For shows this damn good the seasons just come to an end WAY too quickly. From the very first episode you're hooked, and streaming them is a pita cause you can't stop watching 'em. It becomes a marathon, and you only must stop cause you're seriously cutting into your zzz-time. Haven't looked it up yet, but I truly do hope this one stays around.. I know I could see myself enjoying it for a minimum of a handful of seasons...(but did read somewhere that more than likely three will be the last). There are so many outstanding performances, just select most any name, but just to single out one, and although she only appeared ever so briefly, Toni Collette shows in such an absurdly brief time how magnificent an actor she truly is, her range of character is just incredible. BRAVO Australia!!.. for such an outstanding production. Not all seasons are equal.. the third weaker than the the first two (prison doing a lot of the damage). Still pretty good overall, and had they allotted more air time to Adrienne Pickering .. bit.ly/1dvp5g5 .. (and TC), it could've been that much better. PS.. and I'm absolutely clueless why the US counterpart on Fox was ever produced and aired at all.. it is atrocious.
118 Reviews
Aussie TV well worth your time if you love a good bad boy . . .
purrlgurrl4 May 2014
Not being Australian and completely unfamiliar with Australian TV, I came to Rake without any expectations or preconceived notions. I find the show is hilarious and mesmerizing at the same time, in no small part due to Roxburgh's performance. He's terrific as a cad with a heart of 14K gold plated brass.
In some ways, Rake is reminiscent of, but doesn't imitate, the great Robbie Coltrane series, Cracker, with both lead characters brilliant in their professional lives, yet exasperatingly self-destructive train wrecks once they're off the clock.
The show's been Americanized by Fox, starring Greg Kinnear (an actor of whom I'm a big fan), but I'm avoiding the Fox series because I've been told the edge of the Australian original was sanded down for American audiences. But, it's the sharp edge that I enjoy. If you can get your hands on the OZ version of Rake, you ought to watch it. It's really good TV.
In some ways, Rake is reminiscent of, but doesn't imitate, the great Robbie Coltrane series, Cracker, with both lead characters brilliant in their professional lives, yet exasperatingly self-destructive train wrecks once they're off the clock.
The show's been Americanized by Fox, starring Greg Kinnear (an actor of whom I'm a big fan), but I'm avoiding the Fox series because I've been told the edge of the Australian original was sanded down for American audiences. But, it's the sharp edge that I enjoy. If you can get your hands on the OZ version of Rake, you ought to watch it. It's really good TV.
Anti-hero is a sympathetic character
kgratton27 January 2013
Every once in a (long) while the Australian TV industry can dig up a gem. You're never quite sure which network will produce the next 'East West 101' or 'MDA', but chances are that an intriguing new show will turn up on the government-owned ABC.
That is certainly the case with 'Rake', which I understand has been signed off for a third season - and is also the model for an American version to go into production shortly.
I wouldn't have bothered writing a review for this series, but felt compelled to respond to remarks from reviewer colbur-1. Many of the actors making cameo appearances in this show are well-known names, as other reviewers have noted, but of the regulars probably only Richard Roxburgh would be well known outside the framework of this series.
Regrettably, I don't see any of the "cringeworthy jingoism" or 1960s insularity. This is an immensely entertaining show if you can stand the robust language and moral ambivalence. But even in that context the heroic stature of Matt Day's character serves as a foil to Roxburgh's.
The beauty of this series, beyond the wonderful character development, is that the stories overcome that stumbling block of Australian film and TV: mediocre script writing. Being based on reality and frequently drawing on true life situations 'Rake' eases willing suspension of disbelief even as it descends further into the surreal.
It's a show that will shock and amuse; it's by no means a typical sitcom, but it's real life, with its flawed villains and cynics - mostly with their redeeming virtues. Even farm girl-turned-mobster and part-time lusty wench Kirsty - played by Robyn Malcolm - has her own reasons for her actions.
And if that isn't enough to draw you in to watch this show, I don't know what will.
That is certainly the case with 'Rake', which I understand has been signed off for a third season - and is also the model for an American version to go into production shortly.
I wouldn't have bothered writing a review for this series, but felt compelled to respond to remarks from reviewer colbur-1. Many of the actors making cameo appearances in this show are well-known names, as other reviewers have noted, but of the regulars probably only Richard Roxburgh would be well known outside the framework of this series.
