| Composer: | Amanda Brown |
| Language: | English |
| Num Series: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 8 |
| Producer: | Andy Walker |
| Editor: |
|
| Network: | Amazon Prime Video |
| Last Aired: | present |
Deadloch is an Australian black comedy crime mystery television series that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 2 June 2023. Created by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, the series is set in Deadloch, a fictional town in Tasmania, and stars Kate Box, Madeleine Sami, Alicia Gardiner, and Nina Oyama. Deadloch was produced by Amazon Studios. The series was renewed for a second season in July 2024.
The beguilingly sleepy settlement of Deadloch, on Tasmania's coastline, is shaken when the body of a local man turns up dead on the beach. Two female detectives reluctantly take charge of the investigation together: the fastidious Senior Sergeant Dulcie Collins, and the brash and reckless Detective Eddie Redcliffe from Darwin, aided by overeager Constable Abby Matsuda and ditsy Officer Sven Alderman. The murder coincides with the town's annual "Winter Feastival" — a celebration of local arts, cuisine and culture. The investigation forces Dulcie and Eddie to cope with each other's drastically opposite investigation styles, as they discover secrets being hidden in a town struggling to disguise the deep rift that's slowly splitting it and the lives of its residents.
Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan are the show runners and producers of the series. "The Kates", as they are nicknamed, were inspired to write a comedy from a set-up similar to that of the UK series Broadchurch after they both watched the series, so much so the working title of the project was "Funny Broadchurch". Actress Nina Oyama told the Sydney Morning Herald: "The show is first and foremost a crime show, because of the way it’s laid out, and the way people will keep returning to it will be for the crime-based and mystery-based reasons... But it's also very funny.” There was also an intention in the production to subvert some of the typical genre tropes, and reverse who are usually considered the victims in society. There is a sub-plot of a First Nations storyline around local teenagers played by Leonie Whyman and Kartanya Maynard.[1]
Deadloch was written by McCartney and McLennan along with Kim Wilson, Christian White, Anchuli Felicia King, Kirsty Fisher, and Madelaine Sami. Production on the series got underway in February 2022. Directors on the series included Ben Chessell, Gracie Otto, and Beck Cole. Production is by Andy Walker for Prime Video, Guesswork Television, and OK Great Productions, with Fiona McConaghy as co-producer. McCartney, McLennan, Kevin Whyte, and Tanya Phegan were executive producers.[2] The score was written by Amanda Brown.[3]
The series was renewed for a second season on 8 July 2024.[4]
Filming took place in southern Tasmania, outside Hobart, around Cygnet, Snug and Kingston.[5]
Filming for season 2 moved from Tasmania to the Northern Territory.
The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 2 June 2023 with three episodes, new episodes available weekly up to 7 July 2023.[6] [7]
The series was received positively. [8]
In a favourable response from Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian, he gave the series four out of five stars, and praised creators Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan – "They are moving into the next phase of their career, with Deadloch, a narratively richer series that’s dark and dramatic, and often also very funny."[9] In a positive review from Pemi Bakshi of Grazia magazine said that "the eight-part series blends humour and commentary to bring us a wickedly entertaining take on the detective show genre."[10] In a somewhat more mixed review for website Screen Hub, Stephen A. Russell gave a rating of three stars out of five and commented that "While Deadlochs far from dead on arrival, its enervating lack of structural ambition did kill a lot of the buzz I had going in."[11]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | AACTA Awards | Best Narrative Comedy Series | Kate McCartney, Kate McLennan, Andrew Walker, Kevin Whyte – Guesswork Television, OK Great Productions and Amazon Studios (Amazon Prime Video) | [12] [13] | |
| Best Acting in a Comedy | Kate Box | ||||
| Nina Oyama | |||||
| Best Direction in a Comedy Series | Ben Chessell (Episode 1) | ||||
| Kate McCartney, Kate McLennan (Episode 1) | |||||
| Best Cinematography in Television | Katie Milwright (Episode 1) | ||||
| Best Editing in Television | Angie Higgins (Episode 1) | ||||
| Best Original Score in Television | Amanda Brown (Episode 1) | ||||
| Best Production Design in Television | Emma Fletcher (Episode 1) | ||||
| Best Casting in Television | Alison Telford, Kate Leonard | ||||
| Screen Producers Australia | Comedy Program or Series Production of the Year | Guesswork Television and OK Great Productions | [14] [15] | ||
| TV Tonight Awards | Best Australian Comedy | Deadloch | [16] | ||
| Best New Australian Show | |||||
| Equity Ensemble Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Holly Austin, Tom Ballard, Kate Box, Duncan Fellows, Alicia Gardiner, Shaun Martindale, Kartanya Maynard, Kris McQuade, Mia Morrissey, Naarah, Nina Oyama, Pamela Rabe, Katie Robertson, Madeleine Sami, Nick Simpson-Deeks, Leonie Whyman, Susie Youssef, Harvey Zielinski | [17] | ||
| Logie Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Comedy | Kate Box | [18] | ||
| Madeleine Sami | |||||
| Best Scripted Comedy Program | Deadloch | ||||
| International Emmy Awards | Best Comedy Series | [19] |