Netflix to Reboot Aussie Drama ‘Heartbreak High’

Netflix has ordered eight episodes of a new version of 1990s Australian teenage drama “Heartbreak High” for 2020, which ran for seven seasons. Set at a high school in a multicultural area of Sydney, the original series, which was spun-off from the 1993 Australian feature film “The Heartbreak Kid,” tacked issues like dating, politics, schoolyard racism and fractured households.

Fremantle and NewBe, a Dutch production company that owns the rights to “Heartbreak High,” brought the idea of the reboot to Netflix’s director of originals in Australia, Que Minh Luu, last year. The original series has been available on that platform since last month.

“We are delighted to work with our partners NewBe and Netflix to bring back such an iconic Australian series and take it global,” said Fremantle Australia Executive Producers Chris Oliver-Taylor and Carly Heaton. “We cannot wait to bring to Netflix audiences, young and old, a truly brilliant and unashamedly Australian reimagining of Heartbreak High.”

Added Que Minh Luu, Netflix’s Director of Originals in Australia: “We haven’t had a rebellious Australian YA series on screen since the original Heartbreak High, so this is well overdue. The new Heartbreak High is for young people in Australia today to feel seen – showcasing their stories, senses of humour and aesthetics to the world, and reminding everyone that they are much, much cooler than us. It’s also for the 90s kids, fans of the original series who remember what it’s like to feel understood by a TV show, then racking off. This Netflix show will be ours, and we can’t wait to get started.”