The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy nominations came with a shock. For the first time ever, a non-American soap was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. In 2023, the long-running Australian soap Neighbours made its debut on Amazon FreeVee, making it eligible for an Emmy, but many soap fans know nothing about this mega-popular serial that's been making waves Down Under for decades.
Neighbours first debuted in 1985 and has given the entertainment world a host of famous alumni, including singers Kylie Minogue and Natalie Imbruglia. Barbie herself, Margot Robbie, enjoyed a stint on Neighbours, as have Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, and Russell Crowe.
Ashleigh Brewer, the Australian actress who is set to return to The Bold and the Beautiful as Ivy Forrester any day now, also spent five years on Neighbours.
In 2022, Neighbours fans were stunned when Neighbours was canceled after 37 years on Australian television. However, Amazon gave the show new life and a whole new international audience when it picked up the soap and began producing new episodes in 2023 for FreeVee.
Neighbours explores the trials and tribulations of the residents of Ramsay Street in the Melbourne suburbs. Longtime stars Stefan Dennis, Alan Fletcher, and Jackie Woodburne currently headline the show. If you want to give the soap a try, you can dig in almost anywhere, as thousands of episodes are available on demand.
Amazon FreeVee releases new episodes in the US each Monday through Thursday, so there's almost always something new to see.
Were you surprised to see an Australian soap make the Emmy cut? Are you a fan of Neighbours, or would you like to give it a try? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