Regrettably, I don't see any of the "cringeworthy jingoism" or 1960s insularity. This is an immensely entertaining show if you can stand the robust language and moral ambivalence. But even in that context the heroic stature of Matt Day's character serves as a foil to Roxburgh's.
The beauty of this series, beyond the wonderful character development, is that the stories overcome that stumbling block of Australian film and TV: mediocre script writing. Being based on reality and frequently drawing on true life situations 'Rake' eases willing suspension of disbelief even as it descends further into the surreal.
It's a show that will shock and amuse; it's by no means a typical sitcom, but it's real life, with its flawed villains and cynics - mostly with their redeeming virtues. Even farm girl-turned-mobster and part-time lusty wench Kirsty - played by Robyn Malcolm - has her own reasons for her actions.
And if that isn't enough to draw you in to watch this show, I don't know what will.
Foolishly avoided this when it first came out
peterbreis24 March 2014
but have rectified that with desperate anticipation driven out of absolute addiction.
It is magnificently written, cast, structured and performed.
What makes it most riveting to those of us blessed with living in and around the actual locations and situations, is that lots of the stories are absolutely true (given a few exaggerations here and there) with "only the names changed to protect the guilty".
I can't imagine how they got filming permission for the scenes in the actual NSW parliament, when the story line revolved around the rottenness of our recently evicted government.
If only the real party hacks were as funny as their corruption is real. Maybe we could actually forgive them. Instead they are dull, boring, incompetent and corrupt, very little amusement value there.
Hard to imagine anyone ever playing the role of Cleaver Green to the hilt the way Richard Roxborough has. Having seen the dull, American rendition, makes Richard's performance only shine the more brilliantly.
I hope there are many more series in the pipeline. This show is honestly the best I have seen in decades. Right up there with Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones. And a whole lot funnier! :)
It is magnificently written, cast, structured and performed.
What makes it most riveting to those of us blessed with living in and around the actual locations and situations, is that lots of the stories are absolutely true (given a few exaggerations here and there) with "only the names changed to protect the guilty".
I can't imagine how they got filming permission for the scenes in the actual NSW parliament, when the story line revolved around the rottenness of our recently evicted government.
If only the real party hacks were as funny as their corruption is real. Maybe we could actually forgive them. Instead they are dull, boring, incompetent and corrupt, very little amusement value there.
Hard to imagine anyone ever playing the role of Cleaver Green to the hilt the way Richard Roxborough has. Having seen the dull, American rendition, makes Richard's performance only shine the more brilliantly.
I hope there are many more series in the pipeline. This show is honestly the best I have seen in decades. Right up there with Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones. And a whole lot funnier! :)
Refreshingly irreverent law and disorder show
jatrudel22 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
that's about as subtle as a whoopie cushion, this series is one of the finer representations of the human comedy if there ever was one; Honore De Balzac would have loved it. Only the Aussies could take a Fish called Wanda and turn it into a Shark Called Sheila. This show has something for everyone - comedy, tragedy, buffoonery, you name it. Neither adult men and women nor the legal profession will ever be looked upon in the same light again.
*****Spoiler alert**** Our hero is a barrister who wanders through life fixing miscarriages of justice while playing both straight man and the fool to his friends, foes and lovers. Along the way he collects women to help him address his various and sundry insecurities, but it only adds to the confusion when they express empathy, then invariably leave. He has a kind and trusting soul, and they do eventually gravitate back, using him to recharge their feelings of self-worth before sallying forth again. In one episode he finds himself besieged by his ex slash psychiatrist, his former prostitute slash legal intern, and his partner's wife as they each individually seek asylum in his apartment, and all three end up sleeping together in his bed while he sleeps alone on the couch. Rated R for nudity and f-bombs.
*****Spoiler alert**** Our hero is a barrister who wanders through life fixing miscarriages of justice while playing both straight man and the fool to his friends, foes and lovers. Along the way he collects women to help him address his various and sundry insecurities, but it only adds to the confusion when they express empathy, then invariably leave. He has a kind and trusting soul, and they do eventually gravitate back, using him to recharge their feelings of self-worth before sallying forth again. In one episode he finds himself besieged by his ex slash psychiatrist, his former prostitute slash legal intern, and his partner's wife as they each individually seek asylum in his apartment, and all three end up sleeping together in his bed while he sleeps alone on the couch. Rated R for nudity and f-bombs.
