Last year's finale saw Scotty (Kiel McNaughton) on the run after his shocking attack on his fiancee, Tracey (Sarah Thomson), a fire that threatened to kill several loved characters, and Luke Durville (Gerald Urquhart) missing in action after being kidnapped.
Angela Bloomfield, whose character, Rachel McKenna, was caught up in the fire that ravaged the student flat building, says the cliffhanger was an exciting plot to be part of.
"Filming that fire material was quite exhilarating and I think the end product looked really great. To add impact to the fire they actually included the sound of lions roaring in post-production, which I thought was pretty cool!"
Producer Steven Zanoski believes this year's launch is a return to classic storytelling.
"The new season opens with a bang, picking up on our characters in jeopardy just moments after we left them in 2010.
"I'm not going to throw any spoilers out there, but let's just say the after-effects are long-ranging."
Viewers can expect many changes in 2011, including the introduction of two hospital staff members, played by Shavaughn Ruakere (What Now) and Natalie Medlock (Diplomatic Immunity). Last year, Tania Jeffries (Faye Smythe) left the show and early this year more cast members will bid farewell.
"This is always a sad time behind the scenes, but it's also an opportunity to refresh the show with new characters and stories," Zanoski said.
"In addition to new cast members joining us in '11, we're also returning more than one past audience favourite, so stay tuned!"
• Shortland Street, daily at 7pm from Monday, TV2.
