25 years later, the story is not over
For a generation of Australian viewers, McLeod’s Daughters was more than just a television drama.
It was Drovers Run, the sweeping South Australian landscape, the women who built lives on the land, the complicated family relationships and the romances and heartbreaks that kept viewers coming back.
Now, 25 years after the series first premiered, that world is officially returning.
Nine has announced that McLeod’s Daughters will come back as a Stan Original, marking a new chapter for one of Australia’s most beloved rural dramas.
A very different home for an old favourite
The original McLeod’s Daughters aired from 2001 and ran for eight seasons, becoming a major success for Nine.
The new series will instead make its home on Stan, Nine’s streaming platform, as part of its 2027 content slate.
Produced by Werner Film Productions, the new series will build on the world created by Posie Graeme-Evans and the original show’s 224 episodes.
Nine has not yet revealed exactly when the new series will premiere, nor has it announced the full cast or detailed storyline.
That leaves one big question hanging over the return: what will Drovers Run look like a quarter of a century later?
The original became part of Australian television history
When McLeod’s Daughters first arrived in 2001, it introduced viewers to sisters Claire and Tess McLeod and a group of women navigating family, love, loss and life on the land.
The series went on to run for 224 episodes and collect nine TV WEEK Logie Awards.
Its emotional moments became just as memorable as its rural setting.
Among the most devastating was Claire McLeod’s death in 2003, after her car went over a cliff — a storyline that became one of the defining moments of the series.
For fans, the characters were never simply part of a television show. Their relationships, reunions and losses became part of the emotional fabric of the series.
And the original stars know why it still matters
Bridie Carter, who played Tess McLeod, has welcomed the return and believes the heart of the story remains relevant.
Speaking to TV WEEK, Carter pointed to the show’s themes of family, resilience and the ups and downs of life — ideas that can continue to resonate regardless of how much the world changes.
She also suggested that the new series has plenty of possibilities because so much time has passed.
The characters have changed. Their lives have moved forward. And there is potentially another generation to explore.
As Carter put it, there are now “offspring” as well as new characters and an entirely different world around them.
A new generation could inherit Drovers Run
That passage of time may ultimately be the most intriguing part of the reboot.
Nine and Stan have described the new series as continuing the world of McLeod’s Daughters, while acknowledging that a great deal has happened since audiences last visited Drovers Run.
The official announcement says the new story will explore the continuing challenges of life on the land, alongside love, connection and the experiences of strong and resilient women in the modern world.
It means the reboot does not have to simply recreate the past.
Instead, it has the opportunity to ask what happened to that world — and who might now be carrying its story forward.
One familiar face is already cheering it on
Myles Pollard, who played Tess’s husband Nick Ryan in the original series, has also expressed enthusiasm about the revival.
His simple reaction captures the feeling surrounding the announcement: “The show will live on!”
Whether that means familiar faces will eventually appear remains unknown.
For now, Nine and Stan are keeping the details closely guarded.
The legacy has travelled far beyond Australia
The return comes as McLeod’s Daughters continues to attract audiences long after its original run.
The series is currently available in more than 200 territories around the world and was recently ranked sixth in a readers’ list of Australia’s top television shows of the past 70 years.
The original eight seasons are also available to stream on Stan, allowing a new generation to discover Drovers Run before the new chapter arrives.
The gates are opening again
For those who grew up with Claire, Tess, Nick and the women of Drovers Run, the announcement carries a powerful sense of nostalgia.
But this time, the story will not simply be about returning to the past.
Twenty-five years have passed. The world has changed, the characters have had time to grow, and a new generation may now have its own connection to the land.
And somewhere beyond those familiar gates, Drovers Run is waiting to tell another story.