Alongside terrific new series from free channels SBS and the good ol’ ABC, this year showed streaming services like BINGE and Netflix having a proper crack at making their own quality Australian programming. And it paid off: our knowledgeable, square-eyed critics ate up each fresh new offering, and found seven of them to be especially worth your time.
Here we’ve collated the absolute fave homegrown shows of 2022 from writers Cat Woods, Jenna Guillaume, Stephen A Russell and Travis Johnson. Make sure you didn’t miss any of these highly-recommended Aussie shows, from another year of diverse and ever-more-daring local creations!
Bump
With school days behind them and a now-five-year-old with a lot to say, life continues to be full of endearingly chaotic bumps in the road for teenage mum Oly (Nathalie Morris) and former lover Santi (Carlos Sanson Jr) in Claudia Karvan’s bittersweet Sydneysiders rom-com. Oly may be at uni now, but is sowing her wild oats rather than focusing on working for the UN. Santi’s drifting along in a construction gig, with a new girl (‘Ana Ika) and disconnected from his art. Following the young parents working their way back to what they believe (and possibly each other) is pure holiday bliss. — Stephen A Russell
Colin From Accounts
Romantic comedy series are all-too-rare in general, but especially in an Australian setting. Colin From Accounts is one of the best entries into the genre the country has ever produced, about a man and a woman whose lives are thrown together/turned upside down after they’re both involved in an accident that injures a dog (which, er, is much funnier than it sounds!). Creator Harriet Dyer and co-writer Patrick Brammell’s script is genuinely funny and refreshing, and together they bring it to life with excellent performances and chemistry in the lead roles. Colin the dog is an adorable bonus. — Jenna Guillaume
Heartbreak High
Reboots of teen shows are a tricky beast, having to nail the right balance of nostalgic nods that please original fans with being fresh enough to justify their existence to a whole new generation. Luckily, Netflix’s take on 90s Australian icon Heartbreak High does just that, showing affection for its predecessor while centring Gen Z so it’s not just about, but most importantly for them. Featuring a diverse and memorable young cast and a script that’s both heartfelt and full of zingers, it’s authentic, modern, and very, very Australian. — Jenna Guillaume
Latecomers
Depictions of people with disability are still vanishingly rare on TV. Often played by actors with no lived experience, even when cast appropriately, these roles are usually relegated to sidekick status sans sex life. Co-creators Emma Myers and Angus Thompson—writers with cerebral palsy—shake things up with a glorious bang in this saucy, sassy and seriously snappy dramedy co-written with comedian Nina Oyama. Thompson also stars alongside Beyoncé and Lizzo-checking activist Hannah Diviney (a revelation) as adults tired of watching their carers root around and wanting in on the action. Easily the funniest, frankest Australian show of the year. — Stephen A Russell
Mystery Road: Origin
Swapping out usual leading man Aaron Pedersen for Mark Coles Smith did the stellar Mystery Road crime franchise no damage whatsoever. Indeed, this season, directed by Dylan River, is up there with the best of the bunch, putting rookie Indigenous cop Jay Swan between the local authorities, represented by Steve Bisley’s avuncular top cop, and his local community, including abusive father Kelton Pell and alcoholic brother Clarence Ryan, as he struggles to solve a series of daring armed robberies. Western-tinged desert atmospherics and a pervasive sense of oppressive paranoia make this an outback noir for the ages. — Travis Johnson
The Tourist
This Stan original showed off Australia’s remote, ethereal outback landscape to stunning effect. As the haunted, mysterious “tourist”, Irish actor Jamie Dornan was both a compellingly dark protagonist and an ideal comic foil for Australian cop Danielle Macdonald. The UK-Australian series has been confirmed for a second series, which will be a relief to those of us who were divided about the cliffhanger ending. Combining elements of an outback Western, thriller and horror made sense in light of the genuine disappearances of visitors and the epic, unknowable remoteness of Australia’s desert landscapes. — Cat Woods
The Twelve
An urbane Sydney courtroom and its array of intelligent, fractured human beings assembled into a jury fit for a proper, traditional, courtroom-psychological drama. Marta Dusseldorp, Sam Neill, Kate Mulvany, Brendan Cowell, Brooke Satchwell and Pallavi Sharda are amongst the top-tier acting talent that investigated questions of sexuality, morality, parenthood and the flawed judicial process, riddled with systemic misogyny, racism and ultra-conservatism.
Though it stumbled at first with the burden of so many characters and histories, the pacing recalibrated and smoothed out by the third episode. It is an intelligent, intellectual and socially conscientious drama, even though it laid the earnest patina on a bit thick. The Twelve indicates an impressive achievement at a time when TV budgets favour cheap, disposable reality TV. — Cat Woods
