From Prisoner to Wentworth: how an Australian TV story evolved – An Australian women’s prison drama that began in 1979 is still changing shape. Prisoner established the world; Wentworth reimagined it for a later generation; and Wentworth: Halfway Home now asks what happens when a familiar inmate walks beyond the gates.
The next chapter premieres on Monday 7 December 2026 on BINGE and Foxtel. That makes this a timely moment to look at the link between three related productions, while keeping the new series distinct from the original Prisoner and the completed Wentworth.
Prisoner created the foundation
Prisoner began in 1979 and made a women’s correctional setting part of Australian television history. Its characters, power struggles and institutional setting offered a dramatic world that later creators could revisit, even as television storytelling and audience expectations changed.
The connection is a lineage rather than one uninterrupted series. Wentworth did not simply continue the original episodes; it took recognisable character names and ideas back to an earlier point and built a new version of the story.
Wentworth rebuilt the story for a new era
When Wentworth premiered in 2013, Screen Australia described it as a modern reimagining of Prisoner. It began with Bea Smith arriving at the prison, placing viewers at the start of her experience rather than assuming they knew the earlier programme.
The series developed its own long-running identity over eight seasons. Foxtel says it reached more than 170 territories, turning an Australian reworking of a local classic into an international export.
Among the characters who emerged from that run was Susan “Boomer” Jenkins, played by Katrina Milosevic. Nicole da Silva’s Franky Doyle and Kate Box’s Lou Kelly also became part of the ensemble. Their return links the next show to the Wentworth continuity.
Halfway Home moves beyond the prison
Wentworth: Halfway Home follows a newly paroled Boomer as she tries to gain custody of her daughter and build a life outside. The halfway-house setting shifts the central question from surviving an institution to living with the consequences of leaving it.
That move is a meaningful change for the franchise. It gives the returning characters a shared history, but a different set of daily pressures and relationships. For viewers who watched Wentworth, it is a continuation of Boomer’s story; for newer viewers, the premise offers a clear entry point.
Watch the Wentworth: Halfway Home trailer
The official trailer introduces the new setting and the returning characters. It also makes clear why the series is being presented as a new chapter rather than a ninth season of Wentworth.
The first episode streams from 1pm AEDT on 7 December on BINGE and Foxtel On Demand, with weekly episodes to follow. Foxtel’s Showcase channel also has premiere-day screenings.
Read TV Central’s trailer and premiere coverage for the full viewing schedule. Foxtel has official Australian premiere details.