Great people can be dysfunctional
TesaRants5 September 2012
This TV series tries not to lecture too much in order to recognize that people who are good at their jobs can have many other flaws. In other words, this series is very engaging because it has characters who are not wooden or black and white. Most characters in the show are somewhat dysfunctional and yet they have decent core values. And the most dysfunction is the main character who happens to be an excellent lawyer dealing with very difficult to defend cases or sometimes guilty people.
The acting and the dialog is superb. Every single episode that I have seen has been well written and that is not always the case even for many great TV shows. This show also manages to incorporate comedy, drama and suspense very well.
I love it and I wish that there were more episodes.
The acting and the dialog is superb. Every single episode that I have seen has been well written and that is not always the case even for many great TV shows. This show also manages to incorporate comedy, drama and suspense very well.
I love it and I wish that there were more episodes.
One of Australia's best shows
kimmoth10 September 2012
I was overjoyed to hear this show is back, and stunned to realise I'd forgotten about it (although it's been a year without a season).
Being reminded of its existence, let alone the prospect of another season, was enough to cause uncontrollable grinning.
I love everything about it. The production values, the writing, the casting, the acting, it's all superb. But what I love most about it is the show's timbre; its aim and stance; its beautifully human angle. Many bonus points also for the regular moments of absolute hilarity.
After watching the first episode of the second season, I can't wait for next week... this will get the long months waiting for the final instalment of Breaking Bad off to a good start.
Being reminded of its existence, let alone the prospect of another season, was enough to cause uncontrollable grinning.
I love everything about it. The production values, the writing, the casting, the acting, it's all superb. But what I love most about it is the show's timbre; its aim and stance; its beautifully human angle. Many bonus points also for the regular moments of absolute hilarity.
After watching the first episode of the second season, I can't wait for next week... this will get the long months waiting for the final instalment of Breaking Bad off to a good start.
Long-running Aussie series might've jumped a few grite whoites along the way, but it still keeps chugging along...
The_late_Buddy_Ryan18 March 2014
Just two eps into season three, "Rake" was looking like one of the best TV series from anywhere, ever. I was dimly aware of Richard Roxburgh as a veteran Aussie actor who's done a lot of action flicks; he's a revelation here as Cleaver Greene, a Sydney trial lawyer with a gambling habit, multiple substance-abuse issues and a private life that can only be described as a f---in trinewrick.
The scripts are inventive and very funny, Cleaver's drunken harangues in inappropriate venues especially so; the cases are sometimes based on real-world causes célèbres (like the cannibal who advertised online for a dinner partner), the ongoing dramedy of Cleaver's personal life is involving (and very funny), and the ep where Cleaver gets out of a slump by defending an Assange-like activist who's charged with treason is positively uplifting.
The supporting cast is amazing; Australian TV seems to have a very deep bench of beautiful actresses who can really act, starting with Adrienne Pickering as Cleaver's love interest and onetime Xena sidekick Danielle Cormack as a cougar prosecutor. Guest spots by Aussie notables like Rachel Griffiths as a race-baiting shock jock, Toni Collette as a randy politician and Hugo Weaving as the cannibal--and those crispy accents with the foot-long vowel sounds--make this fabulous show even more delightful.
2018 update: All five seasons are now available for streaming on Netflix. Some of the later eps are a bit loosely plotted, to put it mildly, but the kangaroo court scene from season three (Rake makes the best jailhouse lawyer ever) is truly one of the funniest things I've ever seen!
The scripts are inventive and very funny, Cleaver's drunken harangues in inappropriate venues especially so; the cases are sometimes based on real-world causes célèbres (like the cannibal who advertised online for a dinner partner), the ongoing dramedy of Cleaver's personal life is involving (and very funny), and the ep where Cleaver gets out of a slump by defending an Assange-like activist who's charged with treason is positively uplifting.
The supporting cast is amazing; Australian TV seems to have a very deep bench of beautiful actresses who can really act, starting with Adrienne Pickering as Cleaver's love interest and onetime Xena sidekick Danielle Cormack as a cougar prosecutor. Guest spots by Aussie notables like Rachel Griffiths as a race-baiting shock jock, Toni Collette as a randy politician and Hugo Weaving as the cannibal--and those crispy accents with the foot-long vowel sounds--make this fabulous show even more delightful.
