Territory

While I thought this was a beautifully filmed series, the story line is overly melodramatic. The acting is fantastic, the relationship bonds are intriguing, complex just enough. Viewers outside of Australia may be scratching their heads about our gun control laws while watching this. I lived in the Northern Territory for 8 years, there's certainly not this much shooting going on between humans, it's OTT. Makes me think its made for an international audience. The destruction of country and constant manipulation is certainly true to life. Death and grief could be explored in more depth, although the inheritance of psychological trauma does a good job of continuing throughout. It's a very watchable series.

It's Yellowstone set in the rugged outback of northern Australia! And if that sounds both fun and slightly over the top, that's exactly what it is.

I'm only a few episodes in, but it's already hitting all the marks. Rampaging bulls? Yep. Bar fights? Tick. Rampaging killer dingoes (?!) You betcha.

The cheesiness is held in place by some nice performances, particularly from the ever-reliable Anna Torv and the marvellous Robert Taylor, here playing a flabbier, viler and more misogynistic version of Kevin Costner's Yellowstone character.

The best character, though, is the scenery, which is every bit as stunning as you'd expect.

I'm looking forward to finishing this one!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Netflix's Territory is a captivating series that plunges viewers into the heart of the Australian outback, where a powerful cattle dynasty faces a crisis of succession. With stunning cinematography capturing the vast, unforgiving landscape, the show delivers a thrilling blend of family drama, political intrigue, and high-stakes action.

The performances are outstanding, with Anna Torv delivering a commanding portrayal of Emily Lawson, the matriarch fighting to protect her family's legacy. The supporting cast is equally impressive, bringing depth and complexity to their roles.

The series excels in its exploration of themes of power, greed, and the enduring spirit of the Australian frontier. The writing is sharp and engaging, keeping the audience hooked with its twists and turns. While some may find the soap opera elements excessive, they ultimately contribute to the show's addictive quality.

Territory is a must-watch for fans of dramas like Succession and Yellowstone. It's a gripping tale of ambition, betrayal, and the fight for survival in one of the world's most unforgiving environments.

Yes, it's going to be compared to Yellowstone. Yes, it has same over the top plots, conflicts and wacky characters. Yes, you can point to a lot of similar issues.

For me two main problems are stuff that just happens because it has to drive plot forward. Plots that make no sense. Family patriarch just decides on succession without really considering pros and cons of each option.

Second is plot holes that exist for similar reason, to drive plot forward. Station is supposed to be the size of Belgium yet is run by family (4 members initially, later expanded to a bit more) and what seems lie a skeleton crew. But of course greedy corporations try to take it away from them.

I also didn't like how everything keeps building up. Tensions rise, conflict deepen, passions get stirred... and then things gets resolved (after a fashion) within half an hour.

But it's ot a bad show, if you can look beyond that. Camera work is good, nature looks gorgeous....

We really enjoyed this series. Great actors. We loved Robert Taylor in Longmeier, he makes a great western style old and crusty guy. Anna Torv is wonderful as a complex female adversary. We loved her on Fringe but didn't realize she was Australian because she dropped her accent. Same for Michael Dorman who was in For All Mankind. It's pretty amazing how U. K. and Australian/NZ actors can drop their accents and sound so American.

It's nice to have shows set in nature, rather than concrete cities and constant violence.

If you liked Yellowstone, you'll like this.

I really hope there's a season 2.