High Country (TV series)

Last updated

High Country
Highcountry.jpeg
Genre
  • Drama
  • Mystery drama
  • Crime drama
Created by
Starring
Composers Cezary Skubiszewski and Jan Skubiszewski
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8 [1]
Production
Executive producers
  • Jo Porter
  • Rachel Gardner
  • Lana Greenhalgh
  • Penny Win
  • Marcia Gardner
  • John Ridley
Producers
Running time45 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release19 March 2024 (2024-03-19) 
present

High Country is an Australian mystery drama series created by Marcia Gardner and John Ridley, which was broadcast from 19 March 2024 on Binge and Showcase. The series stars Leah Purcell, Ian McElhinney, Sara Wiseman, and Aaron Pedersen.

Contents

Premise

When detective Andrea 'Andie' Whitford is transferred to the town of Brokenridge in the Victorian High Country, she is assigned to the mysterious case of five missing people who have disappeared into the wilderness. As she delves further into the investigation, she begins to uncover a complex web of murder, deceit and revenge.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Production

The eight-part series was commissioned for Foxtel, in association with Screen Australia, VicScreen, and its production company Curio Pictures. Filming commenced in April 2023, and set in the Victorian Alps, a region rarely captured on screen. [3] Foxtel Chief CEO, Graeme Mason believes that "High Country is sure to be a landmark television series". [3] Jo Porter, Rachel Gardner, Lana Greenhalgh, Penny Win, Marcia Gardner and John Ridley serve as executive producers for the series. [4]

Broadcast

High Country premiered on 19 March 2024 on Foxtel-on-demand service, Binge, followed by a television screening on Foxtel's Showcase on the same day. Episodes will be released on Tuesdays through Binge at noon, and Tuesday nights on Showcase at 8.30 pm. [5] [2] [6]

On 3 May 2024 all eight episodes from the first season were made available in New Zealand on Three's streaming service, ThreeNow. [7] [8]

It was announced in June 2024, that the BBC had acquired the rights to broadcast the series in the UK; it will premiere on 13 July 2024 on BBC One, where it will air double episodes on Saturday nights. The entire series became available to stream on BBC iPlayer following the broadcast of the first episode. [9] [10] [11]

Reception

Reviews for the series have been positive. David Knox of TV Tonight rated the series at 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "It’s fair to say the themes of High Country, being missing persons and associated crimes, have been explored in a range of other series, including Scandi-noir drama. Here it gets the First Nations treatment thanks to the fine talents of Leah Purcell." He did particularly praise Purcell's performance – "Purcell is outstanding as a grounded, diligent cop, using her smarts and following the law, whilst being challenged spiritually." [12]

In a review for Screenhub, Anthony Morris gave the series a 4 out of 5 star rating and said that "The Victorian-shot series starring Leah Purcell stands out from the pack with its authentically shady sense of place." [13]

Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian gave the series a rating of 3 stars out of 5 and commented on Purcell's "rock-solid" performance, mentioning that "Leah Purcell is as engaging as ever in a decent, if familiar crime series". [14]

Following its debut in New Zealand, Tara Ward of the online magazine The Spinoff , said that "High Country is the ideal crime drama for a cold winter night", while she also praised the show for its setting, as well as the cast performances. On a negative note, she did criticise the series as being a clichéd mystery drama, stating, "“People disappearing into the wilderness” is… not exactly a new idea for a murder mystery. And it feels like High Country ticks every box in the genre," but she did ultimately recommend the series. [15]

In a review for British newspaper The Daily Telegraph , Anita Singh rated the series at 3 out of 5 stars and said that "This crime thriller won’t be winning any awards for originality, but its heady tale of deceit, murder and magic realism is absorbing enough." [16]

