10 crucial moves Neighbours must make before the end

 Show bosses are plotting a memorable farewell.

It's been an emotional week for Neighbours fans after it was revealed that Amazon has chosen not to renew the show beyond the current two-year deal. This means the show will, once again, end later this year.

Neighbours' unique situation: having aired its 'final episode' in 2022, making an unlikely return in 2023, and now ending again in 2025, has created an odd sense of déjà vu for viewers. Few programmes get enough notice to wrap up plots and provide closure for their characters once, never mind do it twice.

Neighbours boss Jason Herbison has already promised a finale that will be "a little bit" different than the show's 2022 ending, but as we look ahead to the soap's final months, here's our list of 10 things Neighbours must do before its final farewell.

1. Ditch the famous guest stars

There's no denying that Neighbours had to make a few tweaks to its formula as part of the revival. As one of the flagship programmes on Amazon's Freevee streaming service, the show was given a huge international platform to take advantage of.

While Neighbours would've been foolish to ignore that opportunity, it has felt like we've been treated to a long list of guest stars in an attempt to appeal to US viewers. With Reece, Heath, Yaz and Fallon to name a few – Americans with dodgy agendas have been flocking to Erinsborough in their droves.

This is not a criticism of any of the actors involved, but with such limited time left, we hope the revolving door of guests permanently closes.

2. Focus on the regular characters we're invested in

While we would argue that Neighbours' initial finale really was the perfect blend, one slight criticism was that due to the overwhelming number of returnees, some of the regular cast got a little bit lost in the shuffle.

It's a difficult tightrope to walk for Neighbours – audiences want nostalgia, and indeed, it was the press attention surrounding some of those returnees (even though not all of them had dialogue…) that led to the bumper ratings of the 2022 finale and potentially played a part in the show's return.

We absolutely want to see some returnees in the show's final months – few soaps honour their history quite like Neighbours. However, it shouldn't come at the expense of the talented cast that we will have spent the last two years watching, and are invested in.

3. Give Aaron a happy ending

One of the biggest challenges Neighbours faced with its return was having to undo the happy endings set up in the finale, and nowhere is that more evident than in the case of Aaron Brennan and David Tanaka.

Neighbours took a brave swing by bringing the popular couple back – only to kill David mere months later. The dark scenes surrounding David's death were not only some of the finest of the revival, but some of the greatest in the programme's history.

Fans have witnessed Aaron grieve for his beloved 'Boo' and make his first tentative steps at finding love again. So, whether it be with Rhett or someone new, Aaron deserves to find true happiness after facing the ultimate tragedy.

4. Reunite Wendy and Andrew

One fantastic bonus of the revival was that it provided us the opportunity to fall in love with the Rodwells. The family was properly introduced in the final months of the show's original run, and their time was cut short by the cancellation. Despite that, it was clear they had potential.

We've loved watching the relationship between Wendy and Andrew, and it's been sad to see their marriage face a major hurdle. Wendy and Andrew are currently separated-but-not-quite, as they have taken some time out to find themselves.

Hopefully Neighbours doesn't keep us waiting too long before the characters reunite, and these two are quickly back to their best – with each other.

5. Focus on the Varga-Murphys

Neighbours made a bold choice in introducing a brand-new family as the revival kicked off. New families can be hit or miss, with some never catching on with fans, but thankfully, Cara, Remi, JJ and Dex quickly hushed all doubters.

The characters' gradual rise to prominence gave us all a chance to fall in love with them and it's fair to say the revival would be much weaker without their presence.

The family had years' worth of story potential ahead of them and it's hard not to feel robbed at what could've been. Let's hope Neighbours make the most of the time that's left.

Related: Neighbours axed – Why Amazon's revival still captivates devastated UK fans

6. Have Terese and Paul remarry

After Terese Willis and Paul Robinson reunited in the final episode, few could've guessed that Neighbours' big return would feature the wedding of Terese and Toadie Rebecchi.

Love the twist or hate it, everyone knew Terese and Paul would eventually find their way back to each other – and the characters reunited in the final week of 2024.

We hope this means the on-off nature of the relationship is in the past, and the couple get to show a united front in the coming months. Particularly as the threat of Chelsea looms…

The fantastic chemistry between Stefan Dennis and Rebekah Elmaloglou has spanned a whopping 12 years of the show's run, and it's only fitting that Terese becomes the final Mrs Robinson.

7. Bring back Libby

Don't get us wrong, we love all the Kennedy offspring, but we can't deny there is something extra special about that bond between Karl, Susan and Libby. We were delighted to see Kym Valentine briefly reprise her role for a video message in the previous finale, but surely it's time for Libby to return to the Street?

While we've argued that returnee overkill should be avoided, Libby is such a popular character, with so many memorable moments under her belt, that it would be a shame not to see her reunited with her parents one final time.

Could Libby, alongside a new partner and some stepkids, rock up to deliver some old-fashioned family chaos at Number 28?

8. Bring in the Linwell brothers

Oft-talked about, never witnessed – ask any die-hard viewer and they will tell you of the brothers who popped up in regular conversation between Cara and Remi for months on end.

The duo initially targeted Cara when she reported them for unsafe work practices prior to arriving in Ramsay Street, and the Varga-Murphys later faced a potential anthrax threat once the Linwells became aware of their new home.

Despite all this, the Linwells have remained completely unseen. While we're not advocating for dodgy guest villains to dominate screen time, Chekhov's Linwell brothers must surely grace our screens before the end.

9. Some happiness for Holly

Deceitful love interests, multiple kidnaps, and a constant fear for her life – Holly Hoyland has racked up a lot of trauma since she returned to Erinsborough. Lucinda Armstrong Hall has proven to be one of the revival's strongest performers, but we think it's time Holly got some happiness.

Enter Max Ramsay. The newcomer has recently developed feelings for Holly, but she stopped the blossoming relationship in its tracks because of his dodgy past. Could Max be the guy who finally treats Holly with the love and respect she deserves?

Neighbours is famed for its iconic 'young love' romances and arguably, a proper slow burn love story has been one thing missing from the revival. Holly and Max have the potential to be a fantastic couple in that mould – and bonus points for the potential Izzy reaction!

10. Make use of the wider Erinsborough community

Neighbours has a much smaller cast than many of its fellow soap operas but despite this, has always had a vibrant, warm and cross-generational sense of community.

Despite some viewers wishing that Eirini Rising would burn to the ground, it has admittedly been a fantastic opportunity to provide comedy through interactions between the gang of older residents such as Vera, Gino, Hilary and Moira.

If we're waving goodbye to Erinsborough, let us remember it as the warm, welcoming place it's always been – with plenty of laughs.

So, although Neighbours has a lot to live up to in rivalling the programme's 'final' months in 2022, we have hope the team will deliver the perfect blend and a final run worthy of the show's 40 year legacy.