame. The producers of Neighbours recruited Barton for a ten-week run as Reece Sinclair.
Reece is the daughter of the wealthy businessman who owns a stake in Lassiters, the hotel longtime Erinsborough resident Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) co-owns. She also has an affair with a hotel employee that’s younger than her. Barton’s character has since left the show.
The Guy Pearce of It All: Daytime Emmy nominee Pearce didn’t just return to his roots for the series finale of Neighbours. He showed up for the revival as well. From 1986 to 1989, he played Mike Young. In the reboot, Mike and Jane (Annie Jones), are on a trip when he asks her to marry him. He makes the occasional appearances now because Pearce is, you know, busy with his movie schedule, which includes several projects in the works, including a potential sequel, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
The Response to Their Nominations: Needless to say, the cast is excited about the Daytime Emmys nominations their show received.
Fan Feedback
Here’s what some fans are saying about the Neighbours reboot on social media.
This Neighbors fan celebrates the Emmy love, saying, “Sorry but I’m thrilled #Neighbours got a nom, they deserve it! It’s the best soap on TV right now! #DaytimeEmmys”
Meanwhile @mkenn80 can’t get enough of the American soap fans paying attention after learning about the show’s Emmy nods.
Finally, @aleisha_71 appreciates that “all these amazing storylines on #Neighbours had a purpose…to get them in line for an #Emmys nomination…” She calls it “One of the best soaps on daytime TV…it’s such good fun to watch, except the sad storylines which are brilliantly acted & written too.”
Are you already watching Neighbours or thinking about starting a Neighbours binge? In the comments, let us know your thoughts about the soap.
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