Home and Away is set in the fictional town of Summer Bay, a coastal town in New South Wales, and follows the personal and professional lives of the people living in the area. The show initially focused on the Fletcher family, Pippa and Tom Fletcher and their five foster children Frank Morgan, Carly Morris, Steven Matheson, Lynn Davenport and Sally Keating, who would go on to become one of the show's longest-running characters. The show also originally and currently focuses on the Stewart family. Home and Away had proved popular when it premiered in 1988 and had risen to become a hit in Australia, and after only a few weeks, the show tackled its first major and disturbing storyline, the rape of Carly Morris; it was one of the first shows to feature such storylines during the early timeslot. H&A has tackled many adult-themed and controversial storylines; something rarely found in its restricted timeslot.

Created by

Alan Bateman

Genres

Drama, Soap

Status

Returning Series

First aired

January 18, 1988

Last aired

October 22, 2026

Seasons

39

Episodes

8841

Episode length

22m

Language

English

Countries

Australia

Networks

Seven Network

Production

Seven Studios, Seven Network Operations, Red Heart Entertainment, Kepper Media