2018 update: All five seasons are now available for streaming on Netflix. Some of the later eps are a bit loosely plotted, to put it mildly, but the kangaroo court scene from season three (Rake makes the best jailhouse lawyer ever) is truly one of the funniest things I've ever seen!
Australian to the core
rven328 April 2016
The news that Series 4 of "Rake" is to begin on Australian free-to-air TV on 19th May this year has brought me out of the cupboard to comment on this series as a whole (so far.)
Brilliant doesn't even begin to describe it. The names Peter Duncan and Andrew Knight as co-writers of much of the first 3 series' is generally a recipe for classy, tight writing. The concept, the delivery, the moral ambiguities, the lines nudged and then stepped over - it is all very, very Australian, and so typically modern Australia is it that perhaps it should not have been re-made with a US cast. The cast of this is universally brilliant, with Richard Roxburgh receiving a special mention from me, because any other actor may not have been able to walk that fine line between (almost) law-abiding citizen and absolute rogue, coming out after all his scrapes and gaol terms as someone we are prepared to forgive (almost) anything. The writing and acting of Cleaver Greene's relationship with his son is worth a special mention, in particular the odd turn this relationship takes in S.3 - just classic.
I'll make mention also of the subject matter in Ep 5 of S.1, where Sam Neill guest stars with Heather Mitchell. It's the "family dog" episode, and on first viewing I thought, 'did I just see that, or did I imagine it?'. According to Charles Waterstreet, whose experiences as a Barrister in Sydney provided the inspiration for the character of Cleaver Greene, the case of the stolen DVD made by the good doctor and his wife was based upon a real life case. This is an instance of real life being far more outrageous than fiction.
I can give this series - so far, at least - no less that 10/10.
Brilliant doesn't even begin to describe it. The names Peter Duncan and Andrew Knight as co-writers of much of the first 3 series' is generally a recipe for classy, tight writing. The concept, the delivery, the moral ambiguities, the lines nudged and then stepped over - it is all very, very Australian, and so typically modern Australia is it that perhaps it should not have been re-made with a US cast. The cast of this is universally brilliant, with Richard Roxburgh receiving a special mention from me, because any other actor may not have been able to walk that fine line between (almost) law-abiding citizen and absolute rogue, coming out after all his scrapes and gaol terms as someone we are prepared to forgive (almost) anything. The writing and acting of Cleaver Greene's relationship with his son is worth a special mention, in particular the odd turn this relationship takes in S.3 - just classic.
I'll make mention also of the subject matter in Ep 5 of S.1, where Sam Neill guest stars with Heather Mitchell. It's the "family dog" episode, and on first viewing I thought, 'did I just see that, or did I imagine it?'. According to Charles Waterstreet, whose experiences as a Barrister in Sydney provided the inspiration for the character of Cleaver Greene, the case of the stolen DVD made by the good doctor and his wife was based upon a real life case. This is an instance of real life being far more outrageous than fiction.
I can give this series - so far, at least - no less that 10/10.
Off to a flying start
sshan531 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
It's obviously a bit early to tell after one episode, but I reckon that this series could be a beauty.
There wasn't a moment when the pace flagged or you felt you were in a scene that wasn't propelling the narrative forward. Each scene added to the exposition and the atmosphere, while managing to be entertaining and not too contrived.
The script clearly has class and wit and the casting and acting are top notch.
In the end, you've just got to love a show that has you crying and laughing at the same time when Professor Murray appeals to the court despairingly "I'm not a murderer! I'm an economist!"
There wasn't a moment when the pace flagged or you felt you were in a scene that wasn't propelling the narrative forward. Each scene added to the exposition and the atmosphere, while managing to be entertaining and not too contrived.
The script clearly has class and wit and the casting and acting are top notch.
In the end, you've just got to love a show that has you crying and laughing at the same time when Professor Murray appeals to the court despairingly "I'm not a murderer! I'm an economist!"
Beyond brilliant, on every level
fung020 February 2015
I tripped over this show on my way to the US remake, which caught my attention because of the presence of the always-likable Greg Kinnear. I'm very glad I tried the Australian original first. The US version is derivative and downright dreary; the original sparkles, with both razor-sharp satire and equally sharp-edged drama.