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Episode 1"Kevin Carlin Marcia Gardner, John Ridley19 March 2024 (2024-03-19)
Detective Sergeant Andrea 'Andie' Whitford is the new senior police officer in the small town of Brokenridge in the Victorian high country. She discovers an abandoned car on a remote forest road, registered to a Dr. Haber who's recently murdered his wife and children. While searching for Haber, Whitford finds the remains of a child in a hollow tree. Whitford and team eventually find a naked, confused Haber who kills himself after warning Whitford "you don't know what's going on here". Both discoveries are aided by suggestions from local teacher and self-professed psychic Damien Stark. Whitford also deals with her immediate predecessor in Brokenridge, popular retiring Sergeant Sam Dryson, local larrikins the Mason brothers and her disgruntled daughter Kirra.
22"Episode 2"Kevin CarlinMarcia Gardner, John Ridley19 March 2024 (2024-03-19)
The remains are of the missing female hiker who disappeared months earlier. An autopsy reveals a broken knife-tip in her chest. Dryson is obsessed with the case and tells Whitford he is convinced Stark is responsible, and that Stark's 'visions' are suppressed guilt. Whitford notes several people have been reported missing in the area in recent years, but Dryson dismisses her concerns. Whitford's wife Helen helps out with the accounts at an artists' retreat and becomes friendly with owner/manager Rose De Vigny. Rose encourages Helen to restart her abandoned artistic pursuits. Local woman Sarah Harris, wife of influential cattle farmer Bryan Harris, is reported missing and a large-scale search is organized. Whitford brings in Stark as a consultant.
33"Episode 3"Kevin CarlinMarcia Gardner, John Ridley26 March 2024 (2024-03-26)
44"Episode 4"Kevin CarlinMarcia Gardner, John Ridley2 April 2024 (2024-04-02)
55"Episode 5"Kevin CarlinMarcia Gardner, John Ridley9 April 2024 (2024-04-09)
66"Episode 6" Beck Cole Marcia Gardner, John Ridley16 April 2024 (2024-04-16)
77"Episode 7"Beck ColeMarcia Gardner, John Ridley23 April 2024 (2024-04-23)
88"Episode 8"Kevin CarlinMarcia Gardner, John Ridley30 April 2024 (2024-04-30)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC UKTV</span> Australian pay television channel

BBC UKTV is an Australian pay television channel in Australia and New Zealand, screening British entertainment programming, sourced mainly from the archives of the BBC, RTL Group and ITV plc. The channel was originally a joint venture with Foxtel, the RTL Group and BBC Worldwide. It is now owned solely by BBC Studios. It is the home of the channel's flagship programme The Graham Norton Show.

NXE Australia Pty Limited, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was established as a 50/50 joint venture between News Corporation and Telstra, with News Corp and Telstra holding 65% and 35% ownership shares respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leah Purcell</span> Indigenous Australian actress, film director and writer

Leah Maree Purcell is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actress, playwright, film director, and novelist. She made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's Somewhere in the Darkness, which led to roles in films, such as Lantana (2001), Somersault (2004), The Proposition (2005) and Jindabyne (2006).

<i>Love My Way</i> Australian television series

Love My Way is an Australian television drama series created by John Edwards and Claudia Karvan, which premiered on Fox8 on 22 November 2004, before moving to W. for its second season, and Showtime for its third and final season, concluding on 19 March 2007. The series stars Claudia Karvan, Asher Keddie, Brendan Cowell, Daniel Wyllie, Lynette Curran, Alex Cook, Max Cullen and Gillian Jones. It was produced by Southern Star Group for Foxtel, with Kim Vecera and Mike Sneesby serving as executive producers for the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susie Porter</span> Australian actress

Susie Porter is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She made her debut in the 1996 film Idiot Box, before rising to prominence in films including Paradise Road (1997), Welcome to Woop Woop (1997), Two Hands (1999), Better Than Sex (2000), The Monkey's Mask (2000), Mullet (2001), Teesh and Trude (2002), and The Caterpillar Wish (2006). Porter is also highly recognised for her roles in television series, most notably, as Patricia Wright in East West 101, Eve Pritchard in East of Everything, as Kay Parker in Sisters of War, and as Marie Winter in the prison drama, Wentworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Pedersen</span> Australian actor

Aaron Pedersen is an Aboriginal Australian television and film actor. He is known for many film and television roles, in particular as Detective Jay Swan in the film Mystery Road, its sequel Goldstone, and spin-off television series. He has been nominated for many and won several acting awards, including the 2021 AACTA Award for International Award for Best Actor in a Series.

Marcia Gardner is an Australian screenwriter who has worked on such shows as The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Paradise Beach, Pacific Drive, Medivac, All Saints, Heartbreak High, Stingers, Blue Heelers and Sea Patrol, Wentworth.

Leah Vandenberg is a New Zealand-born Australian theatre, television, and film actress. She has appeared in many well-known Australian productions, including the award-winning Netflix series The Letdown and SBS drama The Hunting. She received an ASTRA nomination for "Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor-Female" in the comedy series Stupid, Stupid Man. She is a presenter on the long-running ABC television program Play School, a role she maintains today.

Pete McTighe is a British screenwriter and executive producer. He is originating writer of Wentworth, a female ensemble prison drama series that won Most Outstanding and Most Popular Drama at the Logie Awards. He is the creator and writer of the BBC1 mystery thriller series The Pact and has written various television productions in the UK and internationally including Doctor Who, The Rising, Glitch, Nowhere Boys and A Discovery of Witches. McTighe has received five Australian Writers Guild Award and one Welsh BAFTA nomination for his work.

Showcase is an Australian premium drama cable and satellite television channel. It was initially part of the Showtime Australia channels and was managed by PMP chief executive officer Peter Rose. In 2007 Rose said Showcase "provides a real home at last for quality drama in Australia, and this list of outstanding event television is just the start". Showcase launched with the Australian TV premieres of Dexter and Australian-made series Satisfaction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC First (Australian TV channel)</span> Subscription TV channel

BBC First is an entertainment subscription television channel broadcasting in Australia. It is the localised version of the internationally available BBC First. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Studios.

