Australia’s cinematic landscape has been doing quite well for itself over the last few years. Not only has the country produced some of the greatest actors of our time, but its programs have also gained significant fan and critical acclaim. Between its famed soap operas and indie horror hits, Australia has proven to be a dominant force for entertainment, especially when it comes to the crime genre.
Indeed, from Animal Kingdom to Latana, Australia has produced some incredibly gripping crime movies. However, praise should not be limited only to the long-form medium of storytelling. Australian crime shows have shown equal levels of excellence. From its drama, its grit, and even its humor, the crime genre in Australian television is diverse and plentiful. And now with the new release of NCIS: Sydney, perhaps it’s a good time to explore some of the best that the land down under has to offer.
20
‘Scrublands’ (2023)
Based on the eponymous novel by Chris Hammer, Scrublands follows disenchanted investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold), assigned to do a follow-up story one year after a mass shooting shattered the small community of Silver. As Martin revisits the town and its tragedy, while navigating the hostility of the townsfolk, still shaken from the massacre, he begins to believe that there is more to the incident than it seems.
Scrublands is an excellent Australian crime drama rife with slow-burning tension and plot twists, complemented by the uncanny setting of an isolated outback town, which genre fans would enjoy. Featuring a relentless journalist determined to seek the truth in a hostile setting with buried secrets, the setup and plot of Scrublands bear resemblance to Netflix’s Bodkin and similar crime dramas set in small towns. Though predictable and pulpy in some places, Scrublands is well-written, well-acted, and an engaging modern crime thriller to binge. —Maddie P
19
‘Rush’ (2008–2011)
Created by John Edwards and Christopher Lee, Rush is an Australian police procedural drama that focuses on members of a Tactical Response team of the Melbourne Police, as they take on various cases involving violent crimes. While the unit continues to uphold the city’s safety, their personal and professional lives often come to life, making the show more of a character-driven drama as it progresses.
With its plot and setting focused on an elite law enforcement squad dealing with high-pressure emergency responses, Rush can be ranked among other popular crime TV dramas of the last 25 years. During its three-season run, it garnered acclaim for depicting the high-tech tactical skills of the unit, along with capturing real-life scenarios. Though the Australian series seems formulaic at a glance, it uses the format to its best and delivers a fast-paced, energetic police drama with believable characters and complex subplots, making it an engaging and thrilling crime show. —Maddie P
18
‘The Secrets She Keeps’ (2020–2022)
Two women from drastically different backgrounds have a chance encounter outside a grocery store. Both women are around the same age, and both are heavily pregnant. But Agatha (Laura Carmichael), a loner who’s barely scraping the poverty line, quickly becomes obsessed with Meghan’s (Jessica De Gouw) affluent influencer life. Soon enough, their encounter kick-starts an entanglement of lies, deceit, and betrayal.
A complex character study of two women, The Secrets She Keeps is ultimately a tale that showcases the unconditional love of motherhood. It specifically highlights the extremes one may take for the sake of protecting their child. In a way, it also brings audiences deep into the psyche of a villain, showing sides of their persona that are largely unexpected. For instance, where Agatha’s crimes are completely abhorrent, sometimes you cannot help but feel sorry for her given the traumas she has faced. While elements of the series do tend to feel like a soap opera, the series exudes a strange charm that makes it a true gem of Australian television.
17
‘The Kettering Incident’ (2016)
Having left the town of Kettering as a teenager, after her best friend suddenly disappears, Dr Anna Macy (Elizabeth Debicki) returns home, 15 years later. However, her resurgence quickly goes awry once another local girl suddenly goes missing, forcing Anna to investigate what truly happened to her friend all those years ago.
Where Debicki has recently gained critical acclaim for her brilliant portrayal of Princess Diana, audiences should not ignore her great work from her home country. Intriguing many with this slow-burn mystery, The Kettering Incident stands out for its almost noir-like aesthetic, and its interweaving of a sci-fi twist which surprisingly kicks in towards the latter half of the series. It’s dark, gritty, and compelling, especially with the lingering plot of Anna’s personal traumas. Frankly, the biggest issue stems from the fact that it was abruptly canceled after one season, leaving the shocking cliffhangers unanswered forever.
16
‘The Tourist’ (2022–2024)
Despite running with a familiar premise, The Tourist is able to extract new and exciting ideas and enticing character dynamics through its meshing of genres and its wonderfully twisty storyline. It follows an Irishman who wakes up in an Australian hospital with no recollection of his past whatsoever. Aided by a friendly nurse who recognizes him, he sets out to discover who exactly he is and what led him to Australia. His findings expose him to a dark world of crime and deceit tied to his violent past.
