As the streaming giants inundate us with mega-budget US franchises and cinemas tempt post-COVID patrons to venture from small to big screens, home-grown Aussie TV is under more pressure than ever to eke out an audience.
Luckily, the local talent pool was as deep and industrious as ever in 2022 and conjured up some real gems, many widely syndicated overseas. The ever-reliable ABC didn’t disappoint, Foxtel took a chance on a tentpole drama and Netflix served up two offerings that exceeded expectations. Even the free-to-air channels did more than reheat their prime-time staples.
Here are the stand out shows of the year…
10. Upright
Season: two
The second season of Tim Minchin’s road trip dramedy lacks the emotional punch and offbeat charm of the first, but it’s still fun to spend time in the company of Lucky (Minchin) and Meg (Milly Alcock aka House of the Dragon’s young Rhaenyra Targaryen) as they set out to track down Meg’s mum at a dodgy, cult-like commune.
There are some lush Queensland backdrops and a smattering of comedic moments to enjoy, but squashing so much plot into the proceedings means it doesn’t gel as splendidly as it should, despite Minchin’s impressive star turn.
Biggest fans: Devotees of season 1 with a few hours to kill on a Sunday night
9. Heartbreak High
Season: one
The seven series of the original late ’90s school daze show were an earthier 90210, set in a tough Sydney school, and several cuts above any other teen soaps from the time.
This reboot is frothier, but doesn’t shy away from addressing today’s big-ticket traumas. At times it feels like the writers googled “social issues 2022” and crammed in every single search result to signal inclusive bona fides.
That said, production values are sky-high (it won two AACTAS!) and plotlines refreshingly authentic, so it’ll appeal as much to 40-something ’90s teens as it will to angst-plagued adolescents.
Biggest fans: Inbetweeners impatient for the next season of Sex Education
8. Hunted Australia
Season: one
It wasn’t a particularly inspired year for terrestrial TV as the same tired formats were regurgitated and edited to cynically exploit the ‘drama’ of overegged desserts, reno blunders, feuding newlyweds and non-celebs throwing tantrums in the jungle.
But Hunted, imported from the UK, was the pick of the bunch. Pairs of contestants are released in Victoria with $500 and have to evade capture for 21 days while forensic psychologists, intelligence operatives and cyber hackers mercilessly track them down.
Silly and a little staged, but compelling and wisely restricted to just nine episodes.
Biggest fans: Reality addicts who couldn’t stomach Masterchef’s gruelling 62-episode run
7. Byron Baes
Season: one
The chilled-out hippy dippies of Byron Bay were outraged when Netflix announced this glitzy docusoap of self-important influencers and bejewelled non-entities preening themselves at snooty parties and spiritual wellness spas.
But they needn’t have got their activated almonds in a twist. In Byron Baes, their town is bathed in warm soft-focus and there’s an undeniable pleasure in watching the privileged petals squabble over who has the most followers and whether it’s ever possible to wear too much linen at one time. Shallow, yes, but the odd scintilla of humanity sneaks out from under the moto jackets and La Prairie firming masks that saves it from disappearing under its own Insta filter.
Biggest fans: Real housewives of mundane suburbia
6. Barons
Season: one
The transformation of Australian surfing from counterculture to big business is the backbone of this eight-part coming of age/losing of innocence parable loosely based on the early days of Quiksilver and Rip Curl.
Big break buddies Trotter and Snapper (Sean Keenan and Ben O’Toole) become boardroom enemies as they build up billion-dollar fortunes in a cautionary tale of corporate greed. It’s not exactly subtle, but the wistful cut-aways to simpler times evoke the passion and bonding that hardcore surfing inspires and provides a jarring contrast to the cold, commercial path that lies ahead.
Biggest fan: Point Break tragics ready to grow up
5. The Secrets She Keeps
Season: two
In season 1 of this tense thriller, the lives of two pregnant women – self-obsessed influencer Meghan (Jessica de Gouw) and toxic shelf stacker Agatha (Laura Carmichael) – collide in a Foetal Attraction scenario where unexpected items in Agatha’s baggage area lead her to kidnap Meghan’s baby.
This time round, the tone is very different and the twisty turns less predictable as Agatha plots havoc from prison and Meghan’s bubble of perfection bursts spectacularly when it turns out her baby daddy might not be as much of a daddy as he thought.
Biggest fan: Single White Females with a Hand That Rocks the Cradle
4. Four Corners: Ghosts of Timor
Season: limited series
When Australian troops landed in East Timor in 1999 to quell rioting that had claimed over 1,000 lives following the end of the Indonesian occupation, they were hailed as heroes.
Award-winning reporter Mark Willacy, however, uncovered horrifying allegations of war crimes, black ops torture sites and revenge killings perpetrated by the Australian defence forces. There was even evidence that the Australian government had collaborated with Jakarta’s military junta to oppress the Timorese.
A masterful piece of investigative journalism, exposing a dark stain in our very recent past.
Biggest fans: Activists frustrated that SAS Australia is the extent of most viewers’ military insight
3. After the Verdict
Season: one
What if you’ve just been part of a jury that acquitted an accused murderer, only for doubts to creep in about whether you’ve made a big mistake and let loose a killer?
Clearly the very last thing you should do is take matters into your own hands and investigate the crime yourself, so that’s precisely what happens in this CSI-lite caper with Magda Szubanski and Lincoln Younes flexing their comedy muscles to good effect across six episodes.
Biggest fans: Courtroom drama devotees who couldn’t be arsed to sit through The Twelve (see below)
2. The Twelve
Season: one
Foxtel’s marquee event of the year is a star-infested courtroom potboiler with a stellar cast including Sam Neill, Brooke Satchwell, Kate Mulvany and Brendon Cowell, all of whom were nominated for AACTA Awards for their efforts.
Mulvany plays a woman accused of murdering her niece, and, through Knives Out-like twists and false trails, the jurors’ deep-seated prejudices and past traumas worm their way into deliberations. Not so much 12 Angry Men as 12 dysfunctional chancers.
It’s less gritty than the 2019 Belgian drama it was faithfully adapted from, but the juror interaction is more intriguing as the case builds to a powerful payoff.
Biggest fans: Whodunit solvers mourning the loss of Rake
1. Mystery Road: Origin
Season: three
When Indigenous filmmaker Ivan Sen released his outback Western noir movie Mystery Road in 2013, it garnered decent reviews and a slew of award noms, but didn’t really rustle box office tills. Its sequel also failed to make its money back, so it’s surprising that its TV spin-off has been arguably Australia’s most accomplished drama of the past three years.
After two seasons following Aboriginal detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen), the third, and most gripping, outing is a prequel starring AACTA Award-winning Mark Coles Smith centred on his early days as a cop. Aussie drama at its very finest.
Biggest fans: Discerning crime watchers who loved The Dry, Jack Irish and Top of the Lake