Best TV shows to watch in 2020
Our brightest stars are rushing back to the small screen – leading the way in some of the most hotly-anticipated TV shows to come this year.
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It’s a new year, a new decade and in 2020, there’ll be so many new opportunities for Australia’s best dramatic actors to shine.
Our brightest stars are rushing back to the small screen – leading the way in some of the most hotly-anticipated TV shows to come this year.
Whether flying the flag overseas or bringing their talents home, Aussies headline these stellar series you should have on your must-watch list:
THE GLOAMING, streaming Wednesday January 01, Stan
Stars: Ewen Leslie, Emma Booth, Martin Henderson
IF you liked the supernatural thrills of Foxtel’s The Kettering Incident, you’ll love the suspense and solid scripting of this eight-part series, by the same screenwriter, Victoria Madden. Again set against the majestic landscape of Tasmania’s high country, it begins with the shock murder of a young girl, whose student I.D mysteriously pops up on the scene of another crime, committed 20 years after her death. Look for Kiwi queen, Rena Owen (Once
Were Warriors) to deliver yet another compelling performance.
THE OUTSIDER, 1pm, Monday January 13, Foxtel’s Fox Showcase
Stars: Ben Mendelsohn and Jason Bateman
ADAPTED from the best-selling novel of the same name by Stephen King, this 10-episode thriller follows the investigation into the murder of a young boy and the mysterious force surrounding the case. Mendelsohn plays lead detective Ralph Anderson who follows witness statements to suspect Terry Maitland (Bateman), a popular high school teacher, Little League coach and doting husband and father. A blockbuster start to a year of high quality drama
on Foxtel.
TRUE STORY OF THE KELLY GANG, streaming Sunday January 26, Stan
Stars: Russell Crowe, Charlie Hunnam, Essie Davis
AN all-star, rock ‘n roll take on the Ned Kelly genesis story, from Snowtown director Justin Kurzel and inspired by Peter Carey’s Man Booker Prize-winning novel. Pushing boundaries and the comfort level of its audience, this will provoke viewers and historical purists. But in the hands of this extraordinary cast including Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam, The Loudest Voice’ Russell Crowe and young stars like Earl Cave (son of Nick Cave) who mesmerise with their wild, raw talent.
STATELESS, early 2020, ABC
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Marta Dusseldorp, Dominic West
THE star power in this deliver a powerful political drama examining Australia’s immigration policies and its impact. There are four story threads: an airline hostess escaping a cult; an Afghan refugee chasing a new life with his wife and two children; a father of three, struggling to support his family, starts a new job at an Immigration Detention Centre; and finally an ambitious bureaucrat trying desperately to avoid a national scandal.
SUCCESSION, early 2020, Foxtel
Stars: Sarah Snook, Ashley Zuckerman, Brian Cox
ARGUABLY the best drama of 2019, season 3 of this brilliant, caustic and compelling drama series about a fictional media family will be one of the most anticipated shows of the New Year. A Beautiful Lie star Sarah Snook plays the talented but underestimated daughter of a media mogul, who is clinging to power in the family business. His sons are a great disappointment, battling drug addiction and the damage done by a sociopathic father.
HUNGRY GHOSTS, early 2020, SBS
Catherine Văn-Davies, Bryan Brown, Justine Clarke, Ryan Corr
FROM the makers of Safe Harbour and The Family Law, this drama starts in Vietnam, where a tomb is mistakenly opened on the eve of the Hungry Ghost Festival. The vengeful spirit which emerges wreaks havoc, bringing the dead back to life and all the trouble that follows. Back in Melbourne, the Vietnamese Australian community are not safe from the spirits. This supernatural thriller should compound Australia’s growing international reputation for quality
spooking (Glitch, The Kettering Incident).
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, early 2020, Seven
Stars: Hermione Norris, Sara Wiseman, Aaron Jeffrey
COLD Feet favourite, Hermione Norris plays the wife of a philandering tycoon (Phillip Quast) who finds herself entangled by his lies and manipulation. When her world collides with a seemingly warm and loving widow, her footy star son and musical daughter it appears a happy coincidence.
THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS, early 2020, 10
Stars: Jessica De Gouw, Laura Carmichael
10
ANOTHER literary adaptation based on the novel by Australian author Michael Robotham, this psychological thriller follows two women from different walks of life who are both keeping secrets. The Hunting’s Jessica De Gouw impresses, as does Downton Abbey import, Laura Carmichael.
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WENTWORTH, late 2020, Foxtel
Stars: Susie Porter, Kate Box, Kate Jenkinson
THE final season of this internationally acclaimed Foxtel drama series promises to be bittersweet for its global audience; but what it won’t be is boring with new cast and even more progressive plot twists to deliver on the show’s reputation to shock and push the boundaries of storytelling on Australian television. Upright’s Kate Box, Janet King starlet Zoe Terakes and All Together Now’s Jane Hall bring their rich and diverse talents to the ensemble, which has proved the making of some of our biggest names in the industry since this reimagining of Prisoner made its debut back in 2013.
THE UNDOING, late 2020, Foxtel
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant
FRESH from her triumphant performance and production nous on Big Little Lies, Nicole Kidman has teamed again with David E. Kelley to produce and star in this miniseries. Adapted from the Jean Hanff Korelitz novel, You Should Have Known, Kidman plays Grace Sachs, a therapist preparing to publish her first book, with a devoted husband and son. But that picture perfect life begins to unravel and she must start again with her child and herself.
BACK TO THE RAFTERS, late 2020, Amazon Prime
Stars: Rebecca Gibney, Erik Thomson, Jessica Marais
ONE of the most-anticipated reboots of 2020 will reunite the Rafter family and those who brought this brilliant family drama to life and acclaim over six previous seasons. Gibney will be a busy woman, starring in another refreshed series, Halifax FP due to hit the small screen also this year. This marks the first original commission for US streaming platform, Amazon Prime.
NEW GOLD MOUNTAIN, late 2020, SBS
Stars: Benjamin Law
DIRECTOR Ana Kokkinos is at the helm of this four-part pioneering drama series, which explores the true story of the Australian gold rush of the early 1850s from the perspective of the Chinese miners who risked everything to make their fortune in a strange new home. The Family Law’s Benjamin Law joins the writing team.