Robbie Hood creator Dylan River and Tanith Glynn-Maloney bring us this ’80s-set outback comedy.
How to watch Thou Shalt Not Steal in Australia
All eight episodes of Thou Shalt Not Steal are now streaming in Australia exclusively on Stan.
Thou Shalt Not Steal: Miniseries
What is Thou Shalt Not Steal about?
Our heroine is Robyn, an Indigenous teenager recently absconded from juvenile detention in order to visit her dying grandfather. Shortly before shuffling off this mortal coil, the old man tasks her with returning a trophy to her long-absent father. She sets off for Coober Pedy in a stolen taxi, along with Gidge, the son of an itinerant preacher/con man, with the taxi’s owner, outback madam Maxine, Gidge’s dad, Robert, and the cops in hot pursuit, and we proceed from there.
Dylan river’s last TV series, Robbie Hood, was aimed at kids, but dealt with edgier fare than usual. Thou Shalt Not Steal doubles down on the latter – it’s an outback road movie (well, series, but “road series” sounds weird) that’s drawn favourable comparisons to the early work of the Coen brothers, which is certainly not faint praise.
The cast of Thou Shalt Not Steal
Sherry-Lee Watson (Heartbreak High) is Robyn; Will McDonald (also Heartbreak High) is son of a preacher man Gidge; Noah Taylor (tons of stuff, but let’s go with The Year My Voice Broke) is Gidge’s dad, Robert Snr; Miranda Otto (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) is taxi driver and madam Maxine; Darren Gilshenan (Colin From Accounts) is Australian Federal Police officer Mick; Shari Sebbens (The Moogai) is his partner, Tracey; Natasha Wanganeen (Rabbit-Proof Fence) is Mary, Robyn’s mother; Warren H. Williams is Ringer, Robyn’s grandfather; and Justin Rosniak (The Surfer) is Steve, Robyn’s father.
Thou Shalt Not Steal trailer
Why we’re excited about Thou Shalt Not Steal
Aussie comedies tend to be broad and broadly inoffensive. But Thou Shalt Not Steal seems to be the diametric opposite of that, dealing with dark themes and real emotions with a kind of bold, frenetic energy that, frankly, local productions could use more of. Get on it.
