Plum (TV series)

Last updated

Plum
Genre Drama
Created by Brendan Cowell
Inspired byPlum
by Brendan Cowell
Written byBrendan Cowell
Fiona Seres
Directed by Wayne Blair
Margie Beattie
Starring
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producersBrendan Cowell
Louise Smith
ProducersJohn Edwards
Dan Edwards
Jonathan Duncan
Production locations Sutherland Shire, New South Wales
Running time49–54 minutes
Production companies Roadshow Rough Diamond
Modern Convict Films
Original release
Network ABC TV
Release20 October 2024 (2024-10-20) –
present

Plum is a 2024 Australian television drama for ABC Television, released on 20 October 2024. Created and written by Brendan Cowell, the series follows Peter Lum, a retired former rugby league player who is diagnosed with a brain disorder following years of concussions he suffered on the field. [1]

Contents

Plot

The story is inspired by Cowell's novel of the same name. After a career in rugby league, Peter Lum is diagnosed with a brain disorder, but does not reveal it to family and friends. However when his ex-wife becomes very concerned with erratic behaviour and his son Gavin, who loves the game being head hunted by rugby league teams, he starts to realise his father is not the same person he used to be, and the game might be to blame. [2] Plum attempts to turn his life around, as journalist Dana Hanlon goes on a fact finding mission to reveal the dangers of CTE.

Cast

The cast was announced when the series went into production on 17 January 2024. [3]

Former NRL players Andrew Johns, James Graham, Mark Carroll and Paul Gallen make special cameo appearances in the series. [6]

Production

On 17 January 2024, it was announced that the series had gone into production, securing its funding from Screen Australia and Screen NSW. [7]

Plum was filmed in and around the area of the Sutherland Shire of Sydney. [8]

ABC had revealed its 2024 drama slate on 9 May 2024, with Plum and series two of Bay of Fires. Plum was expected to air in 2025 but was pushed forward to air in October 2024. [9]

Episodes

All episodes were released on 20 October 2024 via ABC iview. [10]

NumberTitleDirected byWritten byiview air dateTerrestrial air dateAus. Viewers
Episode 1HurricaneWayne Blair Brendan Cowell 20 October 202420 October 2024484,000 [11]
Episode 2King of Cronulla27 October 2024343,000 [12]
Episode 3StormFiona Seres3 November 2024270,000 [13]
Episode 4The GapMargie Beattie Brendan Cowell 10 November 2024258,000 [14]
Episode 5The TreeFiona Seres17 November 2024268,000 [15]
Episode 6Impact Player Brendan Cowell 24 November 2024244,000 [16]

Reception

David Knox of TV Tonight gave the series 4 stars saying that it was a labour of love for Cowell who had written the novel. Knox cited the viewing experience and said that people should be "ready to confront what lies beneath the surface". [17]

Paul Dalgarno of ScreenHub gave the series 3½ stars saying that Cowell has been writing "about how blokey life leaves successful Sydney men adrift and unsatisfied spiritually since his days contributing to Love My Way". Dalgarno cited the viewing experience and said that sport in Australia is a industry worth more than a billion dollars, and that sport does not prepare people for death, while poetry does. [18]

Related Research Articles

Lewis Fitz-Gerald is an Australian actor, screenwriter and television director, who lectures in Screen and Media Studies at Australia's University of New England.

<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">Brendan Cowell</span> Australian actor and writer

Brendan Cowell is an Australian actor and writer. He is known for his lead role in 2024 television series Plum that he created, based on his 2021 novel of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asher Keddie</span> Australian actress (born 1974)

Asher Keddie is an Australian actress. Beginning her career in the television series Five Mile Creek in the mid 1980s, Keddie received wide recognition for her role in the television series Offspring. Her significant repertoire in television has led to her being dubbed as the 'Golden Girl of Australian Television'. Keddie also had a small role in the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, as Dr. Carol Frost. Aside from television and film work, she has several theatre credits, including in the Melbourne Theatre Company production of Les Liaisons dangereuses as Madame de Tourvel.

<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">Rob Carlton</span> Australian actor and writer

Rob Carlton is a Logie Award winning Australian actor and writer. He is best known for writing and starring in the comedy series Chandon Pictures. He also had starring roles in the comedy satire The Hollowmen and Netflix's television adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe. His father was Jim Carlton, Australian businessman, politician, and humanitarian.

<i>Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo</i> 2011 Australian TV series or program

Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo is a 2011 Australian two part television miniseries about the beginning of Cleo magazine and its creator, Ita Buttrose. The series stars Asher Keddie as Buttrose and Rob Carlton as Kerry Packer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Ryan (actor)</span> Australian actor

Andrew Ryan is an Australian actor best known for his performance as Chris Lang in the film of Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010) and as one of the stars of The Jesters. Originally from Brisbane, he played roles in the films All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane and Jucy which were written specifically for him, and starred in a TV series, The Future Machine (2010) and Love Child. Ryan portrayed INXS keyboardist and main composer Andrew Farriss in the telemovie INXS: Never Tear Us Apart (2014) he also received an AACTA award nomination for this role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Blair (director)</span> Indigenous Australian actor

Wayne Blair is an Australian writer, actor, and director. He was on both sides of the camera in Redfern Now, and directed the feature film The Sapphires. He played a prominent role in the 2021–2024 drama series Total Control.

