"Road to Avonlea" is a period drama television series based on the works of
Canadian writer Lucy Maud Montgomery, particularly her "Anne of Green Gables"
series. Set on Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) between 1903 to 1912 (and a Christmas special taking place December 1914), the series follows the
adventures and friendships of the residents in the quaint town of Avonlea. Produced by
Sullivan Entertainment, "Road to Avonlea" originally aired in 1990 and ran for
seven seasons, a total of 91 - 1 hour episodes. The show included an extensive cast with
several cameo appearances by famous actors/actresses, and claimed 15 Geminis, 3 Emmys and
4 CableAce awards along the way.
The End of a Series
When Sullivan Entertainment announced they were ending "Road to Avonlea" after
its seventh season, devoted fans were shocked. After all, the series gained
2.5 million viewers and was available in 140 countries. Why pull the plug on a show that
was such a hit? Sullivan responded with three relevant reasons. First, with nearly 100
episodes already produced, it was becoming increasingly difficult to write stories that
were both creative and original. Sullivan claimed that all possible plot and story
combinations had been used and any new episodes would risk being redundant. Second, the
cast grew up. When "Road to Avonlea" began, its primary focus was on the
adventures of its children actors/actresses. However, the series covered nine years and
its characters began to move on. Felix joins the Navy, Sara travels the world and Felicity
gets married. Towards the second half of the series, focus shifts to new additions to the
cast and other youths, such as Davey and Dora. Sullivan didn't want to keep replacing
older cast members with younger ones. Finally, the last episode takes place Summer 1912. In just a short time, World War I would start, and the tranquil little town of Avonlea would be changed irrevocably.
News and Information
January 19:
There is an Avonlea Petition here: Avonlea Petition. It petitions Sullivan Entertainment to make the series available on DVD and VHS, and release the REAL music score.
October 30: Not much new to report. One new link in "Links" page. No new videos have been released. Fortunately, all of the first two seasons are available, as well as most of third season, and several others. Find out what's on video on the Videos page.
October 1: Videoflicks now has the following tapes available: Story Girl Earns Her Name/Dreamer of Dreams, Family Rivalry/Blue Chest of Arabella King, Aunt Hetty's Ordeal/Conversions. You can find links to them on the Videos page.
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Please send me your comments and/or suggestions.
About Me: My name is Mark Sebring. I'm 29yo and I live in Seattle. I created this site because--at the time--I couldn't find a reliable source of information that adequately described the series. I will endeavor to update and improve this site, time permitting. Anyone who wishes to help may forward me ideas, images, stories, etc. and I will try to include them in the following pages.