Australian TV has come a long way since casting a New Zealand actor in blackface to play Boney in 1971, and then getting Cameron Daddo to play the Aboriginal detective in a 1992 reboot. Now for NAIDOC Week, we have two excellent and authentically cast Indigenous dramas, Mystery Road: Origin (Sunday on ABC and iview) and True Colours (Monday to Thursday on NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand).
Mystery Road: Origin is the latest in the acclaimed franchise that has already spawned two movies and two TV series. All starred Aaron Pedersen as Jay Swan, the man of few words, in an Indigenous western that has travelled the world.
Set in 1999, this prequel sees Mark Coles Smith stepping into the shoes of the freshly minted detective. It is quite hilarious that he used to send this up on Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell, but within the opening minute of Origin, you will never doubt that is not deadly serious.
Mark Coles Smith captures the essence of Aaron Pedersen’s characterisation, as does Tuuli Narkle as a young Mary Allen (as originally played by Tasma Walton). Her slow-burn romance with Jay is a bright spot amongst the dark underbelly.
Origin’s greatest achievement, however, is passing the baton to a new generation of First Nations talent, with its director being Dylan River, the son of Warwick Thornton, and director of photography Tyson Perkins being the nephew of Rachel Perkins, and they could not be more accomplished.
There is more outback crime in True Colours, starring Rarriwuy Hick, Luke Arnold and Miranda Otto. Like Mystery Road, there is also a wealth of fresh Indigenous talent on show, many of them acting for the first time, and hopefully not the last.
True Colours’ story is set around Aboriginal art, secret men’s business and sacred sites. This is a perspective we rarely see on TV, and screening it over four nights, something the UK successfully does, makes this an event for audiences who want it all now.
NAIDOC Week kicks off with the NAIDOC Awards (Saturday on NITV), and then Big Mob Brekky back for its fourth season (Monday to Friday, NITV), now with newsreader Tanisha Stanton and actor Luke Carroll. Meanwhile, Off Country (Thursday on NITV) is an inspiring reality series about seven Indigenous students going to boarding school at Geelong Grammar.
To cap off the week, check out The ABC Of … (Tuesday) with Evonne Goolagong Cawley, and then Looking Black (Tuesday on ABC), a retrospective special that looks at the ABC’s history of Indigenous representation on TV.
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David Wenham and Evonne Goolagong Cawley