A study shows that fans experience grief and loss after the cancellation of beloved shows like “Neighbours.”
When the Australian soap opera “Neighbours” was canceled in 2022 after 37 years on air, it wasn’t just the end of a TV show—it marked a cultural loss. The characters and familiar setting of the fictitious suburb were taken away, leaving fans with a feeling of emptiness. To understand this phenomenon, Adam Gerace, a senior psychology lecturer at Central Queensland University, surveyed nearly 1,300 Australians to gauge their emotional response to the series’ end.
Gerace discovered that fans treated the show’s conclusion as if they were losing a close friend. Their reactions were not simply disappointment but deep feelings of grief, similar to those experienced when mourning a loved one. This insight, part of a study published in PLOS One, highlighted the intensity of the emotional bonds formed between viewers and the show. Gerace’s survey asked participants about emotions such as anger, sadness, and the difficulty of accepting the show’s end.
The study also explored whether fans felt closure or gratitude for the time spent with the series. Gerace found that while many viewers struggled to come to terms with the show ending, they felt immense gratitude for the connections the show had given them—connections with characters, lifestyles, and fellow fans. However, despite this, they reported feeling a lack of closure, with some struggling to accept the series’ cancellation.
A central aspect of the research was the concept of a “parasocial breakup,” a term coined to describe the distress fans feel when a parasocial relationship—one-sided connections with TV characters—ends. This was the same measure used in earlier studies on fan reactions to the ending of “Friends.” Fans of “Neighbours” who experienced the most grief were those who had strong emotional connections with their favorite characters. They could imagine the characters’ thoughts and emotions, feeling joy when the characters were happy and concern when they faced adversity.
This phenomenon extends beyond TV shows, Gerace noted. People may experience similar feelings of loss after finishing a book series or completing a video game. “Neighbours” was particularly impactful due to its long-running cultural significance in Australia. Many fans had watched it for decades, and it had become an integral part of their daily routine, with the average viewer watching about five episodes a week.
Dara Greenwood, an associate professor of psychology at Vassar College, explained that the profound grief felt by fans may stem from the length of time they had spent with the show. The longer a viewer engages with a series, the stronger the emotional connection becomes. These bonds, Greenwood suggested, are more likely to become embedded in daily life, making the loss feel all the more significant.