AustLit

Follows two best friends, Tomias and Dahlia, growing up in a remote Northern Territory community.

'Ioan Gruffudd stars as brilliant forensic pathologist Dr Daniel Harrow in this major new 10-part Australian crime drama. He investigates the apparent suicide of a young woman whose grieving father suspects she was murdered.' (Production summary)

'Once upon a time the human world and the world of magic – called the fae world - existed in harmony. But as technology advanced, the fae world was pushed back. Faeries and other magical creatures became endangered species. Now someone wants to change that and restore magic to its rightful place - no matter the cost. Kyra and Peter must solve the mystery of who that enigmatic figure is and how they will achieve their goal. The investigation leads them to uncover secrets in both the human and fae worlds that no one could have imagined.'

Source: Screen Australia.

'A character drama set in 1969 in Kings Cross; the time and place Australia came of age and the new generation broke all the rules. It was the Summer of Love. Mick Jagger was in town, Australia was glued to the telecast of the moon landing and American sailors clashed on the street with anti-Vietnam war protesters. We follow Joan Millar, 28, a maverick midwife returning to Australia and five young pregnant women, whose choices for their babies and own lives exemplify the radical changes at the heart of the cultural and sexual revolution. Their lives intersect between a maternity hospital, a home for unwed mothers and the wild streets of Darlinghurst.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 13/2/2014)

Janet King is an Australian television drama series which first aired on ABC1 in 2014. It was created as a spin-off from the 2011 legal drama Crownies.

Series 1:

'An 8-hour legal/political thriller that is a spin-off of Crownies featuring Marta Dusseldorp reprising her role of Crown Prosecutor Janet King. The series will look at the dilemmas of a contemporary woman who returns to work after a year's maternity leave and is flung into a shocking prosecution that involves layers of intrigue played out at the highest levels of power. Janet King's case leads her through some astounding twists and revelations that impact on her life on every level.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 7/4/2014)

Series 2:

With gun crime in the suburbs causing great concern, the state government establishes a Royal Commission to look into the problem following the death of Todd Wilson and appoints Janet King to head it. Give the power to become investigators, King and her team are allowed to raid premises, interrogate persons of interest and have police seconded to them. King believes that solving Wilson's murder might uncover what's fuelling the violence.

Series 3:

Janet confronts a hornet’s nest of illegal gambling, organised crime and money laundering while tracking the tragic death of a young sports star. What begins as a spot betting investigation soon unmasks elite professional sportsmen and women and their connection to the shadowy underbelly of performance enhancing drugs, match fixing, kickbacks and, ultimately, murder.

Source: ABCTV (http://about.abc.net.au/abc-in-2017/drama-lovers/). (Sighted: 04/11/2016)

'When fifteen year-old Zac goes camping on Mako Island, he has no idea his every move is being monitored by real-life mermaids Sirena, Nixie and Lyla, whose job it is to ward off trespassers. When he comes into contact with the magical waters of the Moon Pool on the night of a full moon, Zac is given a taste of Mako's powers, waking the next day to discover he has been granted fin-like feet and the power to control water…causing all sorts of trouble for Sirena, Nixie and Lyla.'

Source: Screen Australia. (Sighted: 10/1/2014)

'Lisa McCune stars as Dr Sam Stewart, the Sherlock Holmes of tropical medicine and the head doctor in the only medical clinic for the Great Barrier Reef Islands. Sam leads a handful of dedicated practitioners hoping to extract the hidden secrets from venom that have the power to cure some of the world's most fatal diseases. On a daily basis, her small team of medics deals with everything from deadly snakebites and jellyfish stings, to divers with the bends and tropical diseases that can spread like wildfire. But it's not all medical emergencies and dramas for the vendomdocs on Hope Island. Life's also an adventure — wind surfing, scuba diving, abseiling, and at night, kicking back at the Backpackers Hostel, and in the steamy, romantic tropical nights at the end of a long day, maybe even finding love.'

Source: Australian television Information Archive. (Sighted: 1/5/2014)

'[This] series centres on four young families with one thing in common: the men are in charge of raising the kids.

