Created by Ben Gannon and Michael Jenkins, this long-running Australian continuing drama was a spinoff of the stage play Heartbreak High and its motion-picture derivation The Heartbreak Kid (1993). Set in a tough inner-city neighborhood, the series detailed the lives, loves, and problems of the students and faculty of Hartley High. Though aimed at youngsters, the series managed to sustain an aura of realism, dealing with such hot-potato topics as sex, drugs, homelessness, and suicide. It has been said that at least 70 percent of all viewers under the age of 20 were tuned into the program during its six-year run. Debuting over Australia's 10 Network in 1994, Heartbreak High moved to ABC in 1997. By the time the series ran its course two years later, 210 50-minute episodes had been produced. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi