Amazon has decided that not everybody needs good ‘Neighbours’ as the streaming giant cancels the soap two years after reviving it, although producers are describing it as being “rested”…
The continuation of the long-running soap series – about the lives, loves, and challenges of the residents on Ramsay Street in Erinsborough, Australia, a fictional suburb of Melbourne – was picked up by Amazon Freevee back in 2023 after Channel 5 dropped out of producing the show in 2022. Freevee was closed by Amazon in 2024, with some of the content being moved over to Prime Video. ‘Neighbours’, now in its 40th year, will continue to air on Prime until December 2025.
“Neighbours has brought so much joy over the last 40 years to its fanbase globally and in the UK,” said Amazon. “Forty years is an incredible milestone and we are proud that Amazon MGM Studios was able to have a small part of bringing further episodes to Freevee and Prime Video customers over the last two years, spanning over 400 episodes.”
Whilst Amazon hasn’t given a reason for the cancellation, following its decision to shutter Freevee, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that ‘Neighbours’ ended up on the chopping block. It does still have fans, especially in the UK, so producers, Freemantle, are still holding out hope that they may find a way to bring it back again.
“Audiences all around the world have loved and embraced Neighbours for four decades and we are very proud of the huge success over the last two years including often appearing as one of the Top 10 titles in the UK and the show’s first-ever Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Daytime Series in 2024,” said Jason Herbison, Neighbours Executive Producer. “As this chapter closes, we appreciate and thank Amazon MGM Studios for all that they have done for Neighbours – bringing this iconic and much-loved series to new audiences globally. We value how much the fans love Neighbours and we believe there are more stories of the residents of Ramsay Street to tell in the future.”
It is possible the producers could find some way, or figure out a deal with a new partner, to bring the series back from the brink again. However, they tried a number of options when it was dropped by Channel 5, and struggled to gain interest from traditional broadcasters. They have until December 2025 to figure something out, but as of right now, ‘Neighbours’ is cancelled, again.