'It's the beginning of a new school year and recently retired Lewis (Gary Sweet) finds himself in the unfamiliar role of stay-at-home dad to Tilda, his daughter with nurse Gemma (Julia Morris).

'Gemma works at the hospital with her best friend Abi (Natalie Saleeba) whose husband Mark (Rhys Muldoon) is juggling a return to part-time work and looking after five-year-old Poppy.

'Mark's brother-in-law Kane (Gyton Grantley) is in a relationship with Tom (Tim Campbell), raising Tom's orphaned niece Stella.

'When dropping their daughters off on the first day of school, the three men meet Justin (Firass Dirani), a former AFL star who, thanks to his bad boy ways, has seen his career and family walk out the door. He is now facing the fight of his life to win custody of his twin boys Zac and Jacob and eight-month-old daughter Angie.

'Finding themselves severely outnumbered by all the mothers at the school drop-off zone, the four men band together and help each other along as they face the challenges of raising a young family.'

Source: Channel Nine website (http://channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8469113) (Sighted: 17/10/2012)

'Recounts the story of Victorian detective Colin McLaren who posed as a shady art dealer and infiltrated the Australian branch of the Calabrian Mafia. It would prove to be the most dangerous, exhausting and confronting 18 months of his life. But it was also the most thrilling time he ever knew and resulted in the biggest win of his career — seeing 11 of Australia's most villainous Mafiosi sent to prison.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 8/3/2013)

'Delving into the extraordinary world of the Office of the Department of Public Prosecution and its young eager lawyers, who know the law backwards, but who have a lot to learn about life, Crownies, is a 22 x 1 hour drama, produced by Screentime Australia for ABC TV.

Crownies follows five young solicitors, fresh out of law school, as they face the pressures and endearing madness of modern single life - in a fast-paced workplace that highlights the moral dilemmas and big issues facing an apparently civilised society.

In a world that exists solely to see 'wrong-doers' brought to justice, and where the average age of the solicitors is 27, there is a big divide between these young solicitors and the barristers at the top. Yet they are the initial point of contact with the police, and it is they who do most of the liaising with the victims and the witnesses - and recommend what goes to court. They are hungry, committed, idealistic and hard-working, but their lives away from the office are riddled with aspirations, explorations, fragile relationships and partying.'

Source: ABC website

'The series looks at the lives of four best friends bound together by their shared experience of being 'the losers' in high school. Now ten years later the women are about to become winners, but at what cost?'

Source: Screen Australia. (Sighted: 2/12/2013)

'Things are returning to normal for George Freeman; he survived a shooting, his casinos are back in operation and his fiancée — the well-bred, incandescent Georgina — is the blonde icing on the cake.

'Down in Melbourne, the Coronial inquest into the Wilsons' deaths kicks off. Bob Trimbole and Brian Alexander both avoid testifying on the grounds of avoiding self-incrimination, but lawyer John Aston — whose legal practicing certificate is contingent on him being of good character — can't weasel out that easy.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 8/3/2013)

'A generation before Alphonse Gangitano and Carl Williams achieved notoriety, an even bigger crime wave rocked the country. Heroin hit the nation like a tsunami. Drug money flooded the underworld and with the new money came a breed of hard men and beautiful women. Two names stood above all others — blazing across the underworld and changing the face of organised crime in Australia forever — 'Aussie' Bob Trimbole and Terry Clark.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 8/7/2013)

Alexandra Wilson is a normal girl living in an average suburb. She can sing brilliantly (she's a songwriter at heart). She's funny and driven. Alex's band is her life, and her band-mates, expressive Amanda Tucci and realist JB Deekes, are her closest friends. There's also Marcus, their lead guitarist: he's a year older, and, well, rather attractive. Alex has two grounded parents, Anita and Jim, and one very centre-stage younger sister, Zoe. Life is very normal. But ...

Since birth, Alex has caused a succession of strange, somewhat magical events. Fortunately, she's been able to conceal, ignore, or deny them all. But then Kuru, a young man dressed in exotic robes, and Anala, a decorated adult elephant who has a tendency to vanish now and again, arrive on Alex's doorstep. Kuru explains that Alex is actually Princess Liliuokalani Parasha Khaled Persphone Amanirenas of Manjipoor.

