Last night’s season finale of ‘Love/Hate’ may not have unfolded according to plan for every character, but RTÉ was today celebrating its highest ratings yet for the Dublin gangland drama yet – with over one million viewers tuning in for the climactic episode.
An average of 1,007,500 viewers watched the sixth and final instalment of an all-too brief season, representing an audience share of 54% - which broke the previous record set by the season premiere of 971,000 viewers.
‘Love/Hate’ Producer Suzanne McAuley spoke to IFTN today, to share her thoughts on the finale, plans for season five, and the imminent US remake - which is presently in the closing stages of negotiation.
Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn’t watched the season four finale yet, as the discussion touches upon its closing scenes.
Ms McAuley, how gratifying is it, after all your hard work, for the season finale to achieve the show’s highest ratings yet?
It’s incredible! We are absolutely thrilled to have broken the one million on live viewership. Our audience and fans have been incredibly supportive. Looking back on series one, there was no way we could have predicted this. Of course we hoped the show would be a success, but this is phenomenal. It’s greatly encouraging as we are currently developing series five. Ron Burgundy’s viral was an added bonus on Saturday. That was awesome!
What were some of the biggest challenges in producing season four, in terms of splitting the focus between Nidge’s gang and the Gardaí for the first time?
Series four was a huge challenge for Stuart. He needed to bring the story into a new direction - to let it grow. Introducing the cops and new characters added a whole new dimension to the show , all the time trying to build on the success of series three. It was a lot of pressure for us and we all felt it. But it worked!
Did you think it was risky, from a creative point of view, to have Nidge get away with it at the end of season four? And do you think he will ever get his comeuppance?
Did Nidge get away with it? In one way he did, but psychologically… Hmmm!
Is it true that Stuart Carolan is currently writing season five and can you tell us a little about his plans at this early stage? Is there anything you would like to see in a fifth season?
Yes, Stuart is writing series five at present. We are in constant dialogue about where the story is going and what I can say is that we are more confident with the show and we have agreed to push ourselves even more next year, you know, to really ‘go for it’. Other than that, my lips are sealed.
Do you have any update on the US deal for an American network to remake the show? Have you been approached to become involved in the remake?
I expect there will be an announcement soon. James Flynn (Octagon) and RTÉ are at the final stages of negotiation to close the deal. No, I have not been approached to be involved. For now, I will concentrate on making series five!
‘Love/Hate’ season four is now released on DVD, along with a box set containing all four seasons.
