| Image Alt: | Pine Gap title screen |
| Creator: | Greg Haddrick |
| Director: | Mat King |
| Starring: | Parker Sawyers Tess Haubrich Jacqueline McKenzie Steve Toussaint Stephen Curry |
| Country: | Australia |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 6 |
| Location: | Alice Springs, Adelaide |
| Network: | ABC |
Pine Gap is an Australian television drama and thriller series that was released on Netflix and broadcast on ABC in 2018. The six-part series is written and created by Greg Haddrick and Felicity Packard. Mat King directs all six episodes.[1] The series was produced by Screentime.
Pine Gap is an international political thriller which is set around the Australian and United States joint defence intelligence facility at Pine Gap, south-west of the town of Alice Springs, Australia.[2]
Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian wrote that the "soporific" series was "less a spy drama than an attempt to cure insomnia." He also criticised the series for what he regarded as its poor story-writing and unsatisfactory acting, giving it one out of five stars, as "there is nothing remotely cinematic about the drama."[3] Helen Razer of the Daily Review gave the series a negative review, disparaging it as "a poor attempt at promoting favourable propaganda about Australia–United States relations". She also criticized what she regarded as the token use of Aboriginal characters.[4]
Pat LaMarco of The Daily Free Press described Pine Gap as a "dull and sluggish attempt at a thriller". He also viewed the show's release on Netflix as a sign of what he regarded as the deteriorating quality of its content, writing that "now we will be seeing critically acclaimed dramas...and low-quality, forgettable efforts such as Pine Gap on the same [streaming] service."[5]
Whereas in contrast, Pine Gap has developed a cult status and following, often applauded for its gripping storytelling and well-developed characters without having to resort to violence. Also appreciated is the clever planning and authority of local aboriginal people - showing indigenous people as more than match for the primary forces.
Pine Gap was removed from the content streamed by Netflix in Vietnam by order of the country's Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information because a map with the nine-dash line was shown in two episodes of the series. This refers to contentious border issues in the South China Sea. It was in a context in which characters criticised China's claim over the waters in on-screen dialogue.[6] [7]
In November 2021, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board of the Philippines ordered Netflix to remove certain episodes that featured the nine-dash line, deeming it "unfit for public exhibition" after the country's Department of Foreign Affairs issued a complaint calling the line "illegal" and a "violation of Philippine sovereignty".[8]