Mischa Barton Joins the Cast of Neighbours for the New Season
Fans of the hit teen drama The OC may want to consider moving to the fictional Australian town of Erinsborough as Mischa Barton joins the cast of the long-running soap opera Neighbours. The US star, best known for her portrayal of Marissa Cooper in the 00s drama, has been confirmed as a guest star for the new season of the show, which will air on Amazon Freevee. Barton expressed her excitement about being part of the iconic show’s next chapter and returning to Australia, a place she knows and loves.
Jason Herbison, the executive producer of Neighbours, expressed his delight at having an actor of Barton’s calibre join the show. He described her character as dynamic and unpredictable and said that she would have an instant presence on Ramsay Street, the show’s fictional setting. Herbison is confident that Neighbours’ loyal viewers will love Barton, both locally and abroad.
Barton’s casting was announced on the first day of filming for the new season in Melbourne. Fans of the show were thrilled to see some of their favourite characters return to the set, including Alan Fletcher as Dr Karl Kennedy, Stefan Dennis as Paul Robinson, and Annie Jones as “Plain Jane Superbrain.”
Neighbours first aired more than 30 years ago and came to a close in July 2022 with a “farewell episode.” The finale brought back numerous stars whose careers were kickstarted by the show, including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Margot Robbie, and Guy Pearce. Despite the show’s ratings on UK distributor Channel 5 slumping for 14 years, the finale generated an all-time ratings high of 3 million viewers in the UK.
Just three months after the show supposedly ended for good, Neighbours was resurrected by Amazon Freevee. However, some cast members, including Guy Pearce, mocked the move. Pearce called it “a painful reminder that the things we love can be snatched away, never to return … unless Amazon comes in to save the day and makes our finale look like a rather expensive exercise.” He also joked that Margot Robbie should return the crate of champagne she reportedly sent the show’s producers. Amazon denies that it had plans in place to reboot the show before the finale aired.
The new season of Neighbours promises to be an exciting one with Mischa Barton joining the cast. Fans of the show can look forward to seeing her dynamic and unpredictable character on Ramsay Street later this year.
