Inspired by real events, Nine’s riveting new crime drama Human Error follows Detective Holly O’Rourke (played by Leeanna Walsman) and her homicide team as a seemingly open-and-shut murder investigation threatens to destroy her career, her family and her faith in justice.
Holly O’Rourke is a detective investigating a murder while her own private life unravels.
As she scrambles to redeem her personal and professional reputations, O’Rourke and her team of homicide detectives uncover a criminal conspiracy that will change their lives forever.
Human Error – detectives Holly O’Rourke and Keith Bird
Execution of a suburban mum
When a suburban mum, Sonia Matthews, is executed in her driveway in front of a child, it has all the signs of a brazen professional hit. Except that Sonia seems to have no criminal connections at all. Initially, Holly’s convinced the victim’s husband has organised the hitman and she puts her reputation on the line to prove it.
But events take an unexpected turn when she discovers a fellow police officer has a motive to murder Sonia – but then something happens that rules him out as a suspect. All of a sudden, O’Rourke is no closer to solving the case.
Desperate for a breakthrough, O’Rourke considers if Sonia’s murder is a case of mistaken identity. Did the killer shoot the wrong woman? Now the race is on to discover who was the intended target, who wanted her dead and why. In doing so, O’Rourke and her team uncover a web of crime for which murder is just the tip of the iceberg.
O’Rourke’s personal life is teetering on the brink. Her marriage to Luke (Matt Day) is in crisis, she is pregnant to another man Detective Dylan McKenzie (Stephen Peacocke) and her precocious Alice (Rosie Mitchell) is causing endless grief. And then there’s her father Bear (Steve Bisley), a retired detective full of unwanted advice, who she relies on for childcare and moral support.
Can O’Rourke catch the killers, and can she win back the trust of the people she loves?
Human Error is a showcase of the creative talents behind Underbelly, Bump, Offspring and Love My Way,
The series is produced by John Edwards, Dan Edwards, Greg Haddrick and Samantha Winston, with The Age’s legendary crime reporter and podcaster John Silvester (Underbelly) as story consultant.
Holly O’Rourke and her family – father Bear, husband Luke and daughter Alice – around the dinner table
What the critics think
The TV Gold podcast with Andrew Mercado and James Manning reviewed the series in a recent episode. Both Mediaweek writers loved the series and were thrilled with the performance from Leeanna Walsman as Holly O’Rourke. They also liked the ideas of some of the Underbelly team being reunited and having the chance to work with producers John and Dan Edwards.
TV Gold awarded Human Error Show of the Week status.
TV Tonight’s David Knox also gave the series a good review and highlighted Walsman’s performance. TV Tonight gave the series four stars.
Leeanna Walsman as Holly O’Rourke
Who’s who in the Human Error cast
Leeanna Walsman plays Holly O’Rourke
Rahel Romahn plays Jarred Pines
Stephen Peacocke plays Dylan McKenzie
Matt Day plays Luke O’Rourke
Rob Collins plays Gavin Butterfield
Steve Bisley plays Bear O’Rourke
Emily Joy plays Maia Kirsner
Katrina Milosevic plays Rose Starry
Danielle Horvat plays Dallas
Gyton Grantley plays Allan Carter
Sachin Joab plays Mike Simpson
Ethan Lwin
Debra Lawrance
Daniela Farinacci
Jane Allsop plays Bianca
Anthony J Sharpe
Human Error writers Gregor Jordan, Greg Haddrick and Samantha Winston
Human Error production notes
Creators: Greg Haddrick, Samantha Winston, Gregor Jordan & John Silvester.
Executive producers: John Edwards and Dan Edwards with Nine’s Head of Drama Andy Ryan.
Producers: Greg Haddrick and Samantha Winston.
Directors: Fiona Banks and Mat King.
Episodes: 6
Where to watch: NIne, 9Now
Human Error is a Roadshow Rough Diamond production for the 9Network with major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Nine and VicScreen.
