16 July 2001 (2001-7-16)– 28 December 2005 (2005-12-28)
The Secret Life of Us is an Australian television drama series set in the beachside neighbourhood of St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is primarily a drama with some comedic moments. The series was produced by Southern Star Group and screened in Australia from 2001 to 2005 on Network Ten and on Channel 4 in the UK. Initially the drama series was co-funded by the two networks. However, Channel 4 pulled out after the third series and the fourth series was not aired in the UK. The series won three silver Logie Awards.
The show revolves around a group of friends in their mid 20s to early 30s who live in a St Kilda block of flats. Their interaction with one another, relationships with other friends, and romantic interests, along with their personal and career developments, are featured.
The actual block is 14A Acland Street, St. Kilda and the rooftop is at the Belvedere Flats on the Esplanade in the same suburb.
History and popularity
The series had its genesis in a telemovie; a 22-episode first season was commissioned by the Ten Network before the movie screened.[1] As its popularity rose, issues arose between the show's creators and Network Ten, which saw higher ratings when it screened before 9:30. This necessitated cutting scenes with sexual themes.[2]
The inclusion of a prominent Aboriginal character (Kelly Lewis, played by Deborah Mailman) attracted comment at the time of the series' broadcast,[3] and has since been cited as a landmark in the history of media representations of Indigenous Australians.[4]
The series has been noted as significant for its inclusion of a central, gay coming out narrative in its first season (Richie Blake, played by Spencer McLaren).[5]
The show's ratings began to dwindle following the departure of several key actors and the introduction of new characters and cast members. This began in the second season with the departure of Joel Edgerton and Damian De Montemas. It was the third season that featured a particularly high character turnover, and included the departure of key original cast members Claudia Karvan and Abi Tucker.
Five main cast members –Sibylla Budd, Spencer McLaren, Dan Spielman, Nina Liu, and Gigi Edgley– left at the end of season three and original lead Samuel Johnson left early in season four, followed by Michael Dorman three episodes later. Original cast members Deborah Mailman and David Tredinnick continued, and seven new regular characters were added for season four. The changes were part of a larger overhaul which had the arrival of a new producer, a new script producer, and a new writing team.[6]
Cast
Main / regular
Claudia Karvan as Dr. Alex Christensen (Seasons 1–3, Episodes 1–50, 64–66)
Production ended in 2004 with the completion of the fourth season. The decision had been made to discontinue production after the first three episodes of the fourth season aired in Australia to disastrously low ratings. At that time, the program was removed from its primetime slot. The unscreened episodes from that final season were broadcast with little publicity in late 2005.[citation needed]
Home media
The first three seasons of The Secret Life of Us were made available on Region 2 in the UK; season one was released in two parts via VCI in 2003, where as the second and third seasons were distributed by Revelation Films in 2007.
On Region 4 in Australia, all four seasons have been released between 2004 and 2005. The first season was originally released by Shock Records, while the remainder seasons were made available under Liberation Music DVD. A complete series set was distributed by Umbrella Entertainment in 2010, before releasing all four seasons individually in 2012. Via Vision acquired distribution rights and released a complete series set in 2020.
Behind the Scenes Documentary: 'The Secret Life of The Secret Life of Us'
Interviews: Talking with Claudia Karvan, Talking with Joel Edgerton, Talking with Judi McCrossin, Talking with Spencer McClaren and David Tredinnick, Talking with Deborah Mailman, Talking with Sibylla Budd and Damien de Montemas
Exclusive Interview with Samuel Johnson, Exclusive Interview with Abi Tucker
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