Alex is not so sure about that! But the magical effects she seems to cause have recently blossomed. It's scary. Alex asks Kuru and Anala to leave, but they won't go anywhere. They are under the royal command of Omar, Chief Advisor to the former Queen Nefari, to bring the princess home to rule.

Manjipoor is an exotic, mystical kingdom that exists very close to our world--but not in it. The nation was born six hundred years ago when 'gifted' people (sorcerers, oracles, and witches) fled persecution and created their own territory, and later, for their protection, moved it to a parallel location by magical means!

Kuru's mission is made easier when Alex's parents accept him as an 'exchange student' and he is invited to stay at their home. He does his best to fit in at Alex's school. Alex keeps her identity as a princess a secret from everybody but Amanda and JB, but it's an ongoing problem concealing a wilful, sometimes-invisible elephant in her backyard.

Omar's recent revelation of the existence of Manjipoor's secret princess shocks and threatens Vashan, the last royal relative in a conflicted and dying dynasty, who fully expected to rule. Aided by his skilful servant Diva, Vashan acts--first subtly, then overtly--to prevent his cousin Alex from claiming her inheritance.

Back in 'The Old World'--our world--Kuru's persistence with Alex starts to have an effect. Alex begins to practise and accept her magic--and it often goes awry. It's not easy being a teenager with magical powers! Alex uses her magic to rectify some very teenage-related issues, as well as to bend the occasional rule, but she draws the line at using magic in her music or for the band. They've got to prove they're good enough without it!

Following an encounter in Manjipoor where Alex learns some of the history of her real mother, Queen Nefari, and is introduced first hand to Vashan's enmity, she awakens to the strong qualities developing inside her and the need for her in Manjipoor as a princess.

Simultaneously, Alex, Amanda, Marcus, and JB improve as a band. They get gigs, and Alex's confidence as a singer increases. Alex finds the pull between both worlds conflicting. When Vashan becomes increasingly bold in his endeavours to undermine and overtake Alex, his actions precipitate a series of stunning revelations affecting the lives of Alex, Kuru, Anala, and Omar and the future of Manjipoor. Alex finds she must make a choice about where her real destiny lies ...

Source: Jonathan M Shiff Productions website, http://www.jonathan-m-shiff.com.au/
Sighted: 15/12/2009

'... a contemporary action drama series set in a critical incident police unit, providing an insider's view of police under pressure. Our heroes are a mobile squad trained to be smarter, tactically superior and technologically advantaged.'

Source: Australian Television website, www.australiantelevision.net (sighted 08/09/2009)

Miniseries exploring the gangland wars of Melbourne. Before Victorian Police finally intercepted plans for two contract killings in 2004, leading to multiple arrests, the death toll stood at thirty three, making it one of the bloodiest crime wars in the Western world.

'Bed of Roses is about Louisa Atherton (Kerry Armstrong) handling her life after she discovers her husband has died in the arms of another woman, leaving her broke. She returns to her home town of Rainbow's End to live with her feisty mother, Minna (Julia Blake). Rainbow's End is in a 'growth corridor' with neighbouring town of Indigo. Besides problems with Minna, Louisa encounters trouble with her teenage daughter Holly (Hanna Mangan-Lawrence) and local residents. Louisa has few financial assets except "Mary Kelly's Shack" she inherited from her father. Louisa decides to demolish the shack and build a new house to sell. Holly has taken the death of her father very hard and insists on carrying around his ashes. Louisa's irresponsible driving results in numerous traffic offences, which she can ill afford.' (Production summary)

A sequel to Pirate Islands, The Lost Treasure of Fiji send three children--Tyler, Kirra, and Alison--from Fiji, where they are attending the launch of a new computer game, to the tropical Pirate Islands, where they face the swaggering Blackheart, his untrustworthy second-in-command Lily, and various other dangers. As in the first series, the protagonists must solve the game from within in order to exit back to the real world.

Like Pirate Islands, The Lost Treasure of Fiji was never released in its entirely on DVD in Australia, the US, or the UK. Unlike Pirate Islands, it was also never released as a cutdown film version.

A cut-down version of the first season of the television program Wicked Science, released as the 'feature length version of the hugely successful, award-winning teen action series'.