Rake manages to fuse comedy, courtroom trickery, human drama and even some odd moral allegory. All these facets are apparent in the first show, when Greene must defend a cannibal (brilliantly played by Hugo Weaving) - who just happens to be a free-market economist, and who (like most free-market economists) sees nothing wrong with what he has done. In the next show, Greene tries to get an innocent woman convicted, then is forced to switch and get a guilty one acquitted. Then he defends a bigamist, who just happens to be a model husband - more than once.
Greene's approach to the defence in each case is both clever and believable, in a way that most courtroom fiction is not. It reminds me of the best of Rumpole, with that series' ability to feel sympathy even for the guilty, and its reliance on astute legal trickery to make things come out 'right' in the end. Not to mention its ability to make us question just what 'right' means, in each case.
Rake has immediately leaped onto my list of top ten TV shows *ever*. It's as funny, vulgar and painfully real as the brilliant British sitcom Still Game. Yet it's equally compelling dramatically. It definitely has things to say, but it slips these points in subtly, slyly, when you're not looking.
Jack Lemon (speaking about The Apartment) said his ideal role was one that was both comedy and drama. That describes Rake perfectly. Richard Roxburgh may not be the equal of Lemon (who is?), but he comes through superbly as Cleaver Greene. The other roles are similarly well-handled, many of them by actors who will be very familiar to fans of Australian cinema.
The US version of Rake seems like a quality production, and I may give it another try, though I admit I was unable to get through the first episode. The show seems predictably gutless, unable to embrace the moral ambiguity of the Greene character. Kinnear ends up playing a dysfunctional loser, where Roxburgh scintillates as exactly what he should be: a rake - an utterly likable rogue, a womanizer, a vagabond. A man who has no choice but to live by his own rules, and who adheres to no moral code but his own.
I don't register a 10/10 rating very often, but in this case I felt like it was barely high enough. My advice: track down this show by whatever means necessary, and see it immediately.
UPDATE: Rake is back for a 4th season. There's no question that the original brilliance has dimmed just a bit. The first season focused on legal shenanigans. Successive seasons have become more of an improbably Rake-ish soap opera. They're still a load of fun, but maybe in the 8-9/10 range. Still, the approach remains unique, and it's always a pleasure to see Roxburgh chewing up the scenery as the quintessentially Australian anti-hero, Cleaver Greene.
Rake manages to fuse comedy, courtroom trickery, human drama and even some odd moral allegory. All these facets are apparent in the first show, when Greene must defend a cannibal (brilliantly played by Hugo Weaving) - who just happens to be a free-market economist, and who (like most free-market economists) sees nothing wrong with what he has done. In the next show, Greene tries to get an innocent woman convicted, then is forced to switch and get a guilty one acquitted. Then he defends a bigamist, who just happens to be a model husband - more than once.
Greene's approach to the defence in each case is both clever and believable, in a way that most courtroom fiction is not. It reminds me of the best of Rumpole, with that series' ability to feel sympathy even for the guilty, and its reliance on astute legal trickery to make things come out 'right' in the end. Not to mention its ability to make us question just what 'right' means, in each case.
Rake has immediately leaped onto my list of top ten TV shows *ever*. It's as funny, vulgar and painfully real as the brilliant British sitcom Still Game. Yet it's equally compelling dramatically. It definitely has things to say, but it slips these points in subtly, slyly, when you're not looking.
Jack Lemon (speaking about The Apartment) said his ideal role was one that was both comedy and drama. That describes Rake perfectly. Richard Roxburgh may not be the equal of Lemon (who is?), but he comes through superbly as Cleaver Greene. The other roles are similarly well-handled, many of them by actors who will be very familiar to fans of Australian cinema.
The US version of Rake seems like a quality production, and I may give it another try, though I admit I was unable to get through the first episode. The show seems predictably gutless, unable to embrace the moral ambiguity of the Greene character. Kinnear ends up playing a dysfunctional loser, where Roxburgh scintillates as exactly what he should be: a rake - an utterly likable rogue, a womanizer, a vagabond. A man who has no choice but to live by his own rules, and who adheres to no moral code but his own.
I don't register a 10/10 rating very often, but in this case I felt like it was barely high enough. My advice: track down this show by whatever means necessary, and see it immediately.