<i>Utopia</i> (Australian TV series) Australian comedy television series

Utopia, internationally titled Dreamland, is an Australian television comedy series by Working Dog Productions that premiered on the ABC on 13 August 2014. The series follows the working lives of a team in the fictional Nation Building Authority, a newly created government organisation. The Authority is responsible for overseeing major infrastructure projects, from announcement to unveiling. The series explores the collision between bureaucracy and grand ambitions. The second series aired in 2015, beginning with the first episode on 19 August 2015. The third series aired in 2017, beginning with the first episode on 19 July 2017. The fourth series aired in 2019, beginning on 21 August 2019. A fifth series aired from 7 June 2023.

Barracuda is an Australian drama miniseries, first broadcast on ABC TV starting 10 July 2016. The series is based on Barracuda, the 2013 novel by Australian author Christos Tsiolkas, which explores a brutal clash of cultures, dreams and expectations and the relentless demands that are placed upon young athletes, their families, friends, schools and coaches.

Maria Angelico is an Australian actress, writer and producer from Melbourne, Victoria. Angelico is best known for her portrayal of Julia Bechly in the TV series Sisters on Network Ten (2017), as Miss Tan in The InBESTigators (2019), and as Angie Sanford in the ABC Television drama Stateless in 2020.

Fayssal Bazzi is an Australian actor. He was nominated for the 2018 AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in The Merger and again in 2020 for Measure for Measure.

Operation Buffalo is an Australian television comedy-drama series written and directed by Peter Duncan that screened on ABC TV from 31 May 2020.

Fresh Blood is an Australian television comedy anthology series that began airing in May 2016 on ABC. The comedies screened in the series are seen as possible pilots for a full TV series.

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

Troppo is an Australian television crime drama series starring Thomas Jane and Nicole Chamoun. The first season premiered on ABC TV on 27 February 2022. The show's second season premiered on 5 July 2024 on ABC TV and iview, with Amazon Prime and Freevee both airing it from 25 July 2024.

The Twelve is an Australian television drama series on Fox Showcase that premiered on 21 June 2022. It stars Kate Mulvany, Sam Neill, Marta Dusseldorp, and Brendan Cowell. The second series aired on 11 July 2024, and in September 2024 the series was renewed for a third season.

Human Error is an Australian television crime drama for the Nine Network, released on 11 September 2024. Created by Greg Haddick, the series follows the life of police officer Holly O'Rourke and her police team with a case that could ruin Holly's reputation and career. Holly wants to redeem herself with the investigation, but as lies unravel the race to catch a killer is underway.

Four Years Later, originally titled Four Years is an eight-part Australian-Indian romance drama, premiering on SBS and SBS on Demand on 2 October 2024. It is created, co-written, and executive produced by Mithila Gupta, and stars Shahana Goswami, Akshay Ajit Singh, Kate Box, and Luke Arnold.

References

  1. ↑ Ryan, Aaron (31 August 2024). "Plum on ABC with Brendan Cowell set for October". TV Central. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  2. ↑ Layton, Mark (17 January 2024). "ABC partners with Brendan Cowell to adapt novel Plum". tbivision.com. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  3. ↑ Slatter, Sean (17 January 2024). "ABC to serve up 'Plum' with Brendan Cowell, Asher Keddie leading the cast". IF Magazine . The Intermedia Group. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "NIDA Alumni Filming New ABC Series Plum". National Institute of Dramatic Art . 22 January 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  5. ↑ "Plum (TV Mini Series 2024-)". IMDb. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  6. ↑ Campton, Nick (18 October 2024). "Plum is an unflinching look at rugby league, Australian masculinity and the impact of concussion". ABC News. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  7. ↑ Knox, David (17 January 2024). "Production underway on new ABC drama Plum". TV Tonight . Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  8. ↑ Kentera, Yasmin (17 January 2024). "Brendan Cowell and Asher Keddie star in ABC's new drama series Plum". About the ABC (Press release). Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  9. ↑ "ABC reveals 10 new additions to 2024 content slate". ScreenHub. Creative Hubs Group. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  10. ↑ "Plum". ABC iview. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  11. ↑ Knox, David (21 October 2024). "The Block tops Sunday. Fisk doubles ABC audience. | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  12. ↑ Knox, David (28 October 2024). "The Block blitzes Voice finale on Sunday | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  13. ↑ Knox, David (4 November 2024). "The Block hits season high as drama spills off-camera | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  14. ↑ Knox, David (11 November 2024). "The Block then daylight in Nine's big Sunday win | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  15. ↑ Knox, David (18 November 2024). "MKR best in Sunday entertainment | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  16. ↑ Knox, David (25 November 2024). "Sunday a night of cricket, comedy and desserts. | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  17. ↑ Knox, David (20 October 2024). "Plum". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  18. ↑ Dalgarno, Paul (17 October 2024). "Plum, ABC review: sporting pain and poetry". ScreenHub. Creative Hubs Group. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.