<i>Wentworth</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of the Australian television drama series Wentworth premiered on Showcase on 19 June 2018 and concluded on 4 September 2018. It was executively produced by FremantleMedia's Director of Drama, Jo Porter. The season comprised 12 episodes, and picks up days after the escape of Franky Doyle and Joan Ferguson. This season introduced three new characters portrayed by Leah Purcell, Susie Porter and Rarriwuy Hick.

<i>Mystery Road</i> (TV series) Australian television series

Mystery Road is an Australian television crime mystery series whose first series screened on ABC TV from 3 June 2018. The series is a spin-off from Ivan Sen's feature films Mystery Road and Goldstone, taking place in between the two. Aboriginal Australian detective Jay Swan, played by Aaron Pedersen, is the main character and actor in both the films and in the first two TV series, each of six episodes.

The Hunting is an Australian drama series starring Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh, screening on SBS TV and SBS on Demand on 1 August 2019. The four-part miniseries was created by Sophie Hyde and Matthew Cormack at Closer Productions, and co-directed by Ana Kokkinos.

Total Control is an Australian television political drama series first screened on ABC TV in October 2019. Its working title was Black Bitch, but that was deemed too controversial and the series was renamed. Season 2 began airing on 7 November 2021, and the final season premiered on the ABC on 14 January 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binge (streaming service)</span> Australian streaming service owned by Foxtel

Binge is a video streaming subscription service available in Australia, owned by Hubbl. The service offers on demand and live entertainment, lifestyle, reality and movies.

<i>Troppo</i> (TV series) Australian TV drama series

Troppo is an Australian television drama series which premiered on ABC TV on 27 February 2022. The show's second season would premiere on 5 July 2024 on ABC TV, with it airing on Amazon Prime on 25 July 2024.

Love Me is an Australian drama series and the first original production of streaming service Binge. Set in Melbourne, Victoria, Love Me is a story about love, loss and relationship complexity for the father, daughter and son of a contemporary, middle-class Australian family. Triggered by the death of the disabled mother, cared for by the father at home for some years, the three stumble in their lives, eventually finding themselves and each other.

<i>Colin from Accounts</i> Australian comedy television series

Colin from Accounts is an Australian romantic dramedy television series created and written by husband-and-wife team Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer, who also star as the show's main characters, Gordon and Ashley. It is produced by Easy Tiger Productions and CBS Studios for Foxtel, and is currently streaming on Binge. The show aired on BBC Two in the UK and streams on BBC iPlayer. It started streaming on Paramount+ in the US on 9 November 2023.

Black Snow is an Australian crime drama television series set in an Australian South Sea Islander community in northern Queensland which was released on Stan.

References

  1. "HIGH COUNTRY". Screen Australia . Australian Government . Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Estera, Christine (12 February 2024). "First look at new Aussie drama High Country starring Game of Thrones' Ian McElhinney". news.com.au . News Corp Australia . Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  3. 1 2 "FOXTEL GROUP AND SCREEN AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCE NEW ORIGINAL DRAMA SERIES HIGH COUNTRY". Screen Australia . Australian Government. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  4. "OFFICIAL TRAILER AND PREMIERE DATE RELEASED FOR BINGE ORIGINAL HIGH COUNTRY". Binge . Foxtel. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  5. Purcell, Leah (19 March 2024). Today is the day people! High Country will air on Binge at 12pm AEDT and Foxtel at 8.30pm!. Leah Purcell Official. Retrieved 19 March 2024 via Facebook.
  6. Knox, David (12 February 2024). "Airdate: High Country". TV Tonight . Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  7. "High Country". threenow.co.nz. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  8. "Mystery Thriller High Country Available Only On ThreeNow". Scoop . 8 April 2024. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024.
  9. "BBC acquires new Australian mystery thriller High Country". BBC Online . 10 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  10. Seddon, Dan (10 June 2024). "BBC acquires "tense" Australian mystery thriller". Digital Spy . Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  11. "High Country Episode 1 Series 1 Episode 1 of 8". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  12. Knox, David (19 March 2024). "High Country". TV Tonight . Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  13. Morris, Anthony (19 March 2024). "High Country, Binge review: dark and potent crime drama". Screenhub. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  14. Buckmaster, Luke (18 March 2024). "High Country review – Leah Purcell is as engaging as ever in a decent, if familiar crime series". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  15. Ward, Tara (4 May 2024). "High Country is the ideal crime drama for a cold winter night". The Spinoff . Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  16. Singh, Anita (13 July 2024). "High Country, review: a satisfying tale of skulduggery high up in the Australian Alps". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 14 July 2024.(subscription required)