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The three Australian TV shows you must watch immediately.

 

Australian television is entering a golden age. And it’s got the goods to prove it.

High quality series like: Please Like Me, Offspring and Wentworth are just a few examples where local talent have created shows with international reach.

The 59th Annual TV Week Logie Awards, held last week, reminded viewers of some of the other quality series that may have been missed by local viewers.

The Binge hosts Laura Brodnik and Tiffany Dunk used this week’s podcast to discuss three series that never quite gained the Australian followings they deserved.

Listen to their full recommendations here. Article continues after podcast. 

A Place To Call Home is currently streaming on Foxtel Go/Play. (Source: Foxtel/Showcase/Facebook.)

A Place To Call Home is an Australian period drama that follows the life of Sarah Adams, (Marta Dusseldorp), who has returned home after 20 years of living abroad.

The series, set in the 1950s, follows Adams as she begins working as a nurse in rural New South Wales. A Place To Call Home won the Logie for Most Outstanding Drama at last week's Logie Awards.

Podcast host Tiffany Dunk spoke about how excited she was to see the series win.

"I think it's brilliant that A Place To Call Home won most outstanding drama. It really is the little show that could," she said.

(Source: Foxtel/Showcase/Facebook.)

Tiffany described how the series initially aired on Channel Seven before it was dumped and later picked up by Foxtel following fan support.

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"It's not one that went under the radar. Let's face it, it almost got cancelled. It did get cancelled by Channel Seven and then the rabid fans went, 'uh uh', we are starting a campaign," she said.

The series was described by Tiffany as delicately toeing the line between soap opera and hard-hitting drama.

"It's not soap but it's very over the top and it's dramatic," she said.

A Place To Call Home is currently streaming on Foxtel Play. The series has produced four seasons with a fifth promised to air in 2017.

Secret City is available to stream on Foxtel Play. (Source; Showcase/Foxtel/Facebook.)

Secret City is a six-part miniseries that delves into Canberra's political underworld. The series follows journalist Harriet Dunkley, (Anna Torv), as she stumbles across a few clues she can never forget.

The series is based on the novels, The Marmalade Files, and The Mandarin Code, written by Chris Uhlmann and Steve Lewis.

Torv won the Logie for Most Outstanding Actress for her role in Secret City.

Podcast host Laura Brodnik spoke about how Torv may have been previously overlooked by the Australian viewer.

"I've got to say, she is one of Australia's best actresses... I think people forget that she is Australian and she was on The Secret Life Of Us," she said.

Jackie Weaver as Catriona Bailey in the star-studded series. (Source: Foxtel.)
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Tiffany believed the series' true standout performance was Damon Herriman, who played senior analyst Kim Gordon.

"Who deserved their gong more was Damon Herriman, who was absolutely brilliant as a transgender political player who had formerly been married to Anna Torv's character."

Herriman won the Logie for Most Outstanding Supporting Actor for his performance in the six-part series.

Tiffany went on to explain why the series captured her interest.

"It's really gritty and fascinating... I watched it avidly," she said.

The First Season of Secret City is available to watch on Foxtel Play.

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Cleverman is getting ready to release its Second Season. (Source: Foxtel/Facebook.)

Cleverman is another six-part series that offers viewers a darker take on modern life. Cleverman takes the contemporary issues of race, place and politics and reinvents them with mystical elements.

Podcast host Laura explained why she believed the show initially struggled to win the love of its local audience.

"This show didn't really find an audience in Australia, which is so bizarre. Maybe because in the first episode, it does take a while to get into the story," she said.

"It did so well overseas... it screened in festivals, it won awards. A second season was commissioned before the first one had even aired - it was that popular."

Laura went on to share why she believed the series was so good it appealed to lovers and haters of the science fiction genre.

"It's a tense, beautifully done, sci-fi look at these Dreamtime stories in Australia. Even if you're not into sci-fi, you'll really like it," she said.

Cleverman is available to stream on ABC's online player ABC iView.

Love TV so much you can't help but talk about it? Us too. Listen to the latest episode of The Binge for a complete rundown about what to watch this week. 

You can buy any book mentioned on our podcasts from iBooks at apple.co/mamamia, where you can also subscribe to all our other shows in one place.