Choosing the next TV show to binge can feel like a big responsibility. You need to pick wisely—after all, you’ll be there for awhile. (Does anyone know how to turn off that judge-y “hey are you still watching?” reminder? We are NOT asking for a friend.) Whether you’re tired of braving Australian summer (and sick of camping with its bread baking opportunities), or hibernating to escape Canadian winter, there’s no better way to do it than camp out on the sofa and surf Netflix. To help, we rounded up a few unique Australian TV shows for your next staycation.
1. Please Like Me
This show is a must if you’re a fan of 20-something hipster drama, chickens named Adele, and the word “offbeat.” It centers around its main character Josh: his mom’s suicidal, his best friend/roommate Tom is a dink of epic proportions, and oh yes, he’s figuring out his sexuality.
We know this sounds like a trap—a funny show about how hard real life is? It’s really true though. Please Like Me eloquently grapples with deep friendships, personal identity, family, AND mental health issues. It will make you laugh, cry, and wonder why you don’t throw more theme parties. Plus, every episode has an original opening sequence. Love it or hate it, you won’t be able to deny that its theme song is catchy.
2. Wentworth
You might know Wentworth by another name—your coworker/bff/sister called it “Orange Is The New Black but Australian and Better.” (We’re not throwing shade, this show has a wicked 8.7 rating on IMDB.) Wentworth focuses on the lives of prisoners in a women’s penitentiary. Unlike OITNB, it doesn’t make use of comedy to pull punches, hooking you in with grit and high-stakes drama. With six seasons in the bag and more to come, it’s enough edge-of-your-seat Australian TV to keep you indoors until spring.
3. Rake
Rake is what happens if a legal drama is put in a blender with dark humour, and sprinkled with some twists. Cleaver Greene is a lush, a womanizer, a divorcee, AND a brilliant criminal defense lawyer. (Boom, we know.) The show follows him as he tackles strange cases, upholding Australian law while skirting Australian justice.
If you’re not sure what we mean, just check out episode one. Cleaver defends a cannibal for a murder, grapples with the disappearance of his mistress and hits up his local café in a bathrobe. P.S. Don’t confuse this with the 2014 American remake starring Greg Kinnear.
Have you checked out any of these shows? What did you think of them? Let us know in the comments!
