Wentworth season 8

The eighth and final season of Australian television drama series Wentworth, premiered on Fox Showcase on 28 July 2020. The twenty-episode final season has been divided into two parts; the first, titled Wentworth: Redemption, contains the first ten episodes (2020), while the second, titled Wentworth: The Final Sentence, includes the remaining ten episodes and commenced broadcast on 24 August 2021. The story picks up sometime following the siege at the end of the previous season where the prisoners and staff struggle to rebuild their lives as they struggle to cope in the aftermath. In season 8 Joan Ferguson returns, and it is explained how she escaped death after being buried alive by Will Jackson.

This season introduced four new main characters: Ann Reynolds (Jane Hall), Lou Kelly (Kate Box), Judy Bryant (Vivienne Awosoga), Reb Keane (Zoe Terakes), and special guest stars Marta Dusseldorp as Sheila Bausch and Tina Bursill as Eve Wilder.

Main

 * Leah Purcell as Rita Connors
 * Kate Jenkinson as Allie Novak
 * Katrina Milosevic as Susan "Boomer" Jenkins
 * Robbie J Magasiva as Governor Will Jackson
 * Bernard Curry as Jake Stewart
 * Rarriwuy Hick as Ruby Mitchell
 * Susie Porter as Marie Winter
 * Kate Box as Lou Kelly
 * Jane Hall as Ann Reynolds
 * Zoe Terakes as Reb Keane
 * Vivienne Awosoga as Judy Bryant
 * Kate Atkinson as Vera Bennett
 * Pamela Rabe as Joan Ferguson

Special guest

 * Marta Dusseldorp as Sheila Bausch
 * Tina Bursill as Eve Wilder
 * Gary Sweet as Dale Langdon

Recurring

 * David de Lautour as Dr. Greg Miller
 * Jacquie Brennan as Deputy Governor Linda Miles
 * Peter O'Brien as Tony Cockburn
 * Emily Havea as Mon Alson
 * Louisa Mignone as Zaina Saad
 * Alexandra Schepisi as Cynthia Rattray
 * Dion Mills as Joe Hoxon
 * Marco Chiappi as Liam Skinner
 * Tom Wren as Dominic Slade
 * Kevin Harrington as Officer Roberts
 * Alex Andreas as Detective Kanellis
 * Mereoni Vuki as Detective McKenner
 * Cecilia Low as Officer Deng
 * Nicholas Farnell as Detective Jones
 * Patrick Harvey as Detective Morelli
 * Cle Morgan as Carla Sturgess
 * Lana Williams as Kath Maxwell
 * Greg Fryer as Blair Mitchell

Production
Season eight of Wentworth went into production in October 2019. It consists of twenty episodes, titled "Redemption", and featured the first ten episodes in 2020, while the final episodes were broadcast in 2021.

Brian Walsh, Foxtel Executive Director of Television commented that "Wentworth has been the shining star of Foxtel’s extensive slate of Australian dramas and we are very proud to call “action” on the new season. We are indebted to the remarkable creative talent involved and to showcase the outstanding line-up of actors who bring to life this compelling series."

Kate Box joined the cast as Lou Kelly, a former top dog of Wentworth Correctional Facility who often uses a violent approach to get what she wants, along with Jane Hall as Ann Reynolds, a general manager of extreme authority, taking control of the prison following the siege, and Zoe Terakes as transgender character Reb Keane, a meek and shy prisoner and love interest for Lou. It was later announced that actress Vivienne Awosoga would be joining the cast as Judy Bryant. The characters originally appeared in Prisoner in which Lou Kelly was played by Louise Siversen, Ann Reynolds by Gerda Nicolson, Reb Keane by Janet Andrewartha and Judy Bryant by Betty Bobbitt. In June 2020, it was announced that Marta Dusseldorp would join the cast as Sheila Bausch, a cult member accused of mass murder, theft and arson. It was announced in late 2020 that Tina Bursill had been cast as Eve Wilder and is set to appear in the final part of the eighth season in 2021. Bursill portrayed the original Sonia Stevens character in Prisoner, while the character she will be portraying in Wentworth was originally played by Lynda Stoner in Prisoner.

Accolades
Equity Ensemble Awards TV Tonight Awards
 * Nominated: Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series – Wentworth (Season 8, Part 1)
 * Won: TV Tonight Award for Best Australian Drama Series – Wentworth (Season 8, Part 1)

International broadcast
The season premiered in Australia on Fox Showcase on 28 July 2020. and on August 5 on 5STAR in the UK. In New Zealand, the season is distributed on TVNZ's TVNZ 2 and TVNZ OnDemand streaming service.

In June 2021, it was announced that Season 8, Part 2 was intended to premiere in Germany on 21 July 2021 on Sky Atlantic where it would air double episodes each week; the announcement was made ahead of Foxtel's confirmed release date of 24 August, therefore prompting Sky Atlantic in Germany to reschedule their premiere date and begin broadcast sometime after it has aired in Australia.

The second part of the season premiered on the same day as Australia, 24 August 2021, on 5STAR in the UK.