UPDATE: Rake is back for a 4th season. There's no question that the original brilliance has dimmed just a bit. The first season focused on legal shenanigans. Successive seasons have become more of an improbably Rake-ish soap opera. They're still a load of fun, but maybe in the 8-9/10 range. Still, the approach remains unique, and it's always a pleasure to see Roxburgh chewing up the scenery as the quintessentially Australian anti-hero, Cleaver Greene.
Seasons 1-3 very good.
sheepshearer12 September 2018
Too much crap coming out of toilets
happyart-964874 October 2018
I loved the first 4 seasons, until crap started coming out the toilet, for the second time!! in the 5th season Seriously... don't they have any more better stories to come up with? I'm done watching this. It's a shame.
A Lawyers life ain't easy .....
boogittie4 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This show is really great, it makes you laugh, & smirk, but all the time it is showing just how corrupt & laughable the entire legal system is. Even though the main character is a lawyer himself he is constantly being victimized by the very same "System" he is part of. Richard Roxburgh plays his part to perfection, as the real underdog, doing what ever he can to fight against the tide of whoa that never seems to end. But he also shows how frail we can all be & how the world can get on top of us, no matter what we try to do to fight it. We all have hopes for how things will turn out in our life, but the reality is we have no control over any of it, & even a Lawyers life ain't easy .......
real life
peterm126 May 2012
While the cases in this series are over the top, believe it or not the main character in this is based on real person. Charles Waterstreet a Sydney barrister whose life is apparently every bit as colorful as the series would have you believe . Real life is stranger than fiction. Especially at the New South Wales bar, apparently. Waterstreet is mate of Richard Roxborough the star of the series who plays him in it. A younger and more handsome version as Roxborough smilingly says in one interview. The point is if you enjoy this series you should google waterstreet and find out more about him. As for me while something tells me he is the kind of guy who creates chaos in the lives of people around him, there is something about him that I find admirable and engaging. And this comes across in the show. PS love the show.
Added years to my life
DianaMWilliamson19 April 2018
This show has got to be one of the most brilliantly written shows I'VE ever seen. The character of Cleaver is laugh out loud funny- his dialogue and those of others- make other tv shows seem like they were filmed underwater. It is outrageously clever and hilarious... Don't know what else to say but I'm so addicted... and I hope they keep this on for as long as possible. In such an age where politically correct bs seems to win the day- Cleaver's approach to cut things down to size is so REFRESHING. This is what TV was meant to be- not the other sorry ass drivel they pimp as tv... Thank the heavens for Mr. Cleaver and gang...
fantastic Australian series
blanche-223 September 2016
Rake is an Australian TV show about an attorney, Cleaver Green, played by Richard Roxburgh, who is - no other way to say it - a complete mess. He's in terrible tax trouble and has been for a while, and has come up with every excuse as to why his records aren't available, so he keeps delaying. Meanwhile his secretary is stealing from him, which he knows, and they come to an agreement that she can only steal 10% instead of the usual 30.
Green is divorced, and his main squeeze is a prostitute who later leaves the profession and winds up married to a politician. As far as his friends, he creates complete chaos in their lives just by showing up. When he finally gets permission to re-enter the home of Tom and Scarlet, he destroys their child's birthday party when he gets into a fight with the clown.
On top of all of this, Green is an excellent attorney and really has some challenging cases - cannibalism is one; in another, a terrorist sets off a bomb and his wife is accused of buying the materials to make it, but she claims they are for her beauty business. "Hydrogen peroxide," the Judge says. "Bleaching hair," she says. "It seems like an awful lot," the Judge says. "Well, I don't want to be vulgar, Judge, but there are other places on a woman's body that have hair," says Green.
At one point, he has to defend his own loan shark (who has had him beaten up several times).
I recently found out that the U.S. did this series with Greg Kinnear. No way. I like Greg Kinnear but he doesn't have Richard Roxburgh's edginess and mercurial delivery or energy. Also I don't think some of the language - so prominent in the dialogue - would be permitted on American TV. Roxburgh is fabulous; the character needs to be not only super-smart but outrageous, and he brings it.
The scripts are very well written, and I love the dialogue.
Great series.
Green is divorced, and his main squeeze is a prostitute who later leaves the profession and winds up married to a politician. As far as his friends, he creates complete chaos in their lives just by showing up. When he finally gets permission to re-enter the home of Tom and Scarlet, he destroys their child's birthday party when he gets into a fight with the clown.