While the story runs as a propulsive and winding thriller, The Tourist embraces an air of black comedy while also developing a surprisingly sincere and grounded central romance. Buoyed by strong performances from Jamie Dornan and Danielle Macdonald, the series ran for two enticing seasons, blending mystery thrills and laugh-out-loud comedy together with aplomb to deliver a sharp and sensational Aussie crime series that has immense international appeal.
15
‘Underbelly’ (2008–2022)
Running a bit like an anthology series with each season serving as its own miniseries, Underbelly burst onto the Australian television scene in 2008 with its first season following a series of gangland killings that rocked Melbourne from 1995 to 2004. Each subsequent season has dramatized real-life crime stories in Australia, ranging from the origin of organized crime in the nation through the 1920s right up to violent gangland struggles in modern times.
While there is a consensus that the earlier seasons are where the series truly excels, every installment of the sprawling Underbelly crime saga has offered intriguing and engaging insights into some of Australia’s most shocking and violent crime stories. Defined as much by its penchant for style as it is for its grounded, underlying grit, the series is one of the biggest titles in Australian crime television, particularly through the late 00s and early 2010s.
14
‘Top of the Lake’ (2013–2017)
Top of the Lake follows Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss), a detective based in Sydney who specializes in crimes of sexual assault. Where the first season tracks a case in New Zealand, with Detective Griffin investigating the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old girl, the second season is set five years later, in Sydney, with Robin investigating the death of an unidentified girl found at Bondi Beach.
Known mostly for her profound work in film, Top of the Lake proves that Campion can master any storytelling form. Nominated and winning several prestigious awards, this show explores how even the worst kinds of brutality can occur in the most beautiful of places. Moss does a great job leading audiences through this heavy narrative. In fact, it’s even more impressive given that she wasn’t the first person Campion approached for the role. Indeed, she initially sought out her former The Piano co-star, Anna Paquin, who ultimately turned it down due to her pregnancy. But where some shows thrive on its slow-burn writing, perhaps Top of the Lake could’ve fanned the flames a bit quicker, as the pacing issues are a little wild. Some may say this program is polarizing as it can be nonsensical and painfully slow. But when you look at the bigger picture, credit must be given for its eerie depiction of humanity’s crimes.
13
‘True Colours’ (2022)
Much to her dismay, Detective Toni Alma (Rarrihuy Hick) is assigned to investigate a suspicious car accident in Perdar Theendar, the indigenous community she left when she was a child. Now confronted with the place she once called home, Detective Alma must navigate between the White and Black laws as the investigation leads her through the Aboriginal art world, and dangerously close to her own family.
As a show that’s not really heard of outside of Australia, True Colours is a gripping program that brilliantly introduces and expands the audience’s knowledge of Indigenous culture and customs. Incredibly raw and real, this crime show is more than a common police procedural; it’s a complex narrative of familial tensions and cultural contradictions. With solid performances and gruelingly slow-burned drama, it’s a shame the series only has four parts. Some would argue it deserves more.
12
‘Secrets & Lies’ (2014)
A perplexing thriller that excels as a taut treat of mystery suspense, Secrets & Lies spans across just six episodes, thriving as a gripping miniseries of unfurling plot tangents and ever-rising stakes. Ben Gundelach (Martin Henderson) discovers the body of a young boy near his home. His ordinary family life is uprooted as he soon becomes the prime suspect of the murder, and the media turns the story into a national sensation. Ben’s efforts to prove his innocence are continuously undone by new developments in the case and intensive prying into his past life.
Mixing sharp whodunnit intrigue with the family drama that befalls Ben and his loved ones, Secrets & Lies excels as an engrossing thriller that manages to refrain from egregious sensationalism while still providing all the volatile twists genre fans love most. Internationally, the series was perhaps overshadowed by a U.S. version of the same story starring Ryan Phillippe released in 2015. However, the Australian version far surpasses the American series, and remains a hidden gem of crime television.
11
‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ (2018)
Adapted from Joan Lindsay’s 1967 novel of the same name, and a retelling of the eponymous 1975 film, Picnic at Hanging Rock follows a group of school girls who disappeared in 1900 Victoria. It focuses on Hester Appleyard, who transforms an isolated mansion in the Australian bush into a successful college for young women. But when on Valentine’s Day, 1900, a group of students and staff picnicking at the Hanging Rock suddenly vanish, the mystery not only shocks the college community, unraveling everyone’s lives, but also brings their dark secrets to life.
Game of Thrones alum Natalie Dormer charms the audience with her brilliant performance as Hester Appleyard, with strong supporting performances by Lily Sullivan, Samara Weaving, and Madeleine Madden in central roles. With period-apt art and a dreamy, atmospheric setting, elevated by a great background score, Picnic at Hanging Rock is a stylish and eerie character-driven psychological drama that blends mystery, supernatural, and crime thriller. —Maddie P
