Rebecca Gibney on set of Packed to the Rafters. Picture: Rohan Kelly / Source: Herald Sun
Colin Vickery, The Herald Sun, reports
Is the Packed to the Rafters phenomenon on the wane?
Last night’s episode of the popular Aussie drama was seen by 1.482 million viewers nationally.
It comes after last week’s return episodes were seen by 1.439 million and 1.247 million viewers – some of the lowest ever figures for the show.
Rafters still easily won its time slot, but with figures that were well off the 2 million viewers it averaged in its heyday.
Media analyst Steve Allen says Rafters, which stars Rebecca Gibney, Erik Thomson and Hugh Sheridan, is “faded but not fallen”.
“This has lost some of its gloss,” Mr Allen said.
It is possible that Rafters has suffered a viewer backlash. People were angry last year when Seven stopped the show early to make way for Winners & Losers.
Seven only showed 15 episodes of Rafters in 2011.
Rafters has also been hit by the loss of Logie-winning actress Jessica Marais, who quit to take up acting opportunities in the USA.
Jessica McNamee, currently being seen in US movie The Vow, and Zoe Ventoura also left the show.
Rafters dropped from Seven’s 7.30pm show My Kitchen Rules, which averaged 1.682 million viewers nationally last night.
Rival shows Two and a Half Men (706,000) and 671,000) and NCIS (847,000) languished.
Mr Allen predicts that the Rafters will bounce back, though perhaps not to the 2 million mark.
“Packed to the Rafters is under attack but we feel the programme will recover lost ground in the next few weeks.”
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