3 Period dramas to watch this spring
The best series take you to another time, whether it’s World War II-era Sydney or 1980s Melbourne.
The best series take you to another time, whether it’s World War II-era Sydney or 1980s Melbourne. Here’s what we’ll be watching this spring.
While The Men Were Away
Gemma Ward makes her return to the screen in this lavish SBS drama, set during World War II. The show reunites Ward with her The Black Balloon director in a queer reinterpretation of what it was like for the women at home while the war raged on. Ward stars as Sadie, a fruit picker looking for love who finds it in the community of the Australian Women’s Land Army. With gorgeous 1940s costuming by Nina Edwards and a cast that includes Max McKenna and Hamilton’s Shaka Cook, this is one of the biggest local shows of the year.
On SBS and SBS On Demand from September 27.
Lessons in Chemistry
Bonnie Garmus’s charming novel Lessons in Chemistry was one of the breakout hits of last year; now it’s a television show starring Brie Larson. The series brilliantly recreates the 50s in style as it follows Elizabeth Zott (Larson) who dreams of being a scientist – but can only find work as the host of television cooking program, a platform she uses to educate audiences about the power of chemistry. With a supporting cast that includes Aja Naomi King and Beau Bridges, and writer and producer Lee Eisenberg (of The Office fame) in the showrunner’s chair, get ready for a subversive comedic take on the period drama.
On AppleTV+ from October 13.
The Newsreader
Thank god, the best Australian television show is back for a second season. The Newsreader stars Anna Torv and Sam Reid as Helen Norville and Dale Jennings: one, a veteran newsreader battling a sexist workplace, the other an ambitious upstart with his eyes on the prize. Together, they just might be the most powerful pair in the world of 1980s newscasters. Throw in real-life news events – season one followed the Lindy Chamberlain case; season two is set in 87 and will cover election night, the hero in crisis and the protest of the Bicentenary – and you have the recipe for perfect television.
On ABC and ABC iView from September 10.
This article appears in the September issue of Vogue Australia, on sale now.
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