Punishment is a 1981 Australian television soap opera produced by the Reg Grundy Organization for the Ten Network. The programme, set in a fictional men's jail, sought to depict a male equivalent of the popular soap Prisoner. Attempts by the show's creators to differentiate the series from Prisoner saw Punishment injected with deeper reality; but, the formula did not draw high viewing statistics. After only three episodes, Network Ten declared the new series a flop, and it was swiftly withdrawn from the schedules. Later that year, the remaining 26 episodes were telecast outside of ratings. The series was shot with a single camera, which was unusual for a soap opera. Many well-known Australian performers appeared on the regular cast, including Brian Wenzel, Barry Crocker, Michael Preston, Ross Thompson, Anne Haddy, George Spartels, Cornelia Frances, Lisa Peers, and Julie McGregor. In the first episode, Mel Gibson portrayed a prisoner. Kris McQuade played Gibson's character's girlfriend and was phased out of the series after the first few episodes due to Gibson's departure. Alan Coleman produced and directed the show.
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Punishment is a 1981 Australian television soap opera produced by the Reg Grundy Organization for the Ten Network. The programme, set in a fictional men's jail, sought to depict a male equivalent of the popular soap Prisoner. Attempts by the show's creators to differentiate the series from Prisoner saw Punishment injected with deeper reality; but, the formula did not draw high viewing statistics. After only three episodes, Network Ten declared the new series a flop, and it was swiftly withdrawn from the schedules. Later that year, the remaining 26 episodes were telecast outside of ratings. The series was shot with a single camera, which was unusual for a soap opera. Many well-known Australian performers appeared on the regular cast, including Brian Wenzel, Barry Crocker, Michael Preston, Ross Thompson, Anne Haddy, George Spartels, Cornelia Frances, Lisa Peers, and Julie McGregor. In the first episode, Mel Gibson portrayed a prisoner. Kris McQuade played Gibson's character's girlfriend and was phased out of the series after the first few episodes due to Gibson's departure. Alan Coleman produced and directed the show.
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