Packed to the Rafters is an Australian family-oriented comedy drama television program which premiered on the Seven Network on Tuesday 26 August 2008 at 8:30 pm.

Rebecca Gibney said, "The cast, writers and producers have always said that we wanted to keep Rafters as one of the most-watched shows on TV.

Season six's storylines included: Recurring and minor guest stars have included Melanie Vallejo, Lieschen Pogue, Denise Roberts, Phoebe Tonkin, Damian de Montemas, Malcolm Kennard, Andy Whitfield, Iain PF McDonald, Betty Lucas, Jonathon Dutton and Bernard Curry.

The producer is Jo Porter, who alongside series creator Bevan Lee and writer Anthony Ellis are part of the same team responsible for the critically acclaimed series Always Greener, which also set ratings records.

The dinner venue in episode 1 was filmed at the St George Motor Boat Club at Sans Souci but the indoor scenes in the Chinese Restaurant were a set.

The entire series of Packed to the Rafters has been released on DVD on Region 4 in Australia from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment between 2009 and 2013.

In reviewing the pilot, David Knox of TV Tonight underlined that whilst the series's tone was "predominantly light", Rafters "also features some darker, more successful moments".

[21] The Age's Jim Schembri called Rafters a "superbly sculpted series about suburban class warfare", noting that in his opinion, the series was "one of the most enjoyable, finely honed locally produced TV dramas we've seen in ages", applauding the dialogue that "crackles with wit and energy".

[22] Season 2 received an equal amount of outflowing positivity, with Michael Lallo discovering that "Rafters "lighthearted" tone acts as a cloak, allowing it to address controversial topics without making viewers feel they're being lectured.

[23] Of the series's characters, Michael Idato of The Sydney Morning Herald found an "elegance to the performances", going on to further applaud the "gentle, engaging, emotional dynamics" of the characters interactions with each other that also managed to both "enhance its charm and believability at the same time".

[27] The program has also been picked up by Irish broadcaster RTÉ[28] and New Zealand's TV1 which aired the first season of Packed to the Rafters in early 2009.

[29] The series has also been sold to networks in South Africa, Belgium, The Netherlands, several Scandinavian countries,[30] Italy and India.

Most episodes have been the number one programme during prime time for the night since the series premiere and the show has remained in the top ten programs of the week.

In September 2019, it was reported the cast members were in discussion to revive the series for a 2020 season under the working title "Back to the Rafters",[33] however the series would not air on Seven Network, instead would be placed on Amazon Prime Video,[34] which was confirmed in December 2019, and the return of Rebecca Gibney, Erik Thomson, Jessica Marais, Hugh Sheridan, Angus McLaren, Michael Caton and George Houvardas.