On top of all of this, Green is an excellent attorney and really has some challenging cases - cannibalism is one; in another, a terrorist sets off a bomb and his wife is accused of buying the materials to make it, but she claims they are for her beauty business. "Hydrogen peroxide," the Judge says. "Bleaching hair," she says. "It seems like an awful lot," the Judge says. "Well, I don't want to be vulgar, Judge, but there are other places on a woman's body that have hair," says Green.
At one point, he has to defend his own loan shark (who has had him beaten up several times).
I recently found out that the U.S. did this series with Greg Kinnear. No way. I like Greg Kinnear but he doesn't have Richard Roxburgh's edginess and mercurial delivery or energy. Also I don't think some of the language - so prominent in the dialogue - would be permitted on American TV. Roxburgh is fabulous; the character needs to be not only super-smart but outrageous, and he brings it.
The scripts are very well written, and I love the dialogue.
Great series.
A cult classic fanfare at least
paxdriver13 April 2015
I find it amazing that good humor, clever quips and sitcom-style resolution can intertwine so harmoniously with the series' progressive storyline. That's not to say the series is faultless, but it throws a bewildering amount of emphasis on higher platitudes of comedy from within the excrement of distasteful satire. Conflicts are mostly grey-area in nature, which leaves the viewer with a mentally obtuse aftertaste that makes enjoying the show so much less a 1 dimensional fest of glut but rather a rewarding experience to boot.
It's a terrific series, leaving me desperately fiending for more after each episode. If you liked Californication for the dialogue more than the sex, you'll love Rake for the same reasons, and you'll not be disappointed in either department.
Rake in a nutshell: Clerks meets David Duchovney in suits with the stage set for silk.
It's a terrific series, leaving me desperately fiending for more after each episode. If you liked Californication for the dialogue more than the sex, you'll love Rake for the same reasons, and you'll not be disappointed in either department.
Rake in a nutshell: Clerks meets David Duchovney in suits with the stage set for silk.
Brilliant
terrylee-5502911 July 2020
I'm not typically familiar with Australian tv per se, I happened across it on Netflix. Omg this is fantastic. Funny, edgy - tackles the trials and tribulations of life - this is a must watch. Love it love it love it. Best series I have seen for a long time. Robyn Malcolm as Kirsty excels, as does Richard Roxburgh as the lovable rogue Cleaver Greene. Fantastic series.
Season 5
donivanmichael27 November 2018
A MUST WATCH GIGGLE FEST
lyninbyron16 August 2018
I cannot wait for more of Rake!
One of Australia's best comedy-drama-rampages through our bizarre legal system yet. I fear some of the storylines could be too close to the truth.
Writer Andrew Knight is brilliant and I love his work.
Congratulations to all involved and keep'em coming. I'll be glued to the Tv!
Great But Skip The 2018 Season
johnseegers16 January 2019
Fun, steady stream of surprises. Some great acting and story lines. Cast seems to enjoy what they are working on. Do yourself a huge favor and don't start the 2018 season. It's just a sad, sham money grab. Kind of ruins what came before. It's like the writers never actually watched the previous seasons.
Has gone downhill
africe8 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I thought this show was great in the beginning. I rated it an 8 but it has since dropped to a 4. It has become madcap insanity with no good characters anymore. Cleaver's ex-wife has become weak and neurotic. And Scarlett's death helped the downfall. Not one moral character to stabilize the show
Favourite series
beth_w-5514027 October 2018
I loved Rake from the start. The perfect mixture of humour, sarcasm, fabulous observational comedy and beautiful emotional commentary on human strength, weakness and the fragility of life. Series 5 is the perfect ending. While starting slowly, and certainly different from standard Rake episodes based in court, the series starts to take flight in episode 3 and then hits winning mark after mark until the end. Incredible writing underpins the wonderful performances, making this the ultimate reflection of Australian creativity and a unique voice as well as an indictment of the times in which we live.
Easily one of the funniest shows I've seen in a long time.
paulkline23 November 2018
I had never heard of this show but stumbled on the title on IMDB and read some of the reviews (which were overwhelmingly positive) so I decided I'd check it out. I've been binge watching this show and laughing out loud at every single episode. If you share my sense of humor, you will love this show. The main character is fantastic.
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