Territory (TV series)

Last updated

Territory
Created byBen Davies and Timothy Lee
Written byTimothy Lee
Kodie Bedford
Steven McGregor
Michaeley O'Brien
Directed by Greg McLean
Starring Anna Torv
Michael Dorman
Robert Taylor
Sam Corlett
Theme music composer Johnny Klimek
Gabriel Isaac Mounsey
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
ProducerPaul Ranford
Production companiesEasy Tiger Productions
Ronde
Original release
Network Netflix
Release24 October 2024 (2024-10-24)

Territory is an Australian six-part neo-Western drama television series. Starring Anna Torv, Michael Dorman, Robert Taylor, and Sam Corlett, the series was released on Netflix on 24 October 2024.

Contents

Plot

The world's largest cattle station, Marianne Station, has been owned for generations by the Lawson family dynasty. [1] It becomes a prize to be sought after by rival cattle station families, various gangsters, Australian Aboriginal elders, and mining magnates, when patriarch Colin Lawson's favored son, Daniel, dies after a suspicious riding accident.

As Daniel has been managing the cattle station and heading up the powerful Territory Cattlemens' Association, the first episode unfolds with a twofold major battle for succession beginning at Dan's funeral. [2]

The second episode centres on the search for Marshall, Colin's wayward grandson. Marshall bears several grudges against the family but is thrown into the limelight when Colin impetuously announces him as heir in place of Dan's brother, Graham, an alcoholic. There is also a vote for the vacancy left by Dan Lawson in leading the Territory Cattlemen's Association that is powerful in controlling sub-contracting and export, lost by Graham Lawson in favour of an ambitious rival.

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Episode 1" Greg McLean Timothy LeeOctober 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
2"Episode 2"Greg McLean Kodie Bedford October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
3"Episode 3"Greg McLean Steven McGregor October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
4"Episode 4"Greg McLean Michaeley O'Brien October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
5"Episode 5"Greg McLeanSteven McGregorOctober 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)
6"Episode 6"Greg McLeanTimothy LeeOctober 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)

Background and production

Tim Lee and Ben Davies (of Ronde) were the creators of the series. Davies also co-executive produced, and Lee co-wrote the episodes with Kodie Bedford, Steven McGregor, and Michaeley O'Brien. Greg McLean directed and Paul Ranford produced the series. [1] [2] It is jointly produced by Easy Tiger Productions and Ronde, [2] [3] [4] with support from Screen Territory and the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC). [5] [2]

The series was first titled Desert King, with its new title, Territory, announced in July 2024, three months before its release. [6] [7]

Filming locations included Kakadu National Park and Tipperary Station, [1] both in the Northern Territory of Australia, [2] as well as Mallala, a small town on the Adelaide Plains. [8] Production and post-production took place in Adelaide, South Australia. [2] It is the biggest Netflix production to be filmed in South Australia. [9]

During production, around 140 of the 180 NT staff lived at the station, which is situated in a very remote location. The series is one of the largest local productions filmed in both the Northern Territory and South Australia. [10]

Release

There was a preview screening at the Palace Nova in Adelaide on 22 October 2024, attended by 150 guests, including many of the cast and crew, along with politicians, SAFC board members, and others. [11]

The six-part series airs on Netflix from 24 October 2024. [1] [12]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Territory has an approval rating of 78% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. [13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 71 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [14]

Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian gave it 4 stars out of five, calling it a "rollicking Aussie drama... a sensationally heady mix", and praising the lead and supporting cast, in particular Clarence Ryan. [15] Buckmaster and others have compared the plot to the popular American series, Yellowstone , [8] [16] [17] as well as the comedy drama series Succession . [15] [18]

Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter thought it somewhat derivative, but distinctive in several ways. He also wrote that "Territory does better than Yellowstone in its attempts at weaving the Native perspective into the storytelling", with Indigenous Australians represented as the traditional owners of the land. [17] Alexa Scarlata, a research fellow at RMIT University, wrote that the series "does a great job of establishing a simmering tension between the traditional owners of the land and the families and businesses that have taken possession of it", although thought that it moved a bit slowly, perhaps catering for the international audience who were not familiar with the Australian context. [18]

Anthony Morris of ScreenHub Australia gave the series 4 stars out of 5, headlining his review "a soapy Shakespearean outback saga". [19]

Most of the reviews commented on the stunning locations, drone shots, and the amount of effort put into the props, showing a side of Australia not usually seen in popular TV series. [18] [17] [15] [19]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Slatter, Sean (17 July 2024). "Netflix turns 'Desert King' into 'Territory' with Anna Torv leading the cast". IF Magazine . Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "First look at biggest Netflix series ever filmed in SA". We Are SA. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  3. ↑ "Netflix series Territory taking outback Australia to rest of the world". Mediaweek . 24 October 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  4. ↑ "Territory (2024)". Screen Australia . Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  5. ↑ Bentley, Jean (24 October 2024). "Territory: Everything to Know About the Australian Outback Drama". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  6. ↑ Vann-Wall, Silvi (19 July 2024). "Netflix's Desert King becomes Territory three months out from premiere". ScreenHub Australia. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "First look, cast and release date announced for SA made Netflix series Territory". SAFC . 18 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  8. 1 2 Smith, Melissa (24 July 2024). "South Aussie town's Netflix debut in outback drama 'Territory'". Greater SA. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  9. ↑ Dare, Laura (8 October 2024). "SA's screen scene is popping! Here's what to watch where". The Post. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  10. ↑ Slatter, Sean (20 September 2023). "Netflix sets out the realm of the 'Desert King' across the Northern Territory and South Australia". IF Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  11. ↑ "Netflix series Territory gets rave reviews as cast and crew hit red carpet in SA". SAFC. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  12. ↑ Gbogbo, Mawunyo (24 October 2024). "Netflix's Territory zeroes in on dysfunctional family dynasty". ABC News. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  13. ↑ "Territory: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  14. ↑ "Territory: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  15. 1 2 3 Buckmaster, Luke (22 October 2024). "Territory review – 'Succession in the outback' makes for rollicking TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  16. ↑ "Netflix greenlights first drama to be filmed in the Northern Territory". The New Daily . 22 September 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  17. 1 2 3 Fienberg, Daniel (23 October 2024). "'Territory' Review: Netflix's Epic but Derivative Cattle-Ranching Drama Plays Like Aussie 'Yellowstone'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  18. 1 2 3 Scarlata, Alexa (24 October 2024). "Netflix's Territory is a Succession-like drama packed with family rivalry and betrayal, set in Australia's outback". The Conversation . Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  19. 1 2 Morris, Anthony (23 October 2024). "Territory, Netflix review: a soapy Shakespearean outback saga". ScreenHub Australia. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
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