It was pitted as the TV comeback of the year, with its popular cast, including Rebecca Gibney, Erik Thomson, Hugh Sheridan and Michael Caton, reprising their roles and returning to the Rafter family home almost 10 years after it went off the air.
However, unlike the show’s characters, it appears the Packed To The Rafters) audience have moved on, with the reboot being unceremoniously axed by streaming service Amazon Prime after just six episodes – leaving the stars in shock!
Talking to Woman’s Day, a show insider says the cast have been left “disappointed” after hearing the news, with many of them signing on to what they believed would be a multi-season reboot.
The reboot was axed by streaming service Amazon Prime after just six episodes.
(Image: Amazon Prime)“They all loved doing it again – they’re like family, so they’re bitterly disappointed,” the source spills.
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“While a lot of the actors, like Rebecca and Hugh and Erik have loads of work lined up, the others – particularly the newcomers – felt as if they’d won the lottery only to have the money taken back off them.”
Releasing a statement to the media, Amazon announced the show wouldn’t be renewed for a second season, adding that while it “was always at the top of the list of Amazon Australia Scripted Original series to commission” the Rafter family won’t be reuniting again.
“It was a well-rounded six-part season and the final episode left the Rafters family in a happy space,” read the statement.
And while the announcement had many believing that a one-off season was always the plan, it’s said the prospect of a feature film, which had been proposed off the back of the new series, has also been given the boot, and it’s left fans questioning the validity of the statement.
While many viewers took to social media to mourn the cancellation, others chose to vent their theories on why the show was given the axe just weeks after its September premiere.
One fan slammed the decision to put the show on a streaming service, writing, “I know a lot of people (especially the older people who grew up with Packed To The Rafters when it was on Seven) didn’t watch it because it was on a pay TV channel and many can’t afford even $10 a month.”
“I’m a home care worker and a lot of my clients would have loved to see it. They missed the mark putting it on Amazon Prime and not a free-to-air channel – they could have aired it on both,” another commented.
One disappointed viewer even took aim at the show’s dwindling quality and its shifted focus towards climate change that was shown through the youngest Rafter family member Ruby (played by Willow Speers) and her passion for the environment.
“I loved the first few episodes,” said one. “I found it perfectly written.
“[But] after a few episodes, the main Rafters characters felt like they were secondary, with Ruby and the climate being the main focus.”
“[The show] was killed off by climate change. People don’t want to be lectured to while being entertained,” wrote another.
Some just believed the show, which ran from 2008 to 2013, was a product of its time.
“I could only get through the first episode, and only barely. Some things are best left in the past,” a viewer said, with another adding, “Packed To The Rafters was great for its time, but the viewing appetite has moved on.”
When the show’s reboot was initially announced in 2020, it was met with much fanfare.
But due to COVID-19, production was halted abruptly, meaning there was a lengthy delay between the announcement and its arrival.
Rachel Rafter was quickly recast as newcomer Georgina Haig.
(Image: Amazon Prime)During this period, the show also lost one of its main stars, Jessica Marais, 36, who pulled out due to personal reasons.
As the show had already begun filming, Jessica’s much-loved character Rachel Rafter was quickly replaced by newcomer Georgina Haig.
Earlier this year, Rebecca Gibney told Woman’s Day how excited she was to return to the show.
“It was so wonderful to see everyone again. I’ve missed not only all of the actors but the characters as well,” said the 56-year-old.
“I love Julie and Dave, so to be reunited with Erik and the cast, it was a such a joy.”
