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'On any single day, Cleaver Greene is described as many things. Whilst his ex-wife may call him 'unreliable", his son will call him "a mate". To his learned friends at the bar table he is "a real wag", to his jurors he is "hilarious", and to most judges he is "an outrage". To the Tax Office, he is "a defendant", to a certain brothel owner "a legend", and to his former cocaine dealer "a tragic loss".
'The clients he loves the most - the cases that thrill him - are those that appear to be utterly hopeless. There's something about being on the wrong side of conventional wisdom that feels right to him, be it at the bar table or the dinner table.
'He will do whatever it takes to defend and save life's truly lost souls. The big sinners. Its drug lords. Its cannibals. Its bestialites. And at the same time, he will struggle to save himself, to stop himself falling back into the abyss that has characterised most of his self-destructive adult life thus far.
'Despite his own hopelessness, his wit and charm have won him hordes of companions over the years. Most nights of the week, there is no shortage of invitations: dinner with a judge at the RMC (His Honour pays), or with some drug dealers in Chinatown (Manos pays), or with some of his copper mates at the Matador (no one pays).
'Any gaps in his diary will inevitably be filled by either all night sessions in chambers preparing for court or similarly lengthy sessions at his favourite brothel, simply referred to by those in the know as "the Club" (here, Cleaver is more than happy to open his own wallet). He tends to wake up bruised. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. Usually it's a combination thereof. He spends a nano-second wondering how his life came to this - living in a studio above a café in the Cross, without his wife and son, in love with a prostitute, defending hopeless cases. Then he gets up, puts on his dressing gown and a pair of brogues and goes downstairs for a coffee. Then it's out into the world - onto the battleground that is Cleaver Greene's day.'
Source: ABC Television website, http://www.abc.net.au/tv/
Sighted: 1 November 2010.
Adaptations
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form
y
Rake Peter Duncan , Peter Tolan , ( dir. Cherie Nowlan et. al. )agent United States of America (USA) : Fedora Entertainment Essential Media and Entertainment Sony Pictures Television , 2014 8287027 2014 series - publisher film/TV
An American re-make of the Australian series of the same name. The re-make was not popular with audiences, and no further episodes were made after the initial thirteen.
For a full list of episodes, see Film Details.
Notes
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For further information, including episode details, see Rake's website, http://www.abc.net.au/tv/rake/default.htm
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Award winning and individually published episodes in this series are included on AustLit.
Includes
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1.1form y
R v Murray Australia : ABC Television , 2010 Z1905499 2010 single work film/TV
'In episode one, Cleaver's lover/friend/confident Missy — a high class call girl — has left without a trace, and tax lawyer David Potter, is in hot pursuit. Scarlet, his best friend Barney's wife, confides in him that she wants to leave home, and his 15-year-old son Fuzz draws him into a conspiracy to cover up his activities with his new girlfriend. But on the work front, Cleaver is presented with a case he can't resist — to defend a cannibal.'
Source: Australian Television Information Archive (http://www.australiantelevision.net/) (Sighted: 05/12/2012)
Australia : ABC Television , 2010 -
1.5form y
R v Chandler Australia : ABC Television , 2010 Z1824629 2010 single work film/TV Australia : ABC Television , 2010
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2.4form y
R v. Floyd Australia : ABC Television , 2012 6487594 2012 single work film/TV Australia : ABC Television , 2012
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3.01form y
Rake [Series 3, Episode 1] Australia : ABC Television , 2014 8282855 2014 single work film/TV Australia : ABC Television , 2014
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3.05form y
Rake [Series 3, Episode 5] Australia : ABC Television , 2014 7625346 2014 single work film/TV
'One man's meat is another man's misery. Cleaver is retained for a low rent tawdry sex offence. Royal Commissions that have decimated David's front bench mean that even barrel-bottom Cleaver Greene is getting briefs.'
Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 23/7/2014)
Australia : ABC Television , 2014 -
4.07form y
Rake [Series 4, Episode 7] Australia : Australian Broadcasting Corporation , 2016 10253194 2016 single work film/TV Australia : Australian Broadcasting Corporation , 2016
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Rake : Australianising HBO-Style Television?
2018
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Screen in the 2000s 2018; (p. 301-318) Examines Rake within the context of the rise of American prestige television, particularly HBO dramas. -
Richard Roxburgh on Politics, Satire and the Final Season of Rake
2018
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , August 2018;'If politics has indeed become so absurd it's putting satirists out of business, then spare a thought for Richard Roxburgh.' (Introduction)
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'What's Rock Bottom Now?' : Richard Roxburgh on Politics and Rake's Final Season
2018
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 16 August 2018;'In its fifth and final season, Rake’s Cleaver Greene is a key player in the Australian Senate – and the ideal anti-hero for the Trump era.' (Introduction)
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Missing in Action: the ABC and Australia’s Screen Culture
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Conversation , 1 May 2017;'Achievements by the ABC to significantly increase levels of local drama, comedy, documentary, Indigenous and children’s content, as well as expand partnerships with independent production houses and creative talent, have in recent years been reversed.' (Introduction)
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Bloody Good TV : How Rake Changed Australian Television
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 7 July 2016; 'When Rake first hit our screens in 2010, it signalled a shift in Australian television. 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. ...'
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A Dramatic Improvement
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 13-14 November 2010; (p. 18)
— Review of Rake 2010 series - publisher film/TV -
Leave It to Cleaver
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 1-2 September 2012; (p. 26-27)
— Review of Rake 2010 series - publisher film/TV -
Aussie Stars Meet Cleaver
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 5 September 2012; (p. 40)
— Review of Rake 2010 series - publisher film/TV -
Guest Stars Add Brilliant Touch to Amusing Series
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 6 September 2012; (p. 52)
— Review of Rake 2010 series - publisher film/TV -
Addicted? Prepare for Another Shot of Rake
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian , 6 September 2012; (p. 17)
— Review of Rake 2010 series - publisher film/TV -
Rake's Excess
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 1 November 2010; (p. 3) -
Get a Sneak Peek at Rakish New Show
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 30 October 2010; (p. 5) -
Chamber of Secrets
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 30-31 October 2010; (p. 4) -
A Law unto Himself
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 31 October 2010; (p. 3) -
Rakish Charm to ABC Legal Drama
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 4 November 2010; (p. 10-11)
Awards
- 2018 nominated Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards — Best Television Drama Series
- 2016 nominated Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards — Best Television Drama Series
- 2014 nominated Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards — Best Television Drama Series Nominated for series three.
- 2013 nominated Logie Awards — Most Outstanding Drama Series
- 2012 nominated Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards — Best Television Drama Series Nominated for series two.