Rake

Not being Australian and completely unfamiliar with Australian TV, I came to Rake without any expectations or preconceived notions. I find the show is hilarious and mesmerizing at the same time, in no small part due to Roxburgh's performance. He's terrific as a cad with a heart of 14K gold plated brass.

In some ways, Rake is reminiscent of, but doesn't imitate, the great Robbie Coltrane series, Cracker, with both lead characters brilliant in their professional lives, yet exasperatingly self-destructive train wrecks once they're off the clock.

The show's been Americanized by Fox, starring Greg Kinnear (an actor of whom I'm a big fan), but I'm avoiding the Fox series because I've been told the edge of the Australian original was sanded down for American audiences. But, it's the sharp edge that I enjoy. If you can get your hands on the OZ version of Rake, you ought to watch it. It's really good TV.

but have rectified that with desperate anticipation driven out of absolute addiction.

It is magnificently written, cast, structured and performed.

What makes it most riveting to those of us blessed with living in and around the actual locations and situations, is that lots of the stories are absolutely true (given a few exaggerations here and there) with "only the names changed to protect the guilty".

I can't imagine how they got filming permission for the scenes in the actual NSW parliament, when the story line revolved around the rottenness of our recently evicted government.

If only the real party hacks were as funny as their corruption is real. Maybe we could actually forgive them. Instead they are dull, boring, incompetent and corrupt, very little amusement value there.

Hard to imagine anyone ever playing the role of Cleaver Green to the hilt the way Richard Roxborough has. Having seen the dull, American rendition, makes Richard's performance only shine the more brilliantly.

I hope there are many more series in the pipeline. This show is honestly the best I have seen in decades. Right up there with Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones. And a whole lot funnier! :)

Every once in a (long) while the Australian TV industry can dig up a gem. You're never quite sure which network will produce the next 'East West 101' or 'MDA', but chances are that an intriguing new show will turn up on the government-owned ABC.

That is certainly the case with 'Rake', which I understand has been signed off for a third season - and is also the model for an American version to go into production shortly.

I wouldn't have bothered writing a review for this series, but felt compelled to respond to remarks from reviewer colbur-1. Many of the actors making cameo appearances in this show are well-known names, as other reviewers have noted, but of the regulars probably only Richard Roxburgh would be well known outside the framework of this series.

Regrettably, I don't see any of the "cringeworthy jingoism" or 1960s insularity. This is an immensely entertaining show if you can stand the robust language and moral ambivalence. But even in that context the heroic stature of Matt Day's character serves as a foil to Roxburgh's.

The beauty of this series, beyond the wonderful character development, is that the stories overcome that stumbling block of Australian film and TV: mediocre script writing. Being based on reality and frequently drawing on true life situations 'Rake' eases willing suspension of disbelief even as it descends further into the surreal.

It's a show that will shock and amuse; it's by no means a typical sitcom, but it's real life, with its flawed villains and cynics - mostly with their redeeming virtues. Even farm girl-turned-mobster and part-time lusty wench Kirsty - played by Robyn Malcolm - has her own reasons for her actions.

And if that isn't enough to draw you in to watch this show, I don't know what will.

For shows this damn good the seasons just come to an end WAY too quickly. From the very first episode you're hooked, and streaming them is a pita cause you can't stop watching 'em. It becomes a marathon, and you only must stop cause you're seriously cutting into your zzz-time. Haven't looked it up yet, but I truly do hope this one stays around.. I know I could see myself enjoying it for a minimum of a handful of seasons...(but did read somewhere that more than likely three will be the last). There are so many outstanding performances, just select most any name, but just to single out one, and although she only appeared ever so briefly, Toni Collette shows in such an absurdly brief time how magnificent an actor she truly is, her range of character is just incredible. BRAVO Australia!!.. for such an outstanding production. Not all seasons are equal.. the third weaker than the the first two (prison doing a lot of the damage). Still pretty good overall, and had they allotted more air time to Adrienne Pickering .. bit.ly/1dvp5g5 .. (and TC), it could've been that much better. PS.. and I'm absolutely clueless why the US counterpart on Fox was ever produced and aired at all.. it is atrocious.

This TV series tries not to lecture too much in order to recognize that people who are good at their jobs can have many other flaws. In other words, this series is very engaging because it has characters who are not wooden or black and white. Most characters in the show are somewhat dysfunctional and yet they have decent core values. And the most dysfunction is the main character who happens to be an excellent lawyer dealing with very difficult to defend cases or sometimes guilty people.

The acting and the dialog is superb. Every single episode that I have seen has been well written and that is not always the case even for many great TV shows. This show also manages to incorporate comedy, drama and suspense very well.

I love it and I wish that there were more episodes.