"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. Young heiress Sara Stanley (Sarah Polley) is sent by her wealthy father to live with her two aunts, Hetty and Olivia King, and her cousins.
When Sullivan Entertainment announced they were ending "Road to Avonlea" after its seventh season in 1997, 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 child actors. 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 begins, and the tranquil little town of Avonlea is changed forever.
April 8, 2010: It appears that season 3 and 4 of "Emily of New Moon" are slated to be released in June. I've added links on the "Anne and Emily" page to preorder at Amazon.com. Also, I haven't heard any news yet of any more "Road To Avonlea" hi-def DVD re-releases. Let's keep our fingers crossed for the rest of the series.
December 30, 2009: I have added season guides for the first two seasons of "Emily of New Moon". You can find a link to them via the Emily section of the "Anne and Emily" page. I'll shortly add seasons 3 and 4. Also, I'm planning on reformatting the Avonlea episode guides too.
November 28, 2009: I ordered the first two season boxsets of the hi-def, remastered "Road To Avonlea". Each season is spread over four DVDs, and held snuggly in a compact cardboard case. Needless to say, the show has never looked better. Images still have noticeable edge enhancement, but are much sharper and are less grainy. The letterboxing gives scenes a more cinematic feel and exterior shots are gorgeous to gaze upon. There is some cropping, particularly noticeable on interior scenes, and cast member close-ups. Finally, the DVDs offer closed captioning (no subtitles) that can be accessed via your tv features. I'm looking forward to the rest of the seasons to get the same treatment.
Season 2 of "Emily of New Moon" is due out on 12/29/09. I have added a link on the "Anne and Emily" page (it's the second one in the Emily section). The DVD boxset will retail for $19.95 and feature all 13 episodes from the second season.
October 7, 2009: Welcome to www.thedefinitiveroadtoavonlea.com. The old Geocities site (http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/2924/) was closed down so please update any links you have with this new location.
What do you think about the site?
Please send me your comments, suggestions and/or report any dead links or errors to: definitiveavonlea@hotmail.com
Site last modified on: July 4, 2010
No copyright infringement intended.