The ‘90s soap opera Chances has one of the most curious evolutions in Australian television history. Originally following a middle-class family whose lives are transformed by winning three million dollars, it was an immediate critical and ratings flop. The Nine Network was forced to continue the show due to contractual obligations, and it took advantage of a new late-night slot to swerve into the supernatural.

The bizarre, Lynchian title sequence shows the tonal madness that arose from this new identity. Shots of cast members like Jeremy Sims, Michael Caton and Mercia Deane-Johns (who have the longest run on the show) fade into flashes of ominously lit figures, kidnappings and steamy sex. The original intent of the series remains, represented by a spinning roulette wheel. But the montage makes it clear that storylines about ghosts, neo-Nazis, carnivorous plants and scheming triads were now par for the course.

Chances, which aired between January 1991 and December 1992, eventually gained cult status for its provocative edge. By chance, the unusual genre-busting, frank portrayal of adult themes made it a unique feature of the Australian television landscape.

Sims later directed his Chances co-star Michael Caton in the leading roles of feature films Last Cab to Darwin (2015) and Rams (2018).