More than 1.5 million viewers tuned in for the last episode of Packed to the Rafters series.

Packed to the Rafters premiered on August 26, 2008. It has approximately 2 million viewers watching the episode. It was a hit among Australian viewers. The second episode even had more than 2 million viewers. With that,the Rafters became a television blockbuster.

The early success of the show was a reflection on how much the viewers can relate to the storyline-empty-nesting parents Dave and Julie faces the prospect of their children moving back into their home. At that time, there were a lot of families that were experiencing financial problems due to the bad economy.

Its first season was a big success as it has 1.9 million viewers. It was also the most watched television show in Australia. For the second to fourth season, it had an average of 1.8 million viewers. However, in its fifth season it has slid down to 1.3 million viewers. This year, only more than 1 million viewers watched the series.

How can we say that a show is successful or not? Does it have something to do with the final episode ratings or with the premiere episode ratings? In the United States, farewell episodes are blockbuster because the American audience is quite sentimental. In Australia, the most watched events in television are sporting events as well as series premieres. Australian viewers tend to prefer to say hello than bid goodbye.

Rafters is being cancelled even though it still has 1 million viewers each episode. Rather than suffering low ratings in the next season, Rafters series would like to say goodbye while they are still on top.

Several members of the cast returned for the final episode. It was truly an episode that everybody as was hoped it would be. However, the producer said that he has not ruled out a return in some way.