Season 13
Blue Heelers’ thirteenth and final season premiered on the Seven Network on 1 April 2006, airing on Saturdays at 8:30 pm. The 11-episode arc wrapped on 4 June 2006 after the network canceled the series amid a sharp decline in ratings. During late 2005 renewal discussions, Seven commissioned eleven additional episodes to be produced, but the show’s future remained undecided. In January 2006, Seven officially announced the cancellation, but would broadcast a final shortened season of 11 episodes in mid-2006—the 11 episodes filmed in late 2005 prior to cancellation. The season centers on the series’ principal character, Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon, highlighting his deteriorating health and personal troubles. John Wood, who portrays Croydon, is the only actor to appear in every episode and stands as the pillar of the show. The final episode aired as a two-hour, movie-length tribute, opening with an introduction from Wood and concluding with a montage of Blue Heelers moments spanning the series’ 13-year run. For this season, Blue Heelers moved from its primetime Wednesday timeslot to the lower-rated Saturday night timeslot, competing with The Bill, a British police drama popular in Australia. Ratings were relatively low, around 1.2 million viewers, rising to about 1.5 million for the finale. The series failed to reach the top 20 programs at any point during its thirteenth season.
Cast & Crew
Episode Guide
Tom, who is not well and trying to hide it from his colleagues, reconnects with an old friend who has been caught shoplifting and discovers that he was attempting to please his ten-year-old daughter, who is dying from leukaemia. Tom continues to refuse to see a doctor. Alex is grappling with the idea of being a father, and his resolve is further shaken when his son Rory goes missing and is feared kidnapped by gunmen who have been shooting at uniformed police officers. In the end, the Heelers discover that the gunman was taking revenge on the police for the death of his son.