BlackJack

For a long while, I didn't think Australian television would ever produce anything comparable to those British movie-length detective series such as "Morse", "Wallander", "Lewis", "George Gently" and "Vera". Not many US television series equal them either although Tom Selleck's "Jesse Stone" goes pretty close.

Over the years, Australian television produced many superficial crime series. Usually one-hour long, they typically had bland, one-dimensional characters with an emotional level about as deep as the makeup.

And that is the reason, first time around, I actually missed the Australian-made series that broke the mould and finally delivered something that stands comparison with the best - "BlackJack" starring Colin Friels.

There are only seven episodes: a pilot and two short series, but the quality shines through.

Friels' character, Jack Kempson, possesses that one essential quality that makes "Wallander", "Vera", "Morse", "Jesse Stone" and a handful of others stand out from the crowd - empathy. It's not even necessarily brilliant plots; they may all be tough cops, but understanding is at the core of their characters; they understand human frailty - they are world-weary, but also worldly.

Writers Sean Micallef and Gary McCaffrie caught the tone perfectly. Friels' Jack Kempston is a cop on the outer after informing on corrupt colleagues. He is virtually buried in a unit entering old files on computer, and he is no computer geek. It's a clever device; the series is built around the fact that the files give Kempson the opportunity to re-investigate old cases. Kempson is also a single dad, and life has thrown up challenges; his spirited daughter is handicapped, and there are unresolved family issues.

A partner is the other important ingredient in the best police dramas - Morse had Lewis, then Lewis had Hathaway. Even George Gently had the mercurial John Bacchus. "BlackJack" settles in after the moody pilot episode with its echoes of the Graeme Thorne kidnapping case, and Kempson teams up with Marta Dusseldorp's Sam Lawson. They spark off each other, but there is also mutual respect.

Another important ingredient is a feeling for place. Where the best British dramas are often set in the North of England (Massachusetts for "Jesse Stone" and Sweden for "Wallander"), "BlackJack" is set in Sydney. The city is used well with atmospheric night scenes and locations in older suburbs.

Much of the series' appeal is down to Friels. We get a handle on Jack Kempson in the first episode - by the last one we know him well. He's not easily fazed; when he thinks he is right about something, he pursues it tenaciously. Friels also has a light touch; the perfect balance to the intensity of the drama.

Sean Micallef is a unique talent - comedian, actor, and writer. To have come up with this series, which almost seems like a sideline in his CV, is pretty impressive.

"BlackJack" is gone, but another Australian series promises to be nearly as good: "Jack Irish" starring Guy Pearce. With just three episodes so far, only time will tell.

I missed the start and the finish, but a generally enjoyed it. I got the impression that it was from an earlier era than 2003. It was atmospheric, but when you thought about it, the plot did not make a lot of sense. That is why I did not watch the finish, I thought the plot had just become a bit fantastic.

I am going to add a bit of padding. I saw it on British TV, late at night, at a time when people are not normally watching TV. I happened to watch it by chance. I found the cars, and the Australian people interesting to watch. Being a cop movie, there was an element of bad language which was quite interesting. Unlike 'Neighbours', most of the characters looked either unwell, or they were unpleasant. A bit like a British cop story. It had a gritty undercurrent of things going terribly wrong even though people were doing their best. The sort of 'human' emotion, ie tragedy, that you do not get in an American cop show.

I haven't actually seen this, but when you look at the cast listing, you'll see that out of 30 or so in the cast, not including the director, almost half were on Farscape at one time or another, and it looks like it is almost the same for Water Rats. For a large continent, they sure do have a small acting pool. (Just to avoid misunderstanding, I'm not commenting on the quality of the actors in the show, just the quantity of talent down under. :) ) I'm sure the "cross-pollination" happens with other shows, but I'm not really all that familiar with the other ones.

Now that I've got more channels, I'll have to see if I get any Australian programming, or try other avenues. I really want to see some of these people act without elaborate costumes and prosthetics.