Ah, Australia — the land of beaches, bushland, and buff kangaroos. A seemingly idyllic, faraway place where everyone is laid back, throwing shrimps on barbies, and wearing “thongs” (flip-flops). But don’t let the tourism marketing spiel deceive you, Australia is evolving from being known abroad as the creators of sunny soap operas like Home and Away and Neighbours, and instead turning into a serious player in the landscape of TV production.

Skip this list if you want to preserve that 70s idealistic image of Australia in your mind, but read on if you’re after a range of important and diverse Australian TV shows to binge on next — with vicarious travel to Australian shores and exposure to the Australian accent as just a couple of added benefits.

A Place to Call Home (2014-2018)

A Place to Call Home is a period drama set in the 50s in rural New South Wales. It follows the fictional life of Sarah Adams (Marta Dusseldorp) as she readjusts to life in Australia after World War II and a mysterious past 20 years spent in France with her husband.

Whilst settling into her new life back in small-town Australia, Sarah becomes well acquainted with the wealthy and aristocratic Bligh family, has several clashes with strict matriarch Elizabeth Bligh (Noni Hazlehurst), and experiences much love and loss throughout the six-season series. Complete with scenic shots of rural Australia and beautiful period sets and fashion, if you liked Downton Abbey, you’ll likely enjoy this Australian counterpart.

Watch on Acorn

Jack Irish (2016-2021)

Marta Dusseldorp also makes an appearance in the crime drama Jack Irish. Based in Melbourne, this show follows the eponymous Jack Irish (Guy Pearce), who was a former criminal lawyer but changes tack to become a private investigator and debt collector after the murder of his wife and a fall from grace in his legal career.

The storyline is adapted from crime fiction novels written by Peter Temple and was first developed into a three-part miniseries before being adapted into a fully-fledged television series with three seasons. If you like action-packed crime thrillers (with a dash of corruption and endless twists and turns) then this show is right up your alley.

Watch on Acorn

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012-2015)

A historical mystery and drama series set in Melbourne in the roaring 1920s, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is based on a series of mystery novels by Kerry Greenwood. Both the TV series and the novels follow the personal and professional life of private detective Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis).

Spanning over three seasons, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is full of flapper fashion, interesting characters, and mysterious murders. The creators Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger have described Phryne Fisher as “one of the first feminists… a bit of a James Bond action hero - she’s much better dressed than James Bond though.”

Watch on Acorn

Mr Inbetween (2018-2021)

Mr Inbetween is a dark and offbeat comedic drama that follows Ray Shoesmith (Scott Ryan) — an assassin during work hours, and a father, divorcé, brother, and boyfriend in all non-working hours.

Over its stretch of three seasons, the show depicts these two somewhat conflicting worlds and Ray’s attempt to navigate a balance between them. We see his difficulties in trying to contain the violence and anger required for his career from affecting his relationships. It gives us a uniquely humanist and comedic portrayal of a seemingly cold-blooded killer. Created by and starring Scott Ryan, Mr Inbetween was shot mostly in Sydney and is based on Scott’s 2005 feature film The Magician.

Watch on Hulu

Offspring (2010-2017)

If you’re looking for a light, quirky romantic comedy set in Australia (Melbourne to be exact), Offspring is the one for you. There are hot doctors, a dysfunctional family, and lovable characters - a pretty unbeatable combination if 18 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy has taught us anything.

The seven-season show centers on obstetrician Nina Proudman (Asher Keddie) as she navigates her way through her early 30s. The characters are realistic, lovable, and flawed, with some standouts being Nina’s sister Billie Proudman (Kat Stewart) and Billie’s on/off boyfriend Mick (Eddie Perfect). Along with flashbacks, animations, and fantasy sequences, the style and script are as quirky as its characters — and fair warning, you’ll have Nina’s ringtone stuck in your head after an episode or two.

Watch on Hulu

Rake (2010-2018)

A similarly quirky show is Rake, but with a significantly different protagonist and setting. Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh) is a Sydney-based barrister who is known for defending the usually guilty and winning his cases through creative means. His extracurricular activities are as colorful as his behavior in court - he has debts owing to bookies, a long-term relationship with a prostitute with whom he has developed an emotional connection, and ongoing tax issues with a nemesis who he outwits at most turns.

Rake is drily funny and looks at how Cleaver takes on a wide range of outrageous, seemingly unwinnable legal cases — it’s a five-season wild ride all the way to the High Court of Australia.

Rent on Amazon Prime

Rosehaven (2016-2021)

Rosehaven is a down-to-earth comedy about two friends moving to a small town in Tasmania. The show follows Daniel McCallum (Luke McGregor) as he returns to Rosehaven, his hometown, to help his mum with her real estate business. Upon his return, he finds that his best friend from “the mainland” (i.e. the rest of Australia), Emma Dawes (Celia Pacquola), has also decided to join him on his move to Rosehaven after a marriage that didn’t quite work out.

