Chances
Encyclopedia
Chances was an Australia
n evening soap opera
, produced from 1991 to 1992. It told the story of the average middle-class Taylor family whose lives are transformed by winning $3 million in the lottery. The series was broadcast by the Nine Network
, initially as two one-hour episodes each week.
Principal cast members included John Sheerin and Brenda Addie as Dan and Barbara Taylor, Jeremy Sims
as their mischievous son Alex, Deborah Kennedy
as Dan's sister Connie Reynolds, Tim Robertson as Dan's brother Jack, Anne Grigg as his wife Sarah, and Michael Caton
as neighbourhood friend Bill Anderson. Though ostensibly a family-oriented drama, to help ensure the program's success, Channel Nine asked for nude scenes and risqué elements to also be included in the series. Initial publicity for the show focused on the sex angle, and it was for this that Chances was chiefly known.
, Danielle Fairclough, Ciri Thompson, Kevin J. Wilson
, Abigail
, Lynda Stoner
and Patsy Stephen. Attempts to boost the ratings saw an increase in sex and nudity, while storylines became increasingly bizarre and fantasy-oriented, with new stories involving ghosts, an angel on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, Oriental villains, an Egyptian Sun Goddess, laser-wielding vampires, man-eating plants, and neo-Nazis hunting valuable Third Reich artifacts (in Melbourne!). These changes provoked much discussion and comment within the press and the public; however, they did not lead to a strong increase in ratings.
Eventually, low ratings saw the show moved to a late-night slot, and the production rate reduced from two to one episode a week. With the reduced output, the size of the cast needed to be reduced, so further drastic cast purges occurred. In the later episodes, much of the Taylor clan had departed, and Alex Taylor became the focal point of many of the storylines. The series ended in 1992, and has never been repeated on Australian television. Selected episodes have subsequently been released on DVD
in Australia.
, Chances launched in February 1992 on Sky Television
, a year after its Australian debut. It began during the same week as E Street
and was initially screened at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Like in Australia, Sky's promotion of the show centred heavily on the sexual and nude aspects of storylines but this failed to achieve high ratings. Eventually, as the series moved on and dropped to one episode a week, Chances was then screened on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. and ended in early 1993. A late-night repeat was screened during the early hours of the morning during 1995.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n evening soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, produced from 1991 to 1992. It told the story of the average middle-class Taylor family whose lives are transformed by winning $3 million in the lottery. The series was broadcast by the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, initially as two one-hour episodes each week.
Principal cast members included John Sheerin and Brenda Addie as Dan and Barbara Taylor, Jeremy Sims
Jeremy Sims
-Personal life:He was educated at Wesley College, Perth, 1977–83. Sims was married to film director Samantha Lang. They have two daughters, Frederique and Evelyn Rose.-Career:...
as their mischievous son Alex, Deborah Kennedy
Deborah Kennedy
Deborah Kennedy is an Australian actress recognised for several television and film roles, and for her appearance in an advertisement.Kennedy began her acting career on the stage, with the Marian Street Theatre, Killara, appearing in The Trojan Woman and Macbeth...
as Dan's sister Connie Reynolds, Tim Robertson as Dan's brother Jack, Anne Grigg as his wife Sarah, and Michael Caton
Michael Caton
Michael Caton is an Australian television, film and stage actor, and television host, best known for playing Uncle Harry in the Australian television series, The Sullivans, playing Darryl Kerrigan from 1997's low budget hit film The Castle and playing in the popular Packed to the Rafters. He is...
as neighbourhood friend Bill Anderson. Though ostensibly a family-oriented drama, to help ensure the program's success, Channel Nine asked for nude scenes and risqué elements to also be included in the series. Initial publicity for the show focused on the sex angle, and it was for this that Chances was chiefly known.
Reception
The show's early ratings proved disappointing, resulting in several cast re-shuffles that saw many of the original characters written out of the series, and new actors brought in, including Stephen WhittakerStephen Whittaker
Stephen Whittaker was a British actor and director. He worked largely in British film and television.In 2001 he filmed his final project The Rocket Post, a romantic drama set on a remote Scottish island...
, Danielle Fairclough, Ciri Thompson, Kevin J. Wilson
Kevin J. Wilson
Kevin J. Wilson is an Australian actor. He is best known for his performance as executive producer Sam Murphy on the satirical Frontline and as Sir Malcolm on erotic soap opera Chances.-References:...
, Abigail
Abigail (actress)
Abigail is an actress who emigrated to Australia in 1968 and via the media of television became one of that country's significant sex symbols of the mid-1970s. Although born in England, she was educated in France. Her mother was a Ceylonese of Dutch Burgher/Eurasian ethnicity...
, Lynda Stoner
Lynda Stoner
Lynda Stoner is an Australian actress and animal rights activist.In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stoner was known for several roles on Australian television and was popularly regarded as a sex symbol...
and Patsy Stephen. Attempts to boost the ratings saw an increase in sex and nudity, while storylines became increasingly bizarre and fantasy-oriented, with new stories involving ghosts, an angel on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, Oriental villains, an Egyptian Sun Goddess, laser-wielding vampires, man-eating plants, and neo-Nazis hunting valuable Third Reich artifacts (in Melbourne!). These changes provoked much discussion and comment within the press and the public; however, they did not lead to a strong increase in ratings.
Eventually, low ratings saw the show moved to a late-night slot, and the production rate reduced from two to one episode a week. With the reduced output, the size of the cast needed to be reduced, so further drastic cast purges occurred. In the later episodes, much of the Taylor clan had departed, and Alex Taylor became the focal point of many of the storylines. The series ended in 1992, and has never been repeated on Australian television. Selected episodes have subsequently been released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Australia.
United Kingdom
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Chances launched in February 1992 on Sky Television
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
, a year after its Australian debut. It began during the same week as E Street
E Street
E Street is an Australian television soap opera created by Forrest Redlich and produced by the Ten Network from 1989 to 1993.Whereas Neighbours is set in a middle-class suburb, Home and Away in a seaside town, and Richmond Hill a semi-rural ordinary community, E Street was set in a tough inner-city...
and was initially screened at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Like in Australia, Sky's promotion of the show centred heavily on the sexual and nude aspects of storylines but this failed to achieve high ratings. Eventually, as the series moved on and dropped to one episode a week, Chances was then screened on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. and ended in early 1993. A late-night repeat was screened during the early hours of the morning during 1995.