International distribution will be handled by ITV Studios.
Roadshow Rough Diamond’s, John and Dan Edwards said, “Cracking the nut on a smart detective drama show has long been an ambition for us, and Nine and ITV Studios are the perfect partners.”
9Network’s Head of Drama Andy Ryan said, “Human Error will be the must-watch crime drama for 2023. 9Network has always been the home of Australian crime drama, and we are thrilled to partner with the outstanding team at Roadshow Rough Diamond to bring Human Error to the screen.”
Rahel Romahn as Jarred Pines
Episode Guide: Episode 1 (contains spoilers)
As happy children stream out of school at the end of day, Holly O’Rourke finds her own daughter, ten-year-old Alice, sitting on the stoop all alone. Inside, teacher Julia explains Alice has been kept behind for bringing an inappropriate item to school; a crime scene photo depicting two people missing their heads. Holly comes to her daughter’s defence and argues it’s just a photo and no real damage has been done. And while her attitude might horrify Julia, we soon discover why Holly’s not concerned about a simple photograph-
On their way home, Holly receives a call from work, they need her – NOW. Without a second to lose, Holly heads for the middle of suburbia, secures Alice in the backseat with a packet of biscuits and then, secures a gun to her belt. As she kisses her daughter goodbye, we discover this ordinary mum is in fact Detective Senior Sergeant Holly O’Rourke, head of a homicide unit with the State Police, kneels beside another ordinary mum. This woman, Sonia Matthews, has a bullet wound in her skull – executed on her own front lawn after school pick up. To make matters worse, the shooting was witnessed by her eight-year-old stepson. And the final piece of evidence that really hits Holly in the heart – Sonia is eight weeks pregnant, just like Holly.
Determined to bring justice to this ordinary woman and her family, Holly gathers her team of detectives; Detective Jarred Pines, her right hand man, who’s cheeky and charismatic, but not entirely loyal to Holly; Detective Maia Kirsner, a whip smart 30-something, still finding her place in the world; and the newest member of the team, the elegant Detective Gabe Khin, fresh from Detective training and sporting a mystery limp – his left foot is in a booty, but he refuses to explain how it was injured.
Stephen Peacocke as Dylan McKenzie
Together, they begin an investigation into the murder of Sonia, narrowing their focus on husband Mike. On the surface, Mike and Sonia seem like any ordinary couple, but Holly and her team soon uncover evidence of a secret affair between Mike and his work colleague, a nasty custody battle and massive financial stress. Plus, he has clearly lied about where he was at the time of the killing. All of which lead to the very real possibility that this seemingly ordinary man has murdered his own wife.
As the hopes and fears of Sonia Matthews fill up Holly’s every waking moment, she too wrestles with her own concerns for herself and her family. Like the fact her father Bear, a former Detective, seems to be falling apart right in front of her and Alice, a cutie pie with a curious mind, is becoming obsessed with the horror of Holly’s homicide work. And while she still loves her husband Luke, the distance between them has grown so big, they barely touch each other anymore.
Gyton Grantley arrives in Human Error later in the series
As she balances the many facets of her life, Holly remains committed to her work – her true calling. After a violent confrontation between Mike and his ex-wife, Holly finally has enough evidence to arrest him. As she pushes Mike towards a confession, he breaks down and admits he’s been lying all along. But the reason he has misled the police is to hide his own human error; on the day of Sonia’s murder, he was busy slashing his ex-wife’s car tyres after an argument over custody. So, while he has committed an offence and acted shamefully, he cannot be the killer. After days of non-stop work and sleepless nights, the case of Sonia Matthews has only just begun for Holly and her team.
Reeling from her mistakes at work, Holly decides to confront one of her own problems when she gets home. On a phone call to an unknown person, Holly confesses she is pregnant. But when her husband Luke appears in the doorway, she quickly hangs up – clearly the baby is not his.