The show follows them as they navigate life and friendship in Rosehaven with eccentric neighbors, each trying to deal with and resolve their past. The five-season show was also created and written by Luke and Celia, two real-life best friends, which lends a sense of reality and authenticity to the acting.

Stateless (2020)

Based on true stories, Stateless weaves together the disparate threads of four strangers whose lives become intertwined at an immigration detention center in the Australian outback. It intelligently tells the story of how a woman escaping a cult, an Afghan refugee, an office worker, and a bureaucrat find their lives intersecting in unexpected ways, whilst also providing a humanist and genuine insight into the lives of those impacted by the harsh Australian immigration detention system.

The show was co-created by Cate Blanchett (who also has a small feature role) and it brings the high quality and terrific acting we’d associate with that name. Running for only one season of six episodes, it’s short but incredibly effective.

Watch on Netflix

The Cry (2018)

Similarly emotional, intense, and with a lot of depth is The Cry. This show is also a limited series and, over just four episodes, it heartrendingly details the story of what happens to new mother Joanna (Jenna Coleman) and her husband Alistair (Ewen Leslie) when their four-month-old son Noah goes missing during a trip to Australia.

The show follows how Joanna and Alistair manage the fallout from the tragedy — how it affects them personally and impacts their fragile relationship — all while under the intense scrutiny of the hounding media. The show is wonderfully acted and beautifully shot with unexpected twists and turns to keep you hooked.

Watch on Acorn

The Gloaming (2020)

If you’re looking for more of a dark crime drama with a touch of the supernatural, The Gloaming will be up your alley. The show is inspired by the haunted history of Tasmania. Molly McGee (Emma Booth) and Alex O’Connell (Ewen Leslie) are police detectives looking into the murder of a woman near Hobart. Their investigation leads them down a deep rabbit hole which eventually links them to a 20-year-old cold case, corruption, cults, and a long-term Tasmanian mystery. There’s currently only one series available, but there’s talk that a second series is in the works.

Watch on Stan

Upright (2019-2022)

Upright follows a classic odd-couple pairing — stressed and jaded Lucky (Tim Minchin) and an in-your-face teenage runaway Meg (Milly Alcock) — who are brought together randomly in the middle of the Australian outback after a car crash. They soon bond over a united goal of transporting Lucky’s upright piano (which almost becomes a character of its own) from Sydney to his mum’s house on the other side of the country in Perth. During their quest to make it across Australia, they form an even stronger bond by surviving several misadventures and discussing topics big and small.

The show is, at times, strange and absurd, with a touch of melancholy, but it’s a heartwarming and entirely human show about the ups and downs of this old thing we call “life” — complemented by beautiful Australian outback landscapes. Fans of the fantasy series House of the Dragon can spot the young Rhaenyra Targaryen before she made her trip to Westeros. The show ran for two seasons.

Watch on AMC+

Wakefield (2021)

Are you okay with musical interludes in a dramatic TV series? If so, you’ll enjoy Wakefield. It’s an undoubtedly risky concept that can feel somewhat jarring in the early episodes, but the acting and storyline more than make up for it. The show follows psychiatric nurse Nik (Rudi Dharmalingam) at his workplace where we get to meet the patients and fellow staff of a psychiatric institution in the Blue Mountains, along with unraveling the tendrils of Nik’s personal life and family history. It’s an original, well-executed, and moving show spanning just one season of eight episodes.

Buy on Amazon Prime

Wentworth (2013-2021)

Wentworth is a series based loosely on the popular 1980s show Prisoners. It’s said to be a modern adaptation of the successful show with a younger version of the main protagonist, inmate Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack), at the commencement of her prison life. The show starts with Bea entering a correctional facility while awaiting trial for the attempted murder of her husband, and over eight seasons we watch Bea learn to navigate the complexities of prison life and eventually master the system to move to the top of the prison hierarchy.

As the series progresses, the show shifts its focus from Bea to instead encapsulate the lives of other inmates and prison staff at the correctional facility, thus bringing more dynamism and depth to the show. Perfect for you if you liked Orange is the New Black but wanted a touch more thrilling drama and Australians.

Watch on Netflix

Why Are You Like This (2018)

Why Are You Like This deals with hot-button issues like cancel culture and identity politics in a satirical and dry comedic manner. The show follows a trio of Gen Z roommates — Mia (Olivia Junkeer), Penny (Naomi Higgins), and Austin (Wil King) — as they navigate their way through a rapidly evolving modern world with all the changing cultural and social values that entails, while also navigating their paths toward adulthood and all the drudge work and social politics that entails.

It’s a smart, fresh take on modern life for young twenty-somethings and subtly deals with big issues like gender, ethnicity, and religion, however, it also pokes fun at itself for taking itself so seriously as to think it could “deal with big issues”. Classic Zoomer energy.

Watch on Netflix