Families, especially the television variety, come in all shapes and sizes. From the old-fashioned Mum, Dad and two kids at the centre of 1950s sitcoms, through to every combination imaginable in the modern shows, the TV family unit has evolved to reflect how we live and show us no matter how different we might be, we’re not alone.
And that, Five Bedrooms actress Doris Younane tells TV WEEK, is what makes them so watchable.
It was Network 10’s hottest drama
(Image: Supplied)“We all have families,” she says, “and something is always going on, so it’s great to see our entertainment reflect that.”
In Five Bedrooms, returning for its fourth season this week, Doris plays Heather, the unofficial matriarch of a family formed when a group of friends move in together to solve their mutual housing problems, but quickly find much more.
“This is a family,” she says with a laugh, “but it’s a very dysfunctional family!”
When we left them at the end of season three, the bonds formed since they’d bought a home together were starting to fracture as romances dissolved, outsiders started to intrude and more.
“There’s a lot to unpack.”
(Image: Supplied)For example, man-about-town Lachlan (Hugh Sheridan) has discovered he’s a father; lawyer Liz (Kat Stewart) is rethinking the break-up that led her to the share house in the first place; confused Harry (Roy Joseph) is wondering what on earth he needs to do have a life of his own; while Heather and Ben (Stephen Peacocke) are still struggling to figure out what their future is after he wrecked their romance by sleeping with his ex.
Dysfunctional doesn’t even begin to cover it, Doris, 60, admits.
“This is a very dysfunctional family, which most families are, but it’s how they navigate this in season four that’s really interesting. There’s a lot to unpack, but I love that there’s so much that’s raw, because that’s real.
“This season, a lot of characters start to speak a little bit more and are less careful about what they’re saying. And that’s real, because everyone gets to a point of their life where they just go, ‘You know what? I’m sick of it! I’m going to say what I want to say!’ I think every character has that moment this year.”
Doris and Stephen both hint that’s especially true for Heather and Ben.
Since Ben cheated with his ex, the pair have been apart, with Heather finding a new partner and Ben about to meet a woman who ticks a lot of the boxes he thinks he needs ticked.
But both still undeniably love each other. The big question is, can they find a way past what he did?
“Ben makes it clear he loves Heather and he’d love to have her back if she’d ever have him back,” Stephen, 41, says. “But now, there’s a bit of a spanner in the works with him meeting someone.
“It turns into something pretty complicated. Hopefully, the audience will enjoy where it all lands!”
And with that teaser, it seems this unlikely television family is about to get yet another twist.
