The show’s actors are frequently applauded in discussions on just what makes Rake such good television.īut good acting isn’t the only secret.
#OZ SEASON 4 SEASON 5 STORY SERIES#
But it’s the regular cast that makes the series resonate on such a relatable level. This ensemble has included Toni Collette, Cate Blanchett, Miriam Margolyes, and Hugo Weaving, to name a few. Rake has always been a piquant hybrid, a series that deftly blends legal and crime drama with cheeky comedy and political satire, and it has assembled one of the most vibrant ensembles on Australian TV.
Its comedic elements – Cleaver’s brilliant antics in and outside the courtroom – are balanced with poignant moments of the absurd and tragic, such as Scarlet’s ( Danielle Cormack) sudden death in season four.Īs Debi Enker writes in The Sydney Morning Herald: In an episode right before last week’s federal election, Cleaver announced he was running against his sister for the Senate, with a campaign aimed at young people: “running for nothing”.īut Rake exemplifies hybrid television, thanks to its writers (Roxburgh, Peter Duncan. The show routinely parodies Australian law and politics, as well as Australian media.
Commentary on Rake from the likes of Lauren Carrol Harris, Karl Quinn, and Debi Enker suggests that the show has gradually nudged its way into Australian pop culture. While critic David Dale noted in the Sydney Morning Herald that the show isn’t always a ratings winner (not that surprising, given our collective love affair with reality TV), it consistently presents a smart take on Australian cultural life. Based loosely on the life of barrister Charles Waterstreet (now a Sydney Morning Herald columnist), Rake’s lead character Cleaver Greene ( Richard Roxburgh) is an unscrupulous, misanthropic but undeniably endearing scoundrel – one Australian television needs and deserves. When Rake first hit our screens in 2010, it signalled a shift in Australian television.