|
''Chances'' was an Australian 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.〔Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 111〕 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. Originally, creator Lynn Bayonas pitched the show as a family-oriented drama; however to help ensure the program's success, Channel Nine asked for nude scenes and risqué elements to also be included in the series.〔 ("Taking the reins" ) Brian Courtis, ''The Age'',20 June 2002. Retrieved 14 September 2013.〕 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 Whittaker (Australian actor), Danielle Fairclough, Ciri Thompson, Kevin J. Wilson, Abigail, Lynda Stoner and Patsy Stephen.〔"Steamy ''Chances'' means stars are in and out". ''Herald Sun'',23 October 1991.〕 Attempts to boost the ratings saw an increase in sex and nudity, including storylines involving bondage and lesbianism.〔"''Chances'' runs out of steam". ''The Courier-Mail'', 1 October 1992.〕 These sexual elements provoked considerable controversy, with some TV watchdogs attacking ''Chances'' as "teleporn".〔 The program's storylines also became increasingly bizarre and fantasy-oriented, with new stories involving the Asian Triads, ghosts, an angel on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, an Egyptian Sun Goddess, laser-wielding vampires, man-eating plants, and neo-Nazis hunting valuable Third Reich artifacts.〔Andrew Mercado, "The Secret Life of Soaps". ''The Daily Telegraph'', 1 December 2004 (p. T04).〕 ''The Age'' noted that ''Chances'' became "notorious" because of these elements.〔 These changes provoked much discussion and comment within the press and the public; however, they did not lead to a strong increase in ratings. Because of its "camp" elements, ''Chances'' did gain a small but devoted viewship.〔 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.〔 In "the final episode, God made an appearance, speaking to Alex in the Melbourne library".〔 The series ended in 1992, and has never been repeated on Australian television. Selected episodes have subsequently been released on DVD in Australia. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chances (TV series)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|