1 9 9 4 – 1 9 9 9 (Australia)
210 x episodes
This teenage drama set in Hartley High School – a (fictional) rough multi-racial inner-city high school in Sydney, Australia – skilfully combined the hip and the gritty (something like an Oz version of Byker Grove).
The Network Ten series was based on a 1993 movie called The Heartbreak Kid, with Alex Dimitriades reprising his lead film role.
Showing teens facing universal problems – sex, alcohol, love and loss – Heartbreak High often took a realistic tone where plot points and crises could not be neatly wrapped up at the end of each episode.
After the students graduated, the show continued to follow them, with the school setting switching to focus on the Poulos family and the Shark Pool hang out.
Heartbreak High did very well in the ratings battle down-under, attracting 70% of the youth audience in Australia.
Original music for the series was composed by Todd Hunter (sometimes in partnership with Johanna Pigott), best known as a member of rock group Dragon.
The series also featured Australian artists including Baby Animals, Died Pretty, Hoodoo Gurus, and INXS.
Nick Poulos
Alex Dimitriades
Jodie Cooper
Abi Tucker
Peter Rivers
Scott Major
Costa ‘Con’ Bordino
Salvatore Coco
Matt Logan
Vince Poletto
Kurt Peterson
Jeremy Lindsay Taylor
Bogdan Drazic
Callan Mulvey
Anita Scheppers
Lara Cox
Danielle Miller
Emma Roche
Katerina Ioannou
Ada Nicodemou
Ryan Scheppers
Rel Hunt
Sam Robinson
Kym Wilson
Stella Ioannou
Peta Toppano
Vic Morris
Ernie Dingo
Maria Costello
Elaine Lee
Jeff Scheppers
Andrew McFarlane
Phil North
Peter Phelps
Suzie Miller
Belinda Giblin
Karen Cooper
Joy Smithers
Jack Tran
Tai Nguyen
Ruby
Jan Adele
