Seven Network aired the first episode as a 90-minute special in January 1982, during the Christmas/New Year non-ratings period, and the date of the final episode varied across Australia. There are 972 half-hour episodes, although during the series' original run, later episodes were shown in an hour-long format. No figures are available for how many of these longer episodes made up the show's run. The series was broadcast on the Seven Network, initially (in Sydney and Melbourne) four days a week for half an hour at 19:00, but in later years, in two one-hour shows per week, and finally in one hour-long show per week, although this varied in different parts of Australia. "Sons and Daughters" became the highest-rated programme in its slot, and was the most watched Australian soap of the 1980s. The series eventually began to suffer from declining ratings, and was ultimately cancelled. During the 1990s the programme was repeated throughout Australia, usually in early-morning and daytime slots.