How do YOU personally divide up H&A's lifespan (1988-present)

[CaptainHulk]

1988-97: Classic/Golden

1997-99: Dip

2000-03: Sutherland/New Dawn

2004-08: Emergency

2009-10: Lost the Plot/WTF

2011-15: River Boys/Underbelly

[alexx]

2005-2008 Back to basics

Back to basics? That's when the show went off the rails and was veering even further away from the basic Home and Away format Imo

Edited June 4, 2015 by alexx

[Homeandawayfan.]

2005-2008 did see a much more faster and sensational show but was Shakespeare compared to the past 3 or 4 years.

[CaptainHulk]

2005-2008 Back to basics

Back to basics? That's when the show went off the rails and was veering even further away from the basic Home and Away format Imo

The show still had strong links to its past it just became a bit more sensationalist but A LOT more community minded than the years that would follow.

[Dan F]

97-99 does seem to get a bad rep, but I certainly don't think it was anywhere near as dull as people remember.

I think a lot of it is just because it followed that 95-96 'Golden' era, which many long-term fans consider as the best years of the show (myself included).

In comparison to those, any other year would seem rather mediocre.

[beau_t]

I completely agree Dan. The more I see the occasional clip or episode from 1997-1999, the more I can't wait to see that whole era again. There were soooo many good storylines during that era as well as some great unique characters like Joey Rainbow and Diana Fraser. I think the exit of Pippa overshadowed a lot of that for many people, but looking back now, it was still very much the H&A that a lot of people loved rather than what we'd get in later years (not making a dig at the current show, just an observation).

[Homeandawayfan.]

Common opinion is that 1994-1996 was the biggest Golden Era of the show.

1988-1993 was maybe not as good as some people say it was. I am rewatching 1988 H&A and much of it was revolving around whiny Carly Morris.

[Dan F]

I probably wouldn't agree that 1994 is part of the common opinion of the 'Golden Era' - with the season starting recently on 7TWO, it's been discussed how it's a relatively low-key season which many people don't have much memory of.

It's not seen in a negative light like 97-99 seems to be, but seems to be a year where a lot of people just simply don't have much of an opinion, until their memories are jogged with a few of the key storylines.

[Homeandawayfan.]

1994 H&A was a bit like 1972-1993 Emmerdale Farm, the most dramatic thing to happen was Don Fisher throwing a piece of scrap paper in the bin and it bouncing onto the floor. 1988-1993, 1995-1999 had much more drama in the 80s and 90s. The Noughties was a revamp in 2000. Now we are in the Teenies.

[joany208121]

2005-2008 Back to basics

Back to basics? That's when the show went off the rails and was veering even further away from the basic Home and Away format Imo

The show still had strong links to its past it just became a bit more sensationalist but A LOT more community minded than the years that would follow.

This time brought it back to families (imo). We had just come out of a lot of broken families (Sutherlands, hunters) and then we went back to Sally at the front of the show, creating her own foster family.

Sorry I should have explained that