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Australian television series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mystery Road is an Australian television crime mystery series whose first series screened on ABC TV from 3 June 2018. The series is a spin-off from Ivan Sen's feature films Mystery Road and Goldstone, taking place in between the two. Aboriginal Australian detective Jay Swan, played by Aaron Pedersen, is the main character and actor in both the films and in the first two TV series, each of six episodes.
| Mystery Road | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster featuring Aaron Pedersen and Judy Davis | |
| Genre | |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Starring |
Series 1
Series 3
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| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Producers | |
| Production locations | Wyndham, Kununurra, Western Australia |
| Running time | 57 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | 3 June 2018[1] – present |
Series 1 was directed by Rachel Perkins. Swan is brought in to solve a murder, with the local police officer played by Judy Davis. In Series 2, directed by Warwick Thornton and Wayne Blair, which began airing on the ABC on 19 April 2020, Swan is brought in to solve a murder in a different location, with the "local copper" this time played by Jada Alberts. Both series were shot in northern Western Australia.
Series 3, directed by Dylan River, is a prequel set in 1999, titled Mystery Road: Origin. Mark Coles Smith plays a younger version of Swan.[2][3]
In June 2023, it was announced that the Mystery Road has been renewed for a fourth series, set to broadcast in 2025. It will serve as another prequel series under the "Origin" title.[4]
Taking place between the events of the films Mystery Road and Goldstone,[5] Mystery Road Series 1 tells the story of Detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen), assigned to investigate the mysterious disappearance of two young farmhands on an outback cattle station, one a local Indigenous football hero and the other a white backpacker. Working together with local police sergeant Emma James (Judy Davis), the investigation uncovers drug trafficking in the town, and a past injustice that threatens the fabric of the whole community.[6]
Jay Swan has to unravel the mystery of a decapitated body which turns up in the mangroves, outside the town of Broome. The plot involves drug trafficking and an archaeological dig which discovered the dead body.[7][8] Swan's ex Mary is involved with an undercover drug runner, placing her in extreme danger.
The year is 1999, and a young Jay Swan moves back to his home town of Jardine to join the local police force. He must cope with his estranged father Jack and his feelings for local girl Mary Allen, as well as contending with a mysterious gang of robbers.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [9] | Directed by [9] | Written by | Original release date [9] | Australian viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Gone" | Rachel Perkins | Michaeley O'Brien | 3 June 2018 | 786,000[10] |
| 2 | 2 | "Blood Ties" | Rachel Perkins | Kodie Bedford | 3 June 2018 | 786,000[10] |
| 3 | 3 | "Chasing Ghosts" | Rachel Perkins | Michaeley O'Brien | 10 June 2018 | 600,000[11] |
| 4 | 4 | "Silence" | Rachel Perkins | Steven McGregor | 17 June 2018 | 604,000[12] |
| 5 | 5 | "The Waterhole" | Rachel Perkins | Timothy Lee | 24 June 2018 | 525,000[13] |
| 6 | 6 | "The Truth" | Rachel Perkins | Steven McGregor | 1 July 2018 | 572,000[14] |
Series 2 began screening on ABC in April 2020.[15] It had its world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in late February, in the new Series section devoted to longform television series, along with another ABC series, Stateless.[16][17]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [9] | Directed by [9] | Written by [9] | Original release date [18][9] | Australian viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "The Road" | Warwick Thornton | Steven McGregor | 19 April 2020 | 655,000[19] |
| 8 | 2 | "The Flare" | Wayne Blair | Blake Ayshford | 26 April 2020 | 576,000[20] |
| 9 | 3 | "Artefacts" | Wayne Blair | Timothy Lee | 3 May 2020 | 576,000[21] |
| 10 | 4 | "Broken" | Wayne Blair | Kodie Bedford | 10 May 2020 | 576,000[22] |
| 11 | 5 | "To Live with the Living" | Warwick Thornton | Danielle MacLean | 17 May 2020 | 572,000[23] |
| 12 | 6 | "What You Do Now" | Warwick Thornton | Steven McGregor, Blake Ayshford | 24 May 2020 | 583,000[24] |
Mystery Road: Origin went to air on Sunday 3 July 2022 and ran until 7 August. All six episodes were made available on iview.[3][25] The writers include Blake Ayshford, Steven McGregor, Kodie Bedford, Timothy Lee and Dylan River.[25]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [9] | Directed by [9] | Written by [9] | Original release date [18][9] | Australian viewers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Dylan River | Blake Ayshford | 3 July 2022 | 410,000[26] | |
|
Newly qualified detective Jay arrives back in his hometown hoping to reconcile with his estranged father. He witnesses a robbery. A lawyer from out of town reads the police file for an unsolved murder. Jay meets his father in a bar which is held up. | |||||||
