Population: 11

Another deliciously quirky Aussie outback mystery from Stan, following on from the likes of "The tourist" again streamed on Stan.

I didn't realise Population 11 was "loosely based" on the unsolved murder of Paddy Moriarity in Larrimah, Northern Territory. So I urge viewers to take in "A dog act: The disappearance of Paddy Moriarity" on ABC iView (Australia) or even the Netflix series "Last stop Larrimah" for reference and several more quirky outback characters.

Anyway, there's laughs a plenty from the cast, and many Australians will recognise Stephen Curry and Nicole from Muriel's wedding. (Pippa Grandison)

A sharp soundtrack accompanies the series.

We stumbled on this randomly in a desperate search for something watchable on the wasteland that is streaming services.

Well, lucky us because we were genuinely shocked by how good this was.

Initially convinced this was a comedy, Population 11 is actually a carefully crafted mixture of comedy, drama, suspense, and mystery.

Most importantly, all the key elements of a quality show are here.

They developed authentic feeling characters, included multiple twists, and created a believable world, all using dialogue that sounds natural.

This is one sleeper I hope a lot of people manage to find because it is exceptional storytelling.

Well done to writers, cast, and crew.

If you are not paying attention to the quality product coming from down under, you are missing out. Mystery Road (the original) is awesome. Mr. In-Between is unforgettable, especially the episode where the protagonist goes after a local who abducted a child. And Deadloch is like Fargo, wacky and interesting at the same time (early Fargo, not recent Fargo!). Population 11 seems to aiming for zany, and hits the mark more often than it misses. The writing is the hook, and there is dialog here that sneaks up on you and, before you realize it, you find yourself laughing out loud. (S01E01 -- Officer Geraldine, claiming the reward after producing a generic and nondescript boot -- "That's for you to figure out. Now's the time for you to cough up the reward money.") Smooth! ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

I expected this to be just another cheesy outback drama like the tourist. Don't get me wrong, the tourist was watchable but also forgettable. Season 2 was Meh!. This one I found myself really enjoying and stayed up way past my bedtime on a "school night" before dragging myself away and then finished it off the next day. I won't lie, I expected this to be something I'd watch between better options. I'm pleasantly surprised.

I picked up on the Last Stop Larrimah storyline pretty quick, which I enjoyed seeing the characters based on real life people and elements woven in. All very Aussie but have a hidden side that makes you wonder about why they moved to a town so remote and what they were really getting away from. Growing up in a country town, I get how small communities can be. But where most show's will add in stereotype characters and let the star shine, this show gave depth to each character and developed a story for each. This was one of the few shows where the characters were not so predictable. It's great to enjoy the wider cast rather than be annoyed by them.

Loved the film making. Trent O'Donnell is becoming one of those directors who is popping up everywhere. Even the US version of Ghosts!!!! The other people behind this show are also great and have made shows I've enjoyed. I loved that the actors were people who have worked with this crew before. You can see that they are bringing talent with them and it makes for amazing TV.

Started watching, seemed ok, but the more episodes I watched, I realised that the writers had made the protagonist to stupid in his actions, personality and character that I just couldn't root for him to get the money he's after. Maybe they had a reason for that, but I can't see it. The Australian actors/characters are good for their part in the story, and I'm just watching the rest of it purely for closure. I doubt I'll watch a second season, should it ever come to be.

If they'd written it as a pure mystery; there's enough of a plot for it to have been rather good. I think, also, there's enough quirks amongst the town's population to have given it something different to the usual drama we see nowadays. Ah, well.

EDIT: Ok, just finished watching ep12... The unraveling and solution to the ongoing mystery was a surprising twist, and I'll probably watch a second season. Still don't like the protagonist, though, but I'll knock my initial review of 4 up to 5.