Wentworth may have been inspired by female jail drama Prisoner but it is on track to be on air longer than the show that spawned it. Prisoner ran from 1979-86, Wentworth started in 2013 and will end in 2021. However, while Wentworth was a “re-imagining” of Prisoner, and borrowed characters including Bea Smith, Joan “The Freak” Ferguson, Vera Bennett and Lizzie Birdsworth, it quickly forged its own identity.

It now airs in over 15o countries and screens on Netflix in the US.

It is Wentworth’s graphic, violent scenes, intense storylines and LGBTQ characters that have created a fiercely loyal fanbase.
“People tell me they watch Wentworth episodes and they have to sit on their couch afterwards and take a break,” Leah Purcell, who plays Rita Connors (another Prisoner character rebooted) says.

“That’s what you want.

You want good drama that moves people, whether you hate or love a character, if you feel something you’ve done your job.”

The fanbase is so loyal that when the show was planned to end in 2018 after season seven, fans got wind of the decision before it was announced (a loose-lipped actor also let it slip during a TV interview) and determined to save their favourite show.
Fans not only started a #savewent-worth campaign on social media, there were claims one diehard viewer flew a drone over the show’s Melbourne set to see if the outdoor jail area had been disassembled. (more…)