If I asked you what your favourite Australian TV show of all time was, what would you say?
Sea Change? Always Greener? The Secret Life Of Us?
What about Packed To The Rafters? Love My Way? Offspring?
Or even Neighbours or Home and Away?
Australia has just celebrated 60 years of TV.
And to mark the occasion Today decided to conduct a poll asking people what their favourite Aussie TV show was. However when the results came in, not everyone was happy.
Because… McLeod’s Daughters won the number one spot.
Laura and Jessie discuss the results on the latest episode of The Binge:
McLeod’s Daughters – I hear you say? WHY? That hasn’t been around for YEARS.
But what you really should be saying is WELL, OF COURSE IT IS. Because I can honestly tell you, hand on my heart – that McLeod’s Daughters IS the best Australian TV show of all time.*
Sorry, all other Australian shows in existence.
*At this point, you must know that when I was 12 I forced my parents to drive me to South Australia from country NSW so that I could see where McLeod’s Daughters was made. I also own all seven box sets on DVDs.
The Season 4 cast of McLeod's Daughters.
For those of you who haven't watched it yet (seriously, what have you been doing for the past 15 years?) McLeod's Daughters is set on a cattle and sheep property in country South Australia. It follows the relationship of estranged half sisters, Clare and Tess McLeod who run the family farm Drovers Run after their father dies. They fight sexism, droughts, fall in and out of love with their very good-looking neighbours and basically kick some serious arse. It is so much more than branding cows and cleaning out troughs. Although they do clean out some troughs... but anyway.
If that isn't enough for you, here are some other reasons:
It's as Feminist as you can get.
In the first ever episode, Clare McLeod fires all her male staff who ran the property. They were stealing from her. And she wasn't going to have it.
From then on the farm is run by five women who are all at different ages and different stages of their life. And through all seven seasons of the show, husbands, deaths, boyfriends and babies - this remains the same.
It's beautifully shot.
We live in a beautiful country. But on TV all we see are beaches and suburbs. That's where McLeod's Daughters was different. Channel Nine actually purchased a property for filming and all seven seasons were shot there.
It has some of the best love triangles in Australian TV.
If you thought Offspring's relationships were good, you should try McLeod's.
The property run by Clare and Tess, the two daughters, borders a traditional family property run by blokes. Cue sexual tension. Between Tess and Alex, Clare and Alex, Tess and Nick, Tess and Dave, Tess and Nick, Stevie and Alex... The 'will they?' and 'won't they?'s will leave you hanging on.
To hear the full discussion listen to the latest episode of The Binge here or on iTunes here:
What's your favourite Australian TV show?
Top Comments
I watched it once, a horse took fright at a car, reared, and the "rider" fell off. Very few horses broken to saddle will rear at a car, any competent rider can sit a rear.
For me, it would have to be Sea Change. That came along at a time when I was fighting a very difficult health issue and I knew I'd get a laugh every Sunday night at 8.30. Sometimes it was from the delightful Heather or the wonderful woman determined to make the Khama Sutra required reading. Loved it.