Barons

I fell under the spell of this new Australia Surfing TV show Barons immediately. The series considers a critical reflection on the cultural landscape of our Australian shores, our beaches that continue to coordinate our social space, knowledge and identity forming in every generation. The actors are fresh and talented castings, they are next generation artists that tackle the content head-on as they do the waves with bravado. The surfing footage is as slick as. Barons is a series to be celebrated on all levels, its groundings in 70s nostalgia of yesteryear translates generationally, its cast boast high quality acting ( the Snapper a standout). The producers got this one right in that reflecting on how far we have come as a nation drawing conversation around equality and first nations rights, Barons manages to broker the topics of discrimination acts and how surfing culture played a roll in carving out our identity as a unified peoples. Sand and land and panel vans have never been more appealing . Kick arse show. Love it.

This has a wonderful cast. Some future Aussie stars I'm sure. Hunter Page-Lochard stands out in particular. The pacing of the series is slightly off at times and there are a few ropey American accents however what makes make up for it in other ways is the lush cinematography (makes me want to head to a warm beach asap) and the details in the seventies throwback costuming is very good also. The recent Daisy Jones and The Six adaption could've learnt a lot from this in terms of 70's vibes with feeling included. The series is not very long so it's a relatively easy watch if you want something that's easy to get into. I give it 7 out of 10.

Excellent local drama with a diverse cast and a compelling story - as well as lots of eye candy and brilliant surfing footage. Barons is a classic tale of friend against friend set in the heady days of the early 70s. It looks great and the rivalry between the two leads feels authentic and true. As well as being entertaining it also sensitively examines a lot of issues such as racism, sexism and the early days of the social justice/protest movement - but never in a way that feels preachy, diadactic or gets in the way of the narrative. It's great to see this kind of investment in Australian drama and it deserves a wide audience. Highly recommended.

Barons beautifully paints a picture of a very specifically Australian Surf culture as it emerged in the 70's. The way this is shot and presented gives an immersive and sensuous window into that time, drenched in sun and film light leaks. The story and settings are well put together, but the casting choices are the real standout, with Sean Keenan, Ben O'Toole, Jillian Nguyen and the rest of the ensemble blending together beautifully to give a sense of the dynamics shifting between them, but also wonderfully portraying the period in which it is set.

I really liked the simple nature of this show, but it does have enough twists and turns to make it slightly more complex that you think. This is clever. Its fun and engaging and never pretends to be something it isn't. Acting was mostly strong, and the shots are great with particular reference to the surfing, so I would definitely recommend this one.

I don't think show has the budgets of the big US drama series, but look past that and simple enjoy the experience. I will be watching for Season 2 for sure.