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Packed to the Rafters
Packed to the Rafters is an Australian family-oriented television series which premiered on the Seven Network on Tuesday 26 August 2008 at 8:30 pm. The show has continued on Tuesdays in this timeslot for its entire run. The drama series features a mix of lighthearted comedy woven through the plot. It revolves around the Rafter family facing work pressures and life issues, whilst also tackling serious social issues. The Logie award winning series was the highest rating to screen on the Seven Network in 2008, and the show has consistently been among the top 5 shows of the year throughout its run in Australia. It was announced in TV Week that the sixth season of Packed to the Rafters would be the last, with Hugh Sheridan stating: "It's emotional letting go of Rafters – for all of us. It was such an amazing chapter in Aussie TV. I'm really proud we all came back together to send it off." The two-hour series finale of Rafters aired on 2 July 2013, which saw the return of Hugh Sheridan, Jessica Marais, Ryan Corr, Jessica McNamee and James Stewart. Rebecca Gibney said, "The cast, writers and producers have always said that we wanted to keep Rafters as one of the most-watched shows on TV. If we ever felt like we were losing too many cast members, we needed to end it on a high. We can say season six winds up an aspect of the Rafter family and there is a sense of finality to it."
Specials
1 Episode
Season 1
2008
22 Episodes
3.5/5
The first season of Packed to the Rafters, an Australian drama television series, began airing on 26 August 2008 on the Seven Network. The season concluded on 24 March 2009 after 22 episodes. The first season aired Tuesdays at 8:30 pm in Australia and averaged 1,904,364 viewers. The season was released on DVD as a six disc set under the title of Packed to the Rafters: The Complete Season 1 on 2 December 2009. The first season begins as Julie and Dave Rafter are over the moon when their last remaining child finally leaves home. But what happens when the rest of the family suddenly returns to the next? Less than 48 hours after their middle son Ben moves himself next door, all dreams of freedom are put on hold as one by one their youngest son Nathan and his princess wife Sammy, their troubled eldest daughter Rachel, and Julie's emotionally vulnerable father Ted all return to the family home. Plenty of drama, lots of laughs and a few tears ensue as the Rafters must learn to live under the same roof once again.
Season 2
2009
22 Episodes
3.5/5
The second season of Packed to the Rafters, an Australian drama television series, began airing on 30 June 2009 on the Seven Network. The season concluded on 24 November 2009 after 22 episodes. The second season aired Tuesdays at 8:30 pm in Australia and averaged 1,881,000 viewers. The season was released on DVD as a six disc set under the title of Packed to the Rafters: The Complete Season 2 on 3 November 2010. The second season follows Julie and Dave Rafter through comic highs and soul-searching lows as they prepare for the unplanned but no-less welcome addition to their family of their new baby. We also explore the heart warming arrival into the Rafters world of Dave's birth mother Chel, opening in the process the door to further family revelations. We follow the tumultuous upheavals in the lives of all three Rafter children. Rachel embarks on a promising if-at-first feisty relationship with the cute young electrician who's begun working with her dad. Ben continues his determined pursuit of housemate Melissa's hand in marriage. Nathan, in seeking new career challenges in the music business, struggles to resist strong temptations that may well signal the end of his young marriage.
Season 3
2010
22 Episodes
3.6/5
The third season of Packed to the Rafters, an Australian drama television series, began airing on 29 June 2010 on the Seven Network. The season concluded on 16 November 2010 after 22 episodes. The third season aired Tuesdays at 8:30 pm in Australia and averaged 1,894,000 viewers. The season was released on DVD as a six disc set under the title of Packed to the Rafters: The Complete Season 3 on 20 April 2011. The third season follows the Rafters as they adjust to life with a new baby and face their toughest test yet, the sudden and tragic loss of a loved one. For Julie and Dave, there's the financial stress of being a one-income family, the sense of being pulled in a hundred directions by the needs of their adult children, and the strain placed on their marriage as the stress and exhaustion of caring for a baby takes hold. Rachel, the eldest Rafter child, struggles to find balance between her high-flying new job and her relationship with Jake; Ben, recently and blissfully married to Melissa, is trying for kids until a heartbreaking accident shatters his world; and Nathan is agonisingly estranged and ultimately divorced from his wife Sammy. Add to the mix, new family members Coby and Dave's father, Tom, and life for the Rafters has never been more packed.
Season 4
2011
22 Episodes
3.6/5
The fourth season of Packed to the Rafters, an Australian drama television series, began on 8 February 2011 on the Seven Network. The season concluded on 20 March 2012 after 22 episodes. Season four traces the family's fortunes as they attempt to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of Melissa's death. Strong family bonds ensure that traumatised Ben receives warm support as he takes his first steps back into the work-force. Slowly he learns to smile again, embracing a newfound interest in gardening and a growing friendship with his boss's daughter Emma, which might hold the promise of something more. There are further love issues in the Karandonis household, with Carbo and Retta choosing to elope rather than face the comic extravagance of a Karandonis wedding. Julie and Dave, meanwhile, are forced to deal with the consequences for Rachel and Jake of a dangerous accusation flung at him by a drunken woman on a rugby weekend away. Rachel's feelings for Jake are tested to the limit, especially when her boss throws into the confusing mix the chance of a lifetime to work in New York. The Rafters also wrestle with the unexpected arrival of new family members, not the least being the release from prison of Dave's father, Tom. Tom's never quite predictable manipulations ultimately force Dave to take a heart-breaking stand, and cause him to initially misjudge the intentions of his half-brother, Matt. Julie meanwhile finds a new best friend in Donna, though their initial exchanges are hilariously unpromising. Meanwhile Nathan is searching for new direction in his life and his desire to travel forces Julie and Dave to undertake some soul-searching of their own. Ted is also keen to find a greater purpose, mentoring a troubled twelve-year-old boy.