| 14 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Dylan River | Steven McGregor | 10 July 2022 | 309,000[27] | |
|
A cattle truck is stolen then dumped. Jay suspects the robberies are connected. The police raid a car scrapyard. There’s a confrontation and a gang of neo-Nazis are arrested. Jay takes Mary and her family to the ball. His father should be there but doesn’t turn up. Jay finds him dead. | |||||||
| 15 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Dylan River | Timothy Lee and Dylan River | 17 July 2022 | 328,000[28] | |
|
Jay thinks Jack was murdered. He finds a cannabis farm that Jack ran. Mary tells Anousha she feels guilty for her brother’s death. Jay delivers the eulogy at Jack’s funeral. Ziggy confesses to killing Joshua. | |||||||
| 16 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Dylan River | Kodie Bedford and Steven McGregor | 24 July 2022 | 302,000[29] | |
|
Ziggy is held in custody. Lucas escapes. Jay thinks Jack and Sputty were involved in fraud as part of government works contracts. Xavier holds up Max. Police go to an incident at a brothel and find Lucas there. | |||||||
| 17 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Dylan River | Blake Ayshford and Dylan River | 31 July 2022 | 305,000[30] | |
|
Gerry’s house is ransacked. Jay realises the gang have been protesting about a massacre of aborigines. Anousha notices a photo of Abe in police uniform. Peter tells Jay off and he resigns. | |||||||
| 18 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Dylan River | Blake Ayshford and Dylan River | 7 August 2022 | 263,000[31] | |
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Jay intervenes in another robbery. Anousha has disappeared. Mary gets a lift from Rex and he kidnaps her. Jay stops him and senses something is wrong. Rex has been killing troublemakers and dumping their bodies in an old mine. Mary finds Anousha. Peter was involved in the fraud. Jay arrests him and Paddy. Jay asks Mary if she wants to come with him on his new posting. | |||||||
The first series was made on location in and around Wyndham, a town in northern Western Australia. Other scenes were shot at Kununurra and on Aboriginal lands belonging to the Miriuwung, Gajerrong and Balanggarra in the Kimberley.[32] Location shooting took approximately 10 weeks.[5]
The second series was filmed in Broome, and in the Kimberley in northern Western Australia, taking 10 weeks. It was Thornton's first time directing for television, and he said that Blair's experience in this medium was vital. He also said that Sen and Perkins had done the hard work creating "this unique world", which gave the directors of Series 2 a strong foundation, so they could focus on the performances.[33]
Mystery Road: Origin was also filmed in WA, around Kalgoorlie, Boulder and Coolgardie.[34]
The Guardian reviewer Luke Buckmaster praised the "extraordinary breadth" of the show, in the way it portrays the country "only just beginning to come to terms with its past". He praised Pedersen’s performance, which "simultaneously [projects] great strength and great sorrow", as a man "caught between traditions, between worldviews, between laws and lores".[8]
In The Sydney Morning Herald, Kylie Northover gave Mystery Road: Origin a rating of five stars,[34] while The Guardian gave it four (out of five).[3]
All three series won an Equity Award for Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.[35]
| Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Television Drama Series | David Jowsey, Greer Simpkin | Won | [41] |
| Best Screenplay in Television | Episode 3 – Timothy Lee, Dylan River | Nominated | ||
| Episode 6 – Blake Ayshford, Steven McGregor, Dylan River | Nominated | |||
| Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama | Mark Coles Smith | Won | ||
| Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama | Tuuli Narkle | Won | ||
| Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Steve Bisley | Nominated | ||
| Daniel Henshall | Nominated | |||
| Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Hayley McElhinney | Nominated | ||
| Best Direction in Drama or Comedy | Dylan River | Won | ||
| Best Cinematography in Television | Tyson Perkins – Episode 3 | Won | ||
| Best Costume Design in Television | Terri Lamera – Episode 3 | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing in Television | Nicholas Holmes – Episode 3 | Won | ||
| Best Production Design in Television | Herbert Pinter – Episode 3 | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Music Score in Television | Vincent Goodyer – Episode 3 | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound in Television | Luke Mynott, Wes Chew, Trevor Hope, Dylan Barfield – Episode 3 | Won | ||
| Series | Release date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1/A (U.S.) |
Region 2 (UK) |
Region 4 (Australia) |
Region 4 (New Zealand) | ||
Series 1 |
26 February 2019 | 8 October 2018[42] | 15 August 2018[43] | 3 October 2018[44] | |
Series 2 |
5 January 2021 | 5 October 2020[45] | 5 August 2020[46] | TBA | |
Series 3 (Origin) |
13 December 2022 | 31 December 2022[47] | 31 August 2022[48] | TBA | |
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