Tonight Offspring returns to Channel Ten, Patrick-less. Or, is it?

It turns out that producers of Offspring fully understand we have not yet recovered from the death of our beloved, and we need a bit more time to say goodbye. Thankfully, this is exactly how Nina feels as well.

The series jumps in six months after the death of Nina’s fiance  Dr Patrick Reid, who died after being hit by a car. She is a single mum, supported by her sister Billie and surrounded by family and friends as she struggles to move on from the loss of her fiance.

Just in case you were planning a dramatic boycott of the show (we considered it too), here are 6 reasons to watch a Patrick-free Offspring tonight. It’s going to be brilliant.

1. The babies who play Nina's daughter are ridiculously cute.

Three babies play the daughter of Nina and Patrick. In the first half of the series baby Zoe is played by twins Mia and Willow Sindle and in the latter half she is played by Isabelle Monaghan. Asher Keddie says working with the babies was a delight.

“People say ‘never work with kids or animals’ but I totally disagree,” she told News Ltd. “I love it because it is so spontaneous. ”

Asher says the baby gives viewers hope and from the moment Zoe comes on screen the mourning masses immediately understand how Nina is surviving. “When Zoe comes on screen you go ‘Oh my God — that is what Nina has to live for’. I might go so far as to say this is the most uplifting series of the whole five."

2. Chrissie Swan has a hilarious guest spot this season.

Chrissie Swan has a hilarious guest spot this season on Offspring. Nina has a fantasy where she is awarded Mother of the Year by Chrissie Swan. You'll see this scene in Episode Two.

Nina is conflicted about motherhood, doubting herself and getting upset when Zoe wants Aunty Billie instead of her. She dreams that she is an amazing mother and that's when Chrissie appears.

The show is filmed in Melbourne where Chrissie is based working as a radio announcer as one half of a successful duo alongside Jane Hall on Mix.

3. There are HEAPS of fantasy scenes, hallucinations and dreams of Patrick.

Mattew Le Nevez who plays Dr Patrick Reid has been kept busy this season, despite his character being killed off. Nina is thrown into several fantasy sequences involving Patrick. She really struggles to let go, even though it is six months since his death.

After all they'd been through they were finally engaged, expecting a baby and totally happy. Then a random act took him from her. She's happy to be a mother, sad not to be with Patrick and angry whenever she thinks about the life they could have had together.

We see Patrick whenever Nina feels sad and lonely and there's even an incredibly beautiful scene where Patrick is holding their daughter Zoe.

4. Lots of opportunities to 'happy cry' as Nina finds her feet, surrounded by her family.

One of things that makes Offspring so special is the Proudman family. They are a true modern family, with Nina's parents divorced but sometimes revisiting their relationship, Nina finding out her dad isn't her biological father, her real father starting to date her mother and her dad having a child with someone he met on a cruise who turned out to be Nina's work colleague.

But whenever any of them go through hardship, they all come together and are there for each other. Their family functions filled with food and fun provide some of the best scenes in the series.

5. A new bloke is on the horizon. Come on, she deserves to move on.

There are hints that Patrick and Nina's couple's therapist Dr Pethbridge (played by Kiwi actor Ido Drent) might be Nina's new love interest. He's featured in a dream sequence before, with Nina fantasising about kissing him during couple's therapy with Patrick.

All we know so far is that Dr Pethbridge asks Nina out for coffee, but we're not sure if it's out of friendship or because he is interested in her.

We also can't help but wonder if Dr Chris Havel - Nina's love interest in Season One - will reappear. Don Hany plays him so well and it's always seemed as though he and Nina have unfinished business. He returned after Nina met Patrick and tried to win her back, but she chose to stay with Patrick.

6. Nina's true soul mate is her sister Billie.

Nina's true soul mate after all she's been through in her relationships turns out to be her sister Billie, played by Kat Stewart.

Billie has broken up with her husband Mick after she cheated on him. He has moved to the UK and Billie has moved in with Nina to help her with baby Zoe. The two are closer than ever and the bond between the sisters seems unbreakable, even though they have experienced plenty of conflicts in the past.

Billie hasn't yet been able to have children of her own due to fertility issues but has taken to her role as Aunty Billie brilliantly.

Will you be watching Offspring tonight? How do you feel about Patrick's death? Do you want to see Nina with someone new?

Patrick and Nina will go down as one of the best TV couples in Australian history. Relive their most special moments here: