episodes back to back, securing the highest ratings once again. The programme continued to fare well with ratings in the following weeks. However the ratings for episode seven indicated that Winners and Losers had lost over four hundred thousand viewers. Though it was considered a ratings success and is among the twelve most watched programmes in Australia. On 5 July 2011, Seven announced that it had renewed Winners & Losers for a second season in 2012. Filming for the new season began on 23 August 2011 and Lee said viewers would see big changes. He told the Herald Sun's Colin Vickery, "We turn the girls' lives on their heads in a pretty major way in the final episode (of series one). That will give us a new launching pad for season two." Filming on the second season was completed on 5 April 2012. The second season began airing from 26 June 2012. Seven renewed Winners & Losers for a third season on 7 August 2012. Production on the third series began in September and the actors began filming the following month. Seven's head of drama, Julie McGauran commented "2013 is going to be a landmark year for Channel Seven's drama department. Our drama slate is at full capacity with the return of Winners & Losers as well as Packed to the Rafters, Home and Away and the new drama A Place to Call Home." The third season began airing from 9 July 2013. The show was renewed for a fourth season, with production beginning in early 2014. The show was renewed for a fifth season on 3 December 2014. The Seven Network confirmed that the fifth season would also be the last. Reception Critical response Jim Schembri of The Sydney Morning Herald praised the series branding it a "fresh, brightly coloured, high-end soap." He deemed its characters as "some of the most engaging" roles on television. A columnist of The Advertiser attributed the show's success to its time slot and "creative force Bevan Lee." A columnist for The Age empathised with the good response the programme generated. They said the series had "powerful themes of friendship, karma and justice for the underdog", which were portrayed in a subtle tone in comparison to other programmes. They branded it "an engaging hour of television" due to inclusion on comedy and a "large cast of lively characters." However they noted some of the