Cleverman

With well paced plot, full of suspense and mystery, as well as a fantastic young and relatively unknown cast, Cleverman promises to be one of the best shows of its genre to come out of Australia for a long time. Drawing on indigenous culture and lore, the social issues prevalent in Cleverman are obviously representative of current issues facing Indigenous communities, with the premiere along touching on high levels of incarceration and the loss of culture. The political allusions also reflect the Australian governments attitude to asylum seekers in recent years. The action scenes are fast paced and dynamic, and the show does not shy away from sex and nudity. The drama is realistic and raw, and is portrayed very well. Overall a very impressive premiere, and i will definitely be back for more

I don't usually write reviews on IMDb but felt compelled to, considering that Cleverman really succinctly questions modern Australia's political, social and racial climate. In fact, the nature of other reviews, positive and negative, are actually a testament to how well this series has done in exploring key concepts. Namely, Cleverman is actually serving its purpose very well, considering the number of racist reviews!

Cleverman is telling a story about how Australian's (and perhaps more broadly, general society) are fearful of those that they don't know and minority cultures. In the series, a society is afraid of the insinuation that another culture might be different to theirs and feel the need to put them "back in their box". It is truly poetic how the actions of many of the antagonists in Cleverman, are so well mimicked by the negative reviewers here on IMDb.

Xenophobia is still relevant and Cleverman clearly explores this theme effectively and strikes a chord with a number of viewers.

I would recommend this series for those looking for something different and who are knowledgeable of the science fiction genre (and that speculative fiction sits within it!) It is a really unique show that explores some aspects of Aboriginal folklore from well respected artistic groups. It's also excellent for its consideration of political rhetoric around tolerance; exceptionally relevant viewing.

Absolutely loved it, fabulous cast - great photo. Yeah OK, the plot is a bit thin and cliché, Classic brothers fight for power, outcasts versus dictatorship, but it plunges into the dream time and little known (to us, new Australian) stories. Can't wait to follow this. And Sydney! I now lives in France, and seeing great work by Australian TV warms the heart. It is very close to our current societies, oppressed group looking for a leader, sometimes it is spooky similar to what is happening right now in the 'burbs. Hard to decide sometimes if it is fiction or reality... It will be interesting to see how it develops, could be just boring, could go feral. Feral would be good. May be not 'walking Dead' feral, but slowly dream time feral.

To the reviewer who said that the premise is dated because this type of racism is no longer a big issue: you need to watch the news, read the news, talk to anyone of racial minority - it absolutely does exist.

Violent oppression is a problem in many places all over the world - systematic violent oppression like is shown in the very first episode. The attitudes of the boys on the bus or the cops' fear: this happens in "First World" countries every day. And where we've evolved beyond violence, there still exists systematic oppression in many forms from micro-aggressions all the way up to human trafficking and modern-day slavery and murder.

There is a sci-fi/fantasy twist to this story, but the story it tells is not in any way dated. If you think race and color no longer exist, you're part of the problem. The point is to see it and not have it make a difference in your behaviors and attitudes toward those of a different race.

And I love the Aboriginal angle to this story as well since they need their stories told as much as everyone else. Also, Indigenous populations' stories are often told from perspectives other than their own and we need to ask for more told by the population themselves. Let networks know that just because one show doesn't work out, it's the storytelling not the subject matter that is less than.

The tense atmosphere, the talented diverse cast, and the fascinating plot all worked for me, so I'll definitely keep watching this. One of the best things of this show is it explores the rich Aboriginal culture, mythology and history in Australia, something I feel is largely untold so far in mainstream media, and thus has much to contribute to the world.

And yes, there are many parallels in the experiences of Australian Aboriginal communities, the asylum seekers in offshore detention camps, and the "subhumans" in the show, which makes it feel somewhat all too real at times. The social issues and the politics explored in this show makes Cleverman one of our more important shows.

Even if you don't care for all the stuff I mentioned so far, the show performs very strongly as a superhero series with a dark and gritty atmosphere. The acting is solid, the shots are gorgeous, and the mystery is gripping. I highly recommend this to everyone who enjoys a serious drama.

Oh, also, Cleverman is